Chivington Drive was a street in Longmont, Colorado

Longmont, Colorado

Longmont is a Home Rule Municipality in Boulder and Weld counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. Longmont is located in Northern Colorado. Longmont is the 13th most populous city in the State of Colorado. The word "Longmont" comes from Longs Peak, a prominent mountain named for explorer Stephen H....

 which became the center of attention and controversy because it was named for Colonel John Chivington

John Chivington

John Milton Chivington was a colonel in the United States Army who served in the American Indian Wars during the Colorado War and the New Mexico Campaigns of the American Civil War...

 who was responsible for the Sand Creek Massacre

Sand Creek Massacre

As conflict between Indians and white settlers and soldiers in Colorado continued, many of the Cheyenne and Arapaho, including bands under Cheyenne chiefs Black Kettle and White Antelope, were resigned to negotiate peace. The chiefs had sought to maintain peace in spite of pressures from whites...

 of 1864.

The controversy reached the Longmont City Council three times over a period of more than two decades following the original name selection in 1977. The most recent opposition to the name has been spearheaded by a group called Longmont Citizens for Justice and Democracy.

On December 28, 2004 the Longmont City Council voted to change the name of the street. On March 28, 2005, the street was officially renamed Sunrise Drive and new signs were erected.