I think perhaps you are mistaken. My family lived in CO, just outside Denver, in the early 60s and it was starting to go liberal. Remember John Denver and the song Rocky Mountain High? Well, a lot of hippie types, trendy young people, and rich libs moved to CO in droves. Even back then Colorado State U. was a hotbed of liberal nonsense. It has just gotten worse over the years, maybe even worse than CA, though not as broke yet.
I-70 should have never been put through Vail Pass....
I remember being able to buy serious firecrackers (M-80, Cherrybombs) all year long and spending hours blowing the hell out of stuff in the fields around Westminster.
I am sure that sort of stuff these days would bring a SWAT team down on you. Colorado was a very free and easy place for a kid to grow up in back then.