|
The name of our state, Colorado, is from
the Spanish term "color red" or "reddish color" and was first
given to the Colorado River and then to the state. This was the name chosen as a
Territory in 1861 by Congress. Colorado was the 38th state to achieve
statehood and has been nicknamed the Centennial State because it
became a state in the year 1876, 100 years after the signing of our
nation's Declaration of Independence. Colorado is also called "Colorful
Colorado" presumably because of our magnificent scenery of mountains, rivers and
plains. This phrase has decorated maps, car license plates, tourist information
centers and souvenirs of all kinds!
It is made up of
63 counties:
Adams,
Alamosa,
Arapahoe,
Archuleta,
Baca,
Bent,
Boulder,
Chaffee,
Cheyenne,
Clear, Creek,
Conejos,
Costilla,
Crowley,
Custer,
Delta,
Denver,
Dolores,
Douglas,
Eagle,
Elbert,
El Paso,
Fremont,
Garfield,
Gilpin,
Grand,
Gunnison,
Hinsdale,
Huerfano,
Jackson,
Jefferson,
Kiowa,
Kit Carson,
Lake,
La Plata,
Larimer,
Las Animas,
Lincoln,
Logan,
Mesa,
Mineral,
Moffat,
Montezuma,
Montrose,
Morgan
,Otero,
Ouray,
Park,
Phillips,
Pitkin,
Prowers,
Pueblo,
Rio Blanco,
Rio Grande,
Routt,
Saguache,
San Juan,
San Miguel,
Sedgwick,
Summit,
Teller,
Washington,
Weld,
Yuma
(Source: ColoradoHistroy.com)
Population, 2003 Estimate:
4,550,688
Persons per Sq. mile, 2000: 41.5
Per capita Income1999:
$24,049
Land Area; 103,598 sq. mi.;
8th
Highest Point: Mt. Elbert; 14,433 feet
Lowest Point: Arkansas River; 3350 feet above sea level
Colorado
Rivers
Animas, Gunnison, Uncompahgre, Arkansas, Snowmass,
Colorado, Cache La Poudre, Rio Grande, Alamosa, South Platte
State Flag
The state flag was
adopted on June 5, 1911 by an act of the General Assembly. The flag was
originally designed by Andrew Carlisle Johnson in 1911. On August 1, 1876,
Colorado became the 38th State to enter the Union under the flag of the United
States.
State Seal
The circular Seal of the State of Colorado is an adaptation of the Territorial
Seal which was adopted by the First Territorial Assembly on November 6, 1861. to
any document whatsoever. Below the shield in a semicircle is the motto, "Nil
Sine Numine", Latin words meaning "nothing without the Deity", and at the bottom
the figures 1876, the year Colorado came into statehood
Colorado
Senators & Representatives
Governor: Bill Owens
Lt. Governor: Jane Norton
U. S. Senators
1. Wayne Allard (R)
2. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R)
U. S. Representatives
1. Bob Beauprez (R) - Arvada
2. Diana DeGette (D) - Denver
3. Joel Hefley (R) - Colo. Springs
4. Scott McInnis (R) - Grand Junction
5. Marilyn Musgrave (R) - Fort Morgan
6. Tom Tancredo (R) - Littleton
7. Mark Udall (D) – Boulder
Find your U. S. Senators &
Representatives:
http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/index.html
Colorado
History
Dinosaurs once
roamed North America, and what is known today as Colorado was no exception.
Colorado’s most famous monument attesting to the presence of dinosaurs, is
Dinosaur National Monument, located north of Grand Junction where a variety
of dinosaur skeletons have been located and are on display.
The cliff dwellers, ancestors of the Pueblo Indians, were among
the first civilized inhabitants of Colorado, and what remains of their culture
can be seen at Mesa Verde National Park located in Montezuma County in
the extreme southwestern section of Colorado. They were called Anasazi, an
Indian word for "Ancient Ones". What became of them remains a mystery, but the
Anasazi disappeared from their cliff dwellings about the year 1300 A.D.
Coronado may have crossed the southeast corner of Colorado searching for gold as
early as 1541, but it wasn’t until the 1600’s that Spain actually sent out
formal expeditions. In 1706 a Spanish expedition from New Mexico claimed the
land for Spain, however French fur traders had also been coming into the area
for some time, and France too claimed the land that is now Colorado, especially
the eastern part. Fort Vasquez on the South Platte River near Greeley, is a
replica of a fur trading post and commemorates French trapping days.
