Colorado

Basics

Colorado
Geography

Colorado
History

Colorado
People

Colorado
Places

Colorado
Nature

Colorado
Miscellany

by Carole
Marsh
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 The

Carole Marsh Doug Boston Pam Dufresne

Bob Longmeyer Jill Sanders Cranston Davenport
Chad Beard William Nesbitt, Jr. Lisa Stanley
Cecil Anderson Kathy Zimmer Antoinette Miller
Steven Saint-Laurent Wanda Coats Victoria DeJoy
Karin Petersen Terry Briggs
Billie Walburn Jackie Clayton
Published by GALLOPADE INTERNATIONAL

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©2001 Carole Marsh • First Edition • All Rights Reserved.
©2011 Ebook Edition
Character Illustrations by Lucyna A. M. Green.
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A Word From the Author... (okay, a few words)...

Hi!
Here’s your own handy pocket guide
about the great state of Colorado! It
really will fit in a pocket—I tested it. And it
really will be useful when you want to
know a fact you forgot, to bone up for a
test, or when your teacher says, “I Colorado
wonder . . .” and you have the answer— Basics
instantly! Wow, I’m impressed!
Colorado
Get smart, have fun! Geography
Carole Marsh
Colorado
Colorado Basics explores your state’s History
symbols and their special meanings!
Colorado Geography digs up the what’s Colorado
where in your state! People

Colorado History is like traveling through time

to some of your state’s great moments! Colorado
Places
Colorado People introduces you to famous
personalities and your next-door neighbors!
Colorado Places shows you where you might Colorado
enjoy your next family vacation! Nature

Colorado Nature - no preservatives here, just

what Mother Nature gave to Colorado! Colorado
Miscellany
All the real fun stuff that we just HAD to save
for its own section!
3
 State Name
Who Named You?
Colorado’s official state name is...

State
Name
Colorado
OFFICIAL: appointed, authorized, or approved
Word by a government or organization
Definition

Statehood:
Colorado will be August 1, 1876
on a state-
commemorative Colorado was the 38th to join the
quarter in the United States.
year 2006. Look
for it in cash
registers Coccinella
everywhere! noemnotata is my
name (that’s Latin
for Lady Bug)!
What’s YOURS?

4
State Name Origin
What’s In A
Name ? State
Name
When early Spanish Origin
explorers were searching for
gold, they discovered a river that
appeared red. They called it
Colorado, which means “colored
red.” The Colorado River gave the
state its name.

The introduction
of railroads helped
Colorado reach
statehood. Smart
businessmen paid
for their own
railroad line when
the Union Pacific
line bypassed
Colorado because
of its rugged
mountain terrain.

5
 State Nicknames
Who Are You
Calling Names?
Colorado is not the only name by
which our state is recognized. Like many other
states, Colorado has nicknames—official
State
Nicknames
and unofficial!

The
Centennial State
The Rocky
Mountain State
The Mother of Rivers
Since Colorado was admitted to the
Union in 1876, just
as America was Centennial means 100! I
hope I have a centennial
celebrating the
birthday!
100th birthday of the
Declaration of Independence,
it was nicknamed the
Centennial State.

6
State Capital/Capitol
State Capital:
Denver
1867 Since 1867
In 1861, Colorado City State
Capital/
was named the capital of Capitol
the Colorado territory,
but within a few months, the
capital was moved to Golden
City. William Byers, who owned
and published the Rocky
Founded Mountain News, fought hard to
see that Denver was named
1858 the state capital. Denver would
become “the largest inland city on the American
continent,” Byers proclaimed. While Denver is pretty
large, there are other, larger cities in the Midwest.
However, Denver did become the largest city in
Colorado. Denver’s nickname is
Construction the “Mile High City.”
began on
Denver’s capitol
in 1886 and
finished 22 years CAPITAL: a town or city
later. It looks like Word that is the official seat
the U.S. Capitol of government
Definition
building in
Washington, D.C. CAPITOL: the building in
which the government
officials meet
7
 State Government
Who’s in Charge Here?
Colorado’s GOVERNMENT has three branches:

LEGISLATIVE EXECUTIVE JUDICIAL

State The legislative

Government branch is called
the General Assembly.

