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Called the Centennial State because it was admitted to the Union on Aug. 1, 1876, 100 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Dinosaurs once roamed North America, and what is known today as Colorado was no exception. Evidence of fossils of oysters, shellfish and crustaceous fish have been located in southeastern Colorado; fossil insects, seeds, and leaves in perfect detail as well as petrified stumps of sequoias have been located near Florissant (Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument);
and of course perhaps 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.
History of Colorado in Brief....
First visited by Spanish explorers in the 1500s, the territory was claimed for Spain by Juan deUlibarri in 1706. The U.S. obtained eastern Colorado as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the central portion in 1845 with the admission of Texas as a state, and the western part in 1848 as a result of the Mexican War.
IMPORTANT DATES IN COLORADO HISTORY
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.
Colorado Facts
Colorado has the highest mean elevation of any state, with more than 1,000 Rocky Mountain peaks over 10,000 ft high and 54 towering above 14,000 ft. Pikes Peak, the most famous of these mountains, was discovered by U.S. Army lieutenant Zebulon M. Pike in 1806.
Once primarily a mining and agricultural state, Colorado's economy is now driven by the service industries, including medical providers and other business and professional services. Colorado's economy also has a strong manufacturing base. The primary manufactures are food products, printing and publishing, machinery, and electrical instruments. The state is also a communications and transportation hub for the Rocky Mountain Region.
The farm industry, which is primarily concentrated in livestock, is also an important element of the state's economy. The primary crops in Colorado are corn, hay, and wheat.
Breathtaking scenery and world-class skiing make Colorado a prime tourist destination. The main tourist attractions in the state include Rocky Mountain National Park, Curecanti National Recreation Area, Mesa Verde National Park, the Great Sand Dunes and Dinosaur National Monuments, Colorado National Monument, and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument.
and Trivia
- "Beulah red" is the name of the red marble that gives the Colorado State Capitol its distinctive splendor. Cutting, polishing, and installing the marble in the Capitol took six years, from 1894 to 1900. All of the "Beulah red" marble in the world went into the Capitol. It cannot be replaced, at any price.
- Colorado is the only state in history, to turn down the Olympics. In 1976 the Winter Olympics were planned to be held in Denver. 62% of all state Voters choose at almost the last minute not to host the Olympics, because of the cost, pollution and population boom it would have on the State Of Colorado, and the City of Denver.
- The United States Air Force Academy is located in Colorado Springs.
- The LoDo region of Denver stands for Lower Downtown.
- Denver, lays claim to the invention of the cheeseburger. The trademark for the name Cheeseburger was awarded in 1935 to Louis Ballast.
- Colorado means "colored red".
- Colorado contains 75% of the land area of the U.S. with an altitude over 10,000 feet.
- The 13th step of the state capital building in Denver is exactly 1 mile high above sea level.
- Leadville is the highest incorporated city in the United States at 10,430 feet elevation.
- Katherine Lee Bates wrote "America the Beautiful" after being inspired by the view from Pikes Peak.
- Hundreds of thousands of valentines are re-mailed each year from Loveland.
- Pueblo is the only city in America with four living recipients of the Medal of Honor.
- Every year Denver host the worlds largest Rodeo, the Western Stock show.
- Dove Creek is the "Pinto Bean" capital of the world.
- The World's First Rodeo was held on July 4th, 1869 in Deer Trail.
- Lieutenant Zebulon Montgomery Pike explored the southwest portion of the Louisiana Territory in 1806 and though he never climbed the peak that bears his name, he did publish a report that attracted a lot of interest to the area.
- The slogan of "Pikes Peak or Bust," painted across many of the prairie schooners, was born at a time as fortune hunters headed west. Although only a handful of those who flocked to the region ever found gold.
- At 14,110 feet above sea level over 400,000 people ascend Pikes Peak each year.
- Colorado has the highest mean altitude of all the states.
- Mesa Verde features an elaborate four-story city carved in the cliffs by the Ancestral Pueblo people between 600 and 1300 A.D.
- Colorado has more microbreweries per capita than any other state.
- The highest suspension bridge in the world is over the Royal Gorge near Canon City.
- There are nearly 20 rivers whose headwaters begin in Colorado, with the Continental Divide directing each river's course.
- The Colorado Rockies play at the 50,000 seat Coors Field, located in downtown Denver.
- Colorado's first and oldest military post, Fort Garland was established in 1858 and commanded by the legendary frontiersman Kit Carson.
- John Henry "Doc" Holliday's brief and tumultuous existence led him to Glenwood Springs where he succumbed to tuberculosis and died at the Hotel Glenwood on November 8, 1887.
Thanks to: Colorado Travel & Tourism Authority |
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Wondering what to see and do?
These links should help you
map out your itinerary.
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Thank you to the following websites for
Colorado information and graphics....
Info Please - Colorado
Colorado
Colorado History
I know there is so much more to say about this great state, and I hope our Colorado FReepers will come and tell us what makes them proud to be a "Coloradan" (Coloradoan?).
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