Native American students continue Colorado tour despite theft of trailer, artwork
Colorado police are searching for a stolen utility trailer following its theft overnight from a Pueblo hotel parking lot. The trailer contained the metal sculpture of a bison which Denver-area middle schoolers were using as part of their presentations along the Front Range this week.
The small, black trailer was outfitted Colorado license plate EUX-T06 when it was taken.
The theft occurred between 10 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. Saturday. The students and their adult team leaders were staying at the Springhill Suites Marriott at 150 S Santa Fe Avenue. The hotel is adjacent to Interstate 25.
The students traveled Friday from events in Denver, Boulder and Colorado Springs, and were scheduled to attend another in Pueblo Saturday, according to Scott Gilmore, one of the group's adult leaders.
Gilmore said a report was filed with the Pueblo Police Department, and the department has issued a bulletin to other law agencies to be on the lookout for the trailer.
A spokesperson for Pueblo PD confirmed the trailer theft was reported Saturday morning. The investigation is in its early stages, according to Sgt. Antoinette Romas, and any description of the suspect(s) and vehicle are not being shared with the public at this time.
Gilmore is the former manager of the City of Denver's Parks and Recreation Department. His position was eliminated, and 170 other city employees were laid off, during a round of budget cuts a year ago.
Denver Parks and Rec has maintained two herds of bison on city property, including the Denver Zoo, since 1908. The city claims its herds are direct descendants of the Yellowstone bison and contains vital genes and historic significance, particularly to Native American tribes.
The city donates several head of bison to Native American tribes annually. During that collection and delivery, one or two animals are donated for harvest, or butchering, to Native American communities. This is done at the TallBull Memorial Grounds at Daniels Park in Douglas County. That event focuses on educating the native and non-Native public about the significance of the bison to earlier generations of Native Americans, how those peoples relied on the species, and how they committed to using every part of a bison that was killed.
Gilmore said the Denver middle school students attended that harvesting recently. The motivation to learn to weld and construct their own bison sculpture was "born out of that," he told CBS Colorado.
The group will continue to make its planned presentation Saturday afternoon at the El Pueblo History Museum in Pueblo, despite the theft.
"These kids are very resilient. They grew up on reservations," Gilmore said. "They're still going to talk about this program (at today's event).
"They're OK. It's not like they're happy, (but) this is a small blip in the road."
The student group will be at aYA Con in Denver next weekend, also Indigenous Peoples Day in Denver on Oct. 12, according to Gilmore.