Two Houses: Supreme Court

The Senate A governor (7 justices),
(35 members); and 16 Courts of
House of departments Appeals, and
Representatives District Courts
(65 members)

The legislative branch makes and

repeals the laws. The judicial branch
interprets the
When you are laws. The
18 and register
according to
executive
Colorado laws — branch
you can vote!
So please do! makes sure
Your vote counts! the laws are
carried out.
8
 State Flag

State
Flag

Colorado’s current state flag

was adopted in 1964.
The state flag is very colorful with blue
and white stripes and a bright red “C” with a
golden yellow center. Andrew Carlisle Johnson
came up with the basic
design in 1911. The blue
The golden ball in
the center of the and red aren’t just any
“C” on the flag blue and red, but specific
represents the colors that the General
important role
that gold played Assembly voted on in
in Colorado 1929. On March 31,
becoming a state. 1964, the legislators
voted to move the “C”
a little to the left.
9
 State Seal & Motto
State Seal
Colorado’s state seal
features a shield with
mountains over a crossed
pickax and sledge hammer,
State to represent the
Seal & state’s rich history in
Motto the mining industry. At
the top is the eye of God within a
triangle. A banner under the shield ?
includes the state motto. The seal was
adopted in 1877.

MOTTO: a sentence, phrase, or word expressing

Word the spirit or purpose of an organization or group
Definition

State Motto
Colorado’s state motto is...
Nil sine Numine
“Providence” means
care or help from a
divine source, or
looking ahead and
This is Latin for “Nothing
planning for the without Providence.”
future—just what
it takes to be a I’m nothing
great state like without
Colorado! providence—or a
good breakfast
to get me going in
the morning!
10
 State Bird
Lark Bunting
Lark Buntings spend their Springs and
Summers in Colorado before moving off to
warmer climates for the Fall and Winter. Male
Buntings are black with white wing tips,
State
while females have grayish brown streaks. In Bird
the Winter, the male’s feathers also become
streaked. When it comes time for
Lark Buntings to make their nests,
several pairs usually build nests in
the same area. Lark Buntings
eat insects and seeds. The
General Assembly
accepted the Lark
Bunting as the
Colorado state
bird on April
29, 1931.

Since
Lark Buntings are
generally found
where there are
few trees for them
to perch and sing,
they have learned
If I caught a ride
how to sing while on the back of
they’re flying! the Colorado
state bird, you
could say I was
off on a lark!
11
 State Tree
B LUE S PRUCE
I think that I shall
never see a billboard
lovely as a tree.
State
Tree
Indeed, unless the
billboards fall
I’ll never see a
tree at all.
—Ogden Nash

Botanist C.C. Parry first discovered the

Blue Spruce on Pikes Peak in 1862. The tree has
silver-blue needles and if you cut a spruce in
half from top to bottom, both sides are pretty
much the same, or symmetrical. Blue Spruces
grow well in cooler
climates and are often
used to make landscapes The Colorado
more attractive. The General
Spruce also provides food Assembly named
for wildlife—some birds the Blue Spruce
and hares eat the the state tree on
March 7, 1939.
needles, deer eat the
twigs, and small birds eat
the winged seeds.

12
 State Flower
R OCKY M OUNTAIN
C OLUMBINE
Colorado’s state flower—the Rocky Mountain
Columbine or Blue Columbine—has been described
as one of the most graceful wildflowers. They
can vary in color from purple to lavender to State
blue to pale blue. The flowers grow wild in Flower
open woods and meadows and bloom in the
Spring or early Summer. Columbines are perennials,
which means they bloom each year without having
to be replanted.

The Colorado General Assembly made the

Rocky Mountain Columbine the state flower on April
4, 1899—just in time for its Spring show of blooms!
The Columbine is very special in Colorado. In fact, it’s
illegal to pick
more than 25
...purple all the ground with
blooms a day! vernal flowers...
—Jean Elliot

Columbine is
the Latin
word for
“dove.”

