Meeker had been attempting to convert the Utes to Christianity, to make them farmers, and to prevent them from following their nomadic culture.

On the same day as the massacre, United States Army forces were en route to the Agency from Fort Steele in Wyoming due to threats against Meeker.

The Utes attacked U.S. troops led by Major Thomas T. Thornburgh at Milk Creek, 18 miles (29 km) north of present day Meeker, Colorado.

While living among the Ute, Meeker tried to impose his policy of religious and farming reforms, but they were used to a hunter-gatherer lifestyle with seasonal bison hunting, as opposed to one which would require them to settle on a particular piece of land.

[8] In addition, Frederick Walker Pitkin, the recently elected Governor of Colorado, had campaigned on a theme of "The Utes Must Go!"

The Governor, other local politicians, and settlers made exaggerated claims against the Utes in their efforts to evict them from Colorado.

[9] The attack on the Indian Agency occurred almost simultaneously with the Ute ambush of Major Thomas T. Thornburgh's soldiers near Milk Creek.

Post, Shaduck Price, Fred Shepard, Arthur L Thompson, and "Unknown teamster" [Julius Moore].

[9][11][12] Two of the women taken captive were of Meeker's family: his wife, Arvilla, and daughter, Josephine, who had just graduated from college and had started working as a teacher and physician.

Chief Ouray and his wife, Chipeta, helped negotiate the release of the women and children who had been taken hostage.

[6] Ute warriors, led by Chief Colorow, attacked Thornburgh's forces at Milk Creek on the northern edge of the reservation, about 18 miles from the White River Indian Agency.

[6] The troops were reinforced by 35 African-American cavalrymen known as Buffalo Soldiers from the 9th Cavalry at Fort Lewis in southern Colorado, who got through the enemy lines on October 2.

[6] Subsequently, the 9th Cavalry returned to New Mexico to fight Chief Victorio,[6] but the other regiments wintered at the site of the former Indian Agency.

[11] Several of the Ute escaped and wintered in North Park, where their wickiups[clarification needed] still stand.

[1][17]: 176 After the Milk Creek and White River incidents, there was intense hostility toward the Utes, both within Colorado and the American army, and mounting pressure to drive them entirely from the state, or to exterminate them altogether.

[8]: 145–50  There had already been a desire to move the Utes off their land prior to the outbreak of the war, so the fighting added fuel to the fire.

[3]: 376–77 Treaty negotiations were the result of the intercession of Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz, who stopped any movement of forces against the Ute until such time as the hostages were safely released.

When Chief Jack and the White River Utes fled back to Colorado, the army tracked down and located them on April 28, 1882.