In 1762 France ceded all its claims west of the Mississippi River
to Spain, but in 1800 Spain gave the land back to France. This led to the famous
1803 Louisiana Purchase, and it was then that the United States acquired
eastern Colorado.
The U.S. was anxious to learn more about this new land and in 1806 sent Zebulon
Pike to explore the area. He discovered the peak which bears his name Pikes
Peak, located near present day Colorado Springs, but was unable to climb it.
His reports however, brought trappers and other explorers into the area, and
trading posts were established throughout eastern Colorado and the spectacular
Rockies. Bent’s Old Fort National Historic site near La Junta has been preserved
to show what that early outpost for trappers (and later a center for the fur
trade) was like.
At the close of the Mexican War in 1848, Mexico ceded to the United States the
rest of what is now Colorado. For a time it was part of the Kansas Territory.
Although settlers were moving into the area,
taking advantage of homesteading opportunities, it was the finding of gold near
the present site of Denver in 1858 that led to the gold rush of 1859 which
brought thousands and thousands into Colorado. During the years that followed,
gold seekers settled in Denver and formed countless mining and boom towns
throughout the high mountain regions.
But many of Colorado’s early arrivals elected to capitalize on
the trade, ranching, lumbering and farming industries, rather than become one of
the thousands who ultimately failed to locate gold and were forced to return
back east, broke. The Colorado area was truly alive with new economic
opportunities, and in 1861 Congress recognized this and created the Colorado
Territory.
The railroads arrived in the 1870’s which opened up quick travel
and cheap freight to the mining areas. Gold mining prospered and a growing
population made statehood possible in 1876.
The growing towns and smelters needed coal, and coal mining
increased into the 1920’s with companies like the Colorado Fuel and Iron
building coal towns wherever the supply could be found. As you scan through the
ghost towns section of this web site, you’ll find evidence of these towns.
However petroleum began to replace coal, and many of the smaller coal towns and
mines shut down. Mining itself has, for the most part, been replaced by
agriculture as the primary land use of Colorado’s soil, although tourism
flourishes here. The rich history of Colorado attracts hundreds of thousands of
visitors every year, hiking to the ghost towns and other historical sites.
Colorado’s legacy of mining and the boom towns that sprang up made millionaires
out of paupers overnight, and senators and presidents out of miners. Ohio born
John Evans accepted President Lincoln’s appointment as the second territorial
governor of Colorado (1862-1865). He was responsible for promoting many of
Denver’s banks and other businesses that made Denver an important city. He
encouraged the railroads, and was a founder of the University of Denver.
William J. Palmer, a Civil War soldier from Delaware came to Colorado to help
survey for the Union Pacific Railroad which was to cross the west. He eventually
became president of the new Denver & Rio Grande Railroad and helped form the
cities of Colorado Springs, Alamosa, Durango and Grand Junction.
Otto Mears, a Russian immigrant, came to Colorado by way of California and Santa
Fe, New Mexico. He operated a saw mill in the San Luis Valley, but while
crossing Poncha Pass on the way to the mining camps he spilled a full load of
wheat: his first lesson about the roads in Colorado. The toll roads and amazing
railroads he later built opened up many inaccessible areas in the mountains for
further development. He even helped negotiate treaties with the Ute Indians to
help open lands for further gold exploration.
Horace Tabor and his world famous wife Baby Doe Tabor also
arrived here from Kansas and Wisconsin respectively. Tabor at one time was a US
Senator, but his claim to fame was the huge fortune he amassed in the silver
mines in Leadville and his scandalous affair with Baby Doe.
The Unsinkable Molly Brown, also of Leadville and Denver residence, was
famous for her Titanic adventure, and later her social and cultural
contributions to Colorado.
IMPORTANT
DATES & DATA:
1803: The United States acquired most of eastern Colorado as part of the
Louisiana Purchase.
1806: Zebulon M. Pike explored Colorado.
1848: Mexico ceded western Colorado to United States.
1858: Gold discovered in Denver.
1861: Congress established the Colorado territory.
1867: Denver chosen as permanent capital.
1870: Railroad connections established with the East.
1876: Colorado became the 38th state on August 1st.
1899: First beet-sugar refinery began operating at Grand Junction.
1906: Denver Mint issued its first coins.
Related Websites:
|