13
 State Animal
Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep
The Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep can only
be found—you guessed it—in the Rocky Mountains!

Male Bighorns,
or rams, can weigh up
to 350 pounds
(158 kilograms).
State During the
Animal mating season,
usually around
December, rams battle
with each other to
determine who is the strongest. Sometimes two rams
will hit each other as many as 50 times, and they can
crash into one another at speeds of up to 50 miles
(80.5 kilometers) per hour. Sometimes the crashes are
so loud they can be heard more than one mile (1.6
kilometers) away!

Both male and female Bighorns have horns.

The female’s (ewe’s) horns are small spikes, while the
male’s are more like a spiral. A set of male horns can
weigh up to 35 pounds (15.75 kilograms).

The Rocky
Mountain
RIDDLE: Why are the legs of
Bighorn Sheep a Rocky Mountain Bighorn
was adopted as
the state
Sheep shorter on one side than
animal on the other?
May 1, 1961.
mountain!
ANSWER: So he won’t fall off the
14
 State Fossil
Stegosaurus
Stegosauruses roamed around Colorado
more than 140 million years ago during the
Jurassic period. They grew to be about 20
feet (6 meters) long, with two rows of heavy,
bony plates sticking State
up on their backs. Fossil
While they
looked pretty
scary, they
mainly ate
plants.

There is a Stegosaurus skeleton on display at the

Museum of Natural History in Denver. It was discovered
in January 1980 by a group of
students from Cañon City High
School. Only six Stegosaurus
On April 28, 1982, skeletons are on display for the
the Stegosaurus public nationwide.
officially became
the Colorado
state fossil. I’d share
my salad
with that
dinosaur!

15
 State Gemstone

Aquamarine
Aquamarines are a
prized gemstone.
State
Gemstone
They range in
color from pale
blue to deep green.
Colorado is the site of some of the
finest Aquamarine mines in the world.
These gemstones can be very small, up
to about 2.5 inches (6 centimeters)
long. Aquamarine is actually one of
the many members of the beryl family.

The Colorado
General Assembly
officially
designated the
Aquamarine the
official state
gemstone on
April 30, 1971.

16
 State Insect
Colorado
Hairstreak Butterfly
If you see a beautiful purple
butterfly whose wings have black borders
with orange accents, you may have made
the acquaintance of Colorado’s state State
insect. This colorful butterfly is the Insect
Colorado Hairstreak.

The Colorado Hairstreak is one of

about 70 species of Hairstreak Butterflies.
They are found north of Mexico, and are
known for their quick, darting flight. They
are called Hairstreaks because of long,
hairlike tails on their hind wings.

Colorado is a good place for this

butterfly because they do
best in places where the
elevation is 6,500 to 7,500 The Colorado
Hairstreak
feet (1,981 to 2,286 Butterfly was
adopted as the
meters) above sea level. state insect on
Colorado’s higher April 17, 1996.

elevations certainly meet

that requirement.
17
 State Grass
Blue Grama
Grass
Blue Grama Grass, Colorado’s state
grass, is native to Colorado and considered a
valuable natural resource. It grows wild on
State both sides of the Continental Divide, and
Grass
some people say it looks like a small blue
toothbrush! Blue Grama Grass doesn’t
need a lot of rain, so it does well during
the dry times in Colorado. It generally
grows about 8 to 16 inches (20 to 40
centimeters) tall.

The Blackfeet Indian tribe used Blue

Grama to predict how cold the winter was
going to be, based on the number of spikes
on each stalk. One spike meant they were in
for a mild winter, but
three meant it was The Colorado
General Assembly
going to be really named Blue
Grama Grass the
cold. BRRRRR! state grass on
I wouldn’t May 20, 1987 to
help educate
like to brush people about
my teeth how important
with grass! our natural
resources are!

18
 State Folk Dance
Square Dance
Colorado’s state folk dance,
the Square Dance, traces its roots State
Folk Dance
back to immigrants from England
and France. It combines English country
dance with the French formal ballroom
dancing.
Swing your
partner! Do-
si-do!

The Square
Dance was
formally adopted
as the state folk
dance on
March 16, 1992.

