Colorado has begun to reckon with its past. The renaming of Mount Evans to Mount Blue Sky was a step toward acknowledging the violence that shaped our state and honoring the Indigenous communities who still live with its consequences. Longmont must now take its own step toward accountability by renaming the iconic Dickens Opera House at Third Avenue and Main Street.

William Henry Dickens is remembered as a founding figure of Longmont — a rancher, businessman and builder of the iconic opera house on Main Street. His name is etched into the city’s identity, appearing on brochures, placards and the city website. But behind this legacy lies a darker truth. Dickens was directly involved in one of the most horrific events in Colorado history: the Sand Creek Massacre of Nov. 29, 1864.

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