From his research on successful asylums, he determined that fresh food and water as well as a country setting were important.

[5] To ease seasickness during travel, he patented a suspended bed for ships in 1872 in England, France, the United States, and Italy.

[4] On June 4, 1850, he was one of the group of Methodists who founded Northwestern University, and was elected the first president of its board of trustees.

[4] Evans began investing in real estate, banking, and railroads in Chicago, which was foundational to his becoming wealthy.

He was one of the founders of the Illinois Republican Party due to his belief that slavery was wrong and became a personal friend of Abraham Lincoln[5][4][9] after he campaigned for him in 1860.

[6] While he was governor, he helped establish the legal system, educational institutions, economy and infrastructure of the Colorado Territory.

[6] He was also the territory's superintendent of Indian Affairs,[10] but did not consider how greatly Native Americans' lives were impacted by the way in which settlers thwarted their access to resources that they needed to survive.

Evans strategy was to create treaties that allocated land for white settlers from Native American tribes.

Native American tribes—the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Kiowa, Ute people and Sioux—were indigenous to Colorado and hunted throughout the area.

Hostilities grew as settlers came to Colorado and there was concern that the Native American people would join the Confederate army during the Civil War.

Evans issued a proclamation in August 1864 that authorized "all citizens of Colorado... to go in pursuit of all hostile Indians [and] kill and destroy all enemies of the country."

Because of the lack of the ability to defend Denver because of the men fighting in the civil war, Evans ordered that so-called "friendly" "Indians" should present themselves to various forts for their "safety and protection," and those who did not were "hostile" and should be "pursued and destroyed.

His primary goal in 1864 was to eliminate all Native American activity in eastern Colorado Territory, an accomplishment he hoped would increase his popularity and eventually win him a U.S. Senate seat.

[12]Chief Black Kettle had told Native Americans that it was important that they make peace with the settlers or they would be crushed.

[12] Chivington and his men knew of the band of Cheyenne and Arapaho led by Black Kettle, who had reported to Fort Lyon as ordered by Evans but left when there were no provisions for them there.

Black Kettle and his group then camped along Sand Creek in the east central part of the Territory.

[12] On November 29, 1864, Colonel Chivington ordered 700 cavalry troopers to attack Black Kettle's peaceful encampment, when most of the men were away hunting.

Evans, raised in the Quaker faith, converted to Methodism,[4] after hearing a talk by Matthew Simpson, a Methodist Episcopal minister.

[18] In World War II, the United States liberty ship SS John Evans was named in his honor.