19
 State Fish
Greenback
Cutthroat Trout
The Colorado state fish almost
became extinct. At one time, the
State Greenback Cutthroat Trout was abundant
Fish in the state’s streams and creeks, but their
numbers started decreasing as industry
and mining activities increased. In the 1980s, state
wildlife experts were sure the fish was
extinct. Fortunately, in the 1990s
small schools of the fish were
found in areas that had not been
affected by industrial progress.
Coloradans are working to increase
the Cutthroat population. This
fish gets its bloody name
because of the little splash of
red on its lower jaw. Female
Cutthroats lay eggs in
the spring. They can
lay as many as 6,000
eggs in a year!

That’s a lot
of mouths
to feed!

20
 State Map
The State of
Colorado

State
Map

Colorado is shaped almost like a rectangle, with its boundaries defined

by lines of longitude and latitude. The southern border is just slightly
wider than the northern one. 21
 State Location
Colorado is
m o s t l y l o c ate d i n t h e
G re at P l a i n s re g i o n ,
E

but when most people

TUD

think of Colorado,
LO N G I

t h ey t h i n k o f t h e
LA
T IT
UDE R o c k y M o u n t a i n s.

State
Location

T H E CO N T I G U O U S
U N I T E D S TAT E S

do
ora
Co l

LATITUDE: Imaginary lines which run

Word horizontally east and west around the globe
Definition LONGITUDE: Imaginary lines which run
vertically north and south around the globe
22
 State Neighbors

On The Border!
These border Colorado:
States: Wyoming Nebraska
Kansas Oklahoma
New Mexico Arizona
Utah
State
Neighbors
Wyoming

Nebraska
Utah
Colorado

Kansas

Arizona
New Mexico Oklahoma

Colorado is the only state that has no

boundary defined by a natural structure, such as a
river or coast or mountain range.

Colorado is part of the “Four Corners”— the

only point in the country where four states meet.
Along with Colorado, the other three are Utah,
Arizona, and New Mexico.
23
East-West, North-South, Area

I’ll Take the Low

Road…

Colorado is 387 miles (623 kilometers)

East–West
North–South
from east to west—or west to east. Either
Area way, it’s a long drive!

Total Area: Approx. 104,100 square miles

(269,598 square kilometers)
Land Area: Approx. 103,729 square miles
(268,637 square kilometers)
Colorado is 276 miles (444 kilometers) from
north to south—or south to north. Either way,
it’s still a long drive!
This is a compass
rose. It helps you find
the right direction on
a map!

24
Highest & Lowest Points

You Take the High

Road!

Highest &
Lowest
Points
HIGHEST POINT
Mount Elbert—14,433 feet (4,399 meters) above sea level

Mount Elbert is the second highest peak in

the contiguous United States. Colorado
holds the distinction of being home to 54
Fourteeners—mountains that are at least
14,000 feet (4,267 meters) high.

LOWEST POINT
Along the Arkansas River in Prowers County—
3,350 feet (1,021 meters) above sea level

25
 State Counties
I’m County-ing on You!
Colorado is divided into 63 counties.

State
Counties
This is the top of
Colorado!

COUNTY:
Word an administrative
Definition
subdivision of a state
or territory
26
Natural Resources

There are about 21,338,000 acres (8,635,488

hectares) of forests in Colorado.

NATURAL RESOURCES: things that

Word exist in or are formed by nature Natural
Definition Resources

Petroleum
Natural Gas
Coal
Marble
Uranium
Molybdenum
Molybdenum was first
discovered in Colorado in the Colorado Yule is a
special white
gold-mining days, but the miners marble mined near
Aspen. It was used
thought it was just plain lead. In to build the Lincoln
1900 it was identified, but no Memorial in
Washington, D.C.
one knew what to use it for. and the Tomb of
Around 1915, someone the Unknowns in
Arlington National
discovered that it could be used Cemetery.
to make special steels that can
withstand high temperatures.
27
 Weather
Weather, Or Not?!
As a general rule, Colorado is a dry,
sunny state. However, the differences in
altitude can cause great differences in
weather within relatively short
distances. Days can be warm, but
nights can be pretty cool. During the
Summer, the state’s temperature averages
from 56°F (13°C) in Leadville to 73°F (23°C)
in Denver. Average Winter
temperatures are closer—32°F
Weather (0°C) in Denver to 25°F
(-4°C) in Leadville.

