Colorado

Native American History

Colorado's history dates back to as early as 13,000 B.C. when evidence suggests Paleo-Indians lived in the region. Around A.D. 500, the area saw the rise of the Ancestral Puebloans, known for their cliff dwellings and sophisticated agricultural systems in Mesa Verde. Drought and nomadic tribes drove the cliff dwellers from their land in the late 1200s.

By 1500, members of the Ute tribe, the state's oldest continuous inhabitants, settled in the southern Rocky Mountains. 

European Expeditions and the Mexican-American War

European explorers arrived in present-day Colorado in the late 1500s. The Spanish, led by conquistador Juan de Onate, claimed the southern part of the state in 1598. French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, claimed the land east of the Rocky Mountains in the name of France in 1682. 

Following the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the U.S. bought the Louisiana Territory from France, which included the eastern half of the state. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the two-year Mexican-American War in 1848, resulted in Mexico ceding what is now the southwestern U.S., including part of Colorado. In 1850, the American government purchased the remainder of present-day Colorado from the Republic of Texas.

Colorado became its own territory in 1861 and, on August 1, 1876, became the Union’s 38th state.

Early American Settlement, Immigration and the Gold Rush

As early settlers turned westward around 1825, Colorado (“colored red” in Spanish) became home to fur trade trading posts and military bases, including Fort Bent and Fort Saint Vrain.

In 1858, gold deposits were discovered near present-day downtown Denver, sparking the Pikes Peak Gold Rush. In 1859, the area’s first newspaper, the Rocky Mountain News, was founded, and settlement camps were established across the state, including Denver, Black Hawk, Central City, Cripple Creek, Boulder, Pueblo, Golden and Leadville.

News of gold in the Rockies quickly spread, drawing up to 5,000 prospectors to Colorado each week. The gold rush peaked in 1900, attracting Europeans, Chinese and African Americans to the area.

But the fever didn’t last. The gold mines were soon exhausted, and many mining camps became ghost towns by the 1870s. 

However, the arrival of the Denver Pacific Railroad in 1869, Union Pacific Railroad in 1877 and Burlington Railroad in 1879 brought new immigrants, including Italians, Slavs and Greeks, drawn to the railroad and mining industries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. 

Sand Creek Massacre and the Battle of Milk Creek

Migration to the state also led to escalating tensions and conflicts with Native American tribes. The deadliest occurred November 29, 1864, when American soldiers and Colorado militia killed 230 Cheyenne and Arapaho people, including women, children and the elderly, in the peaceful Sand Creek camp in southeastern Colorado. 

Another significant incident involved the Ute tribe. Tensions flared when Nathan Meeker, a federal Indian agent for the White River Agency, tried to assimilate the Utes and withheld rations as punishment for non-compliance. Meeker called in American troops for protection. When those troops trespassed on Ute land, skirmishes erupted into the six-day Battle of Milk Creek, which left Meeker and nearly 20 white men dead and more than 40 wounded. Two dozen Utes were also killed before the tribe was forced to retreat. In response, Congress passed the Ute Removal Act in 1880, and the following year, the U.S. Army forced nearly 1,500 Ute people to a reservation in Utah.  

Colorado Industry and Economy

Initially driven by gold and silver mining, Colorado's economy diversified in the 20th century. Agriculture, particularly cattle ranching and farming, became important economic industries. The state is also a leader in energy and natural resources industries, including solar, wind, biofuels, natural gas, oil, coal, and metal ore and nonmetallic mineral mining. 

In the mid-20th century, Colorado developed a strong aerospace industry, with companies such as Lockheed Martin and Ball Aerospace establishing significant operations in the state. The state's high-tech sector also grew, with the Denver-Boulder area becoming a hub for technology and innovation. It's also a homeland security and intelligence hub, with military installations and command centers, including the U.S. Air Force Academy and U.S. Northern Command in Colorado Springs, the North American Defense Command (NORAD) in Boulder, and three Space Force locations in Colorado Springs and Aurora.    

Tourism is another major economic driver, with Colorado's ski resorts, national parks and outdoor recreational activities bringing in $27.7 billion in 2022. Additionally, Colorado is home to four major professional sports teams: The NFL’s Denver Broncos, NBA’s Denver Nuggets, MLB’s Colorado Rockies and NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. Other professional teams in Colorado represent Major League Soccer and the National Lacrosse League. 

Colorado Facts

• Date of Statehood: August 1, 1876
• Capital: Denver
• Population: 5,773,714 (2020 U.S. Census)
• Size: 104,094 square miles
• Nickname: The Centennial State
• Motto: Nil Sine Numine (Latin for "Nothing Without Providence")
• Tree: Colorado Blue Spruce
• Flower: Rocky Mountain Columbine
• Bird: Lark Bunting

Interesting Facts

• Colorado has 58 mountain peaks exceeding 14,000 feet, more than any other state.
• Leadville is the highest incorporated city in the United States, with an elevation of 10,152 feet.
• Rocky Mountain National Park is the fifth-most visited national park in the nation, attracting more than 4 million visitors annually. Established in 1915, it's the state's biggest tourist attraction.
• Colorado was the first state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in 2012.
• At least 10 mass shootings have taken place in the state since 1993, including the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, the Aurora movie theater shooting in 2012, and the King Soopers shooting in Boulder in 2021. 

• The state once had three governors on the same day. On March 17, 1905, Alva Adams was forced to resign following a voting scandal. Then his opponent, James Peabody, fulfilled his campaign promise to resign immediately, making Lt. Gov. Jesse McDonald the third governor to take charge that day.  
• William “Buffalo Bill” Cody is buried on Lookout Mountain in Golden. 
• The U.S. Mint Denver was established in 1906. It mints coins, manufactures coin dies and stores silver bullion.
• The U.S. Air Force Academy was built in Colorado Springs in 1958. 
• The 13th step of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver marks one mile above sea level, earning Denver the nickname “Mile High City.” 
• The Dwight Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel is the world's highest auto tunnel, while Pikes Peak Cog Railway is the world's highest railway train.  
• Colorado has two official state songs: "Where the Columbines Grow" by A.J. Flynn and John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High."
• Colorado Springs English teacher Katharine Lee Bates wrote the poem that became "America the Beautiful" after visiting Pikes Peak. 
• The world-famous Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison officially opened in 1941. The Beatles' 1964 concert there was the band's only show that didn't sell out on that tour. 
• A coal mine strike culminated on April 20, 1914, with the Ludlow Massacre, when four militia shot machine guns at striking miners, women and children and the National Guard burned down the camp as workers and families tried to escape. At least 66 people died, and the events led Congress to pass national labor laws. 
• Colorado rejected hosting the 1976 Winter Games in Denver when voters supported a ballot referendum to deny state funding for the event. 
• Jolly Rancher Candies started in Golden, also home to Coors Brewery.
• Famous Coloradans: Singers John Denver and Judy Collins, poet Allen Ginsberg, actors Don Cheadle, Tim Allen and Douglas Fairbanks, actresses Amy Adams, Keri Russell, Pam Grier and Hattie McDaniel, musician Glenn Miller, boxer Jack Demsey, athletes Chauncey Billups, Amy Van Dyken and Missy Franklin. 

Sources

Colorado: 2020 Census.
Colorado History Chronology.
11 things you didn’t know about Colorado’s path to statehood, History Colorado.
Notable Coloradans, Colorado State Archives.
Symbols & Emblems, Colorado State Archives.
Biggest, highest, most ... 18 interesting facts about Colorado, The Gazette.