The Rockies in Colorado can get up to 400 inches (1,016

centimeters) of snow in a year!

Highest temperature: 118°F (48°C) at

Bennett on July 11, 1888
ºF=Degrees Fahrenheit ºC=Degrees Celsius
Lowest temperature: -61°F (-52°C)
The chinook, a warm,
dry wind that blows at Maybell in Moffat County on
down the eastern
slopes, has a great February 1, 1985
impact on Winter
weather. It can raise
the temperature
30–40°F (16–22°C) in
less than an hour and
create winds of more
than 100 miles (161
kilometers) an hour!

28
 Topography
Back On Top
Colorado’s topography includes the following
landforms:

Sea Level
Great Plains
Colorado Piedmont
Rocky Mountains
Colorado Plateau

328 ft
100 m
Colorado has been called Topography
the “top of the nation” because it

656 ft
200 m
has a higher average elevation
than any other state.
1,640 ft
500 m

TOPOGRAPHY: the
detailed mapping of
2,000 m 1,000 m
6,562 ft 3,281 ft

Word
Definition the features of a
small area or district

Early U.S.
surveyors weren’t
impressed with
Colorado. Major
16,404 ft
5,000 m

Stephen Long
described the
plains and sand
dunes in 1820 as
“uninhabitable”
and “wholly unfit
for cultivation.”

29
 Mountains & Ranges
King of the Hill
Ranges
The Rocky Mountains run north to south
through the middle of Colorado. Several mountain
ranges make up Colorado’s Rockies:
• Park Range
• Sawatch Range
• San Juan Mountains
Mountains
& Ranges
• Front Range
• Sangre de Cristo Range
Mountains
Colorado has more “Fourteeners” (mountains
over 14,000 feet, or 4,267 meters, high) than any other
state. A few of them include:
• Mount Elbert
• Longs Peak
• Pikes Peak
• Mount Evans
If I named a
mountain, I’d call it
“Tall Peak.”

30
 Rivers
A River Runs
Through It!
Colorado is the state where more
major rivers originate than any other
state, which explains its nickname, “The
Mother of Rivers.”
Rivers

Here are some of

Colorado’s major rivers.

• Arkansas • Uncompahgre
• South Platte • Gunnison
• Rio Grande • San Juan
• Colorado • Dolores

31
 Major Lakes

Gone
Fishin’
Colorado has hundreds of small
Major
natural lakes, but has even more
Lakes man-made reservoirs. Grand Lake is the
largest natural lake in Colorado. It covers
600 acres (243 hectares) and was formed
by a glacier. Other lakes in
Colorado include:
Summit Lake is
one of the
nation’s highest • Lake Granby
lakes. It is 12,740
feet (3,883
• Blue Mesa Reservoir
meters) above • Green Mountain Reservoir
sea level.
• Sterling Reservoir
• Great Plains Reservoir
• John Martin Reservoir

Word
Definition RESERVOIR: a body of water stored for public use

32
 Cities & Towns
Are You a
city
mouse…
or Country
Have you heard these wonderful
Colorado town, city, or crossroad names? Perhaps
you can start your own collection!
Cities &
LARGER TOWNS: OTHER TOWNS: Towns
Denver Bonanza
Colorado Springs Brush
Aurora Castle Rock
Lakewood Dinosaur
Pueblo Eagle
Arvada Fairplay
Fort Collins Firestone
Boulder Fruita
Glenwood Springs Holly Hmmm!
Marble That’s a good
question.
Rifle
Romeo
Silt

33
 Transportation
Major Interstate
Highways
I-25, I-76, I-70
There are 84,797 miles
(136,464 kilometers) of
roads in Colorado.
Colorado has the highest
road in the country, and
the highest tunnel.

Transpor-
tation

Railroads
Colorado has 3,500 miles
(5,633 kilometers) of railroad
track. Ten major cities have
passenger trains. Denver is the
hub of railroad transportation
in the Rocky Mountain States.
Denver’s old Union Station is
now used by Amtrak.

Major Airports
Denver International Airport is
the largest Colorado airport
used by commercial airlines.

34
 Timeline

1706 Juan de Ulibarri explores area around present-day

Pueblo
1779 Juan Bautista de Anza joins with the Utes to fight the
Comanches
1806 Zebulon Pike leads an expedition into Colorado
1846 Mexico cedes area north of the Rio Grande, including
Colorado, to United States
1858 Prospectors look for gold in Cherry Creek
1861 Federal government establishes Colorado Territory
1876 Colorado becomes 38th state
1891 Gold discovered at Cripple Creek
1923 Benjamin F. Stapleton is elected mayor of
Denver
Timeline
1927 Moffat Tunnel opens
1958 U.S. Air Force Academy opens
1966 Underground center for the North American
Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) completed
1973 Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel completed
1983 Federico Peña elected Denver’s first Hispanic mayor
1993 Colorado Rockies begin
playing baseball in Denver
1995 Denver International
Airport opens
NORAD and the
On to the 21st century! U.S. Air Force
Academy are both
near Colorado
Springs!

35
 Early History

Here
come
the
humans!
Early Thousands of years ago, ancient
History peoples came to the area that would one
day be the state of Colorado. They may
have originally come across a frozen
bridge of land which once connected
Asia and Alaska. These Paleo-Indians
became the ancestors of
Colorado’s Native
Stone tools
found in Weld American population.
County have
been
determined to
be at least
12,000 years old.

36
 Early Indians
Native
Americans
Once Ruled!
The Anasazi, or “ancient ones,”
were the first inhabitants of Colorado
that we know much about. The Basket
Makers lived in the mesas of
southwestern Colorado before AD 100.
By AD 1100, the Pre-Pueblos, or Cliff Early
Dwellers, had built cliff dwellings in Indians
the steep sides of the mesas. The Utes
lived in the open lands on the
mountains, and protected their homes by
blocking the passes through the
mountains. The Utes lived in
Colorado longer than any
other people. The Apache,
Navajo, and other tribes
came to Colorado from
Canada and lived on the
eastern plains.

WAMPUM: beads, pierced and strung, used

Word by Indians as money, or for ornaments or
Definition ceremonies.
37
 Exploration

Land Ho!
The first Europeans
to explore Colorado were
the Spanish who claimed
the entire region in the
early 1700s. The Spanish
established a colony in
Colorado in 1598 and
called it New Mexico. The
purpose of the
settlement was to
Exploration
convert the Native Americans to
Christianity. French traders and
trappers also entered the area looking for
fur-bearing animals.

In 1682, explorer René-Robert

Cavelier, Sieur de La
Spanish Salle, claimed all of the
explorers
introduced
land between the
horses to North Allegheny Mountains
America. They
were allowed to
and the Rocky
run wild and Mountains for France.
populated the He named the region
Southwest.
Louisiana after Louis
XIV, the king of France.
38
 First Settlers
In the 1820s and 1830s, fur
trappers and traders, called mountain
men, started settling in Colorado in
search of beaver and other fur-bearing
animals. Trading posts were built, and
both the mountain men and the Native
Americans traded furs and
manufactured goods. Many mountain
men also served as scouts.
First Settlers

In 1821, Mexico
France sold the
offered large tracts of Louisiana
land to citizens willing Territory,
including a large
to establish a colony in part of Colorado,
to the United
the San Luis Valley. States in 1803 for
Only a few settlers $15 million.
moved to Colorado.
39
 Making a Living
In the early days, settlers
were mostly self-sufficient.
They cleared their lands,
built their homes and
furnishings, grew crops, and
made their own clothing. Neighbors helped
neighbors. They grew potatoes, spinach,
cabbage, sugar beets, and corn.
Colorado was a land of trappers and
traders. Beaver pelts could sell for as much as
eight dollars in gold. Native Americans
Making a traded the animal skins for cloth, flour,
Living
whiskey, and rifles. When beaver went
out of fashion in the 1830s, the trappers
dealt in buffalo hides.
Others came to Colorado in search of
gold! Only a few found
gold and made their
Panning was an
easy way to look fortune, but many others
for gold.
Prospectors filled
stayed and settled in
a pan with dirt Colorado.
and water, shook
it, and the gold
would sink to the
bottom! Eureka!

40
 Legends & Lore
Fact Or Fiction?
Because Native Americans believed there
was no power in squares, everything an
Indian did was in a circle. According to a
Lakota Sioux named Black Elk, the Power of
the World works in circles and everything
tries to be round.

The Indians’ power came from the sacred hoop of

the nation. As long as the hoop remained unbroken,
the people lived well. The living center of the hoop
was a flowering tree. It was fed by the circle of the Legends &
four quarters: The north with its cold and wind gave Lore
strength and endurance; the south gave warmth; the
west gave rain; the east gave light and peace.

Man’s life is a circle from childhood to childhood.

Teepees were round like birds’ nests. They were
always set in circles like the
nation’s hoop, a nest of many
nests, where the Great Spirit
The seasons also
meant for the people to form a circle.
hatch their children. They always
come back to
where they
were.

41
 Pikes Peak or Bust!
Gold was discovered in
Colorado in 1858 by William
Green Russell and his party of
prospectors near the junction of
Cherry Creek and the South Platte River,
about 60 miles (97 kilometers) from Pikes
Peak. In 1859, John Gregory found a rich lode
of gold ore near Denver City (present-day
Denver).

As news of the gold strikes spread,

Pikes Peak nearly 100,000 people headed for
or Bust!
Colorado. They were called “Fifty-
niners” because they came in 1859.
Many painted the words “Pikes Peak or Bust”
on their wagons. Denver became a supply
center for the gold camps. New towns
sprang up overnight as miners put up tents
and built log cabins.

Not everyone struck it rich. Many

went bust, left Colorado and returned home.
Others stayed and started businesses to
support the miners or turned to farming.
They became Colorado’s first settlers!
42
 Slaves and Slavery

Although some families

owned slaves, slavery was
never widespread in Colorado.
Many fugitive slaves came to
Colorado looking for freedom.
Barney Ford was a fugitive slave who came to
Colorado during the 1859 Gold Rush.
He opened a hotel in Denver,
which became one
of the city’s finest. Slaves and
He fought Slavery
Colorado’s admission
to the Union until African-American citizens were
given the right to vote by the 15th Amendment.

Some Native Americans in Colorado had

slaves. Some of these slaves
were members of other Clara Brown was
tribes and some were a former slave
African-American. Many who was freed
in Missouri. She
Native Americans captured opened the first
by the Spanish served as laundry in
Colorado
slaves or servants at Territory!
missions where they
remained for life.
43
 The Civil War

The Civil War (1861-1865) was fought

over slavery and the right of the states to
make their own decisions. The
Confederacy, (Southern states) with
plantations and slaves, were on one side of
the conflict. On the other side, the Union
(Northern states) opposed slavery or
had no need for it. Some states
remained neutral.
The Civil
War The people of Colorado
supported the Union. William
Gilpin, the territorial governor,
was worried the Confederacy
might invade Colorado. He set up a
regiment of volunteers. The First
Colorado Calvary
served with General
Edward Canby and helped
secure the Union victory at the
Battle of Glorieta Pass in New
Mexico in 1862.

RECONSTRUCTION: the recovery

Word and rebuilding period
Definition following the Civil War.
44
 The Civil War

The Civil War was also

called the War
The Civil
Between the States. War
Soldiers often found
themselves fighting
against former friends,
neighbors, or family.
More Americans were
killed during the Civil
In 1863, the
War than during World
Emancipation Wars I and II together!
Proclamation,
issued by
President Lincoln,
freed the slaves in
areas still under
Confederate
control!

45
 Famous Documents
Get It In Writing!

Declaration of Independence,
1776

U.S. Constitution written,

1787
Famous
Documents
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
ends Mexican War and
Mexico cedes western Colorado
to the United States, 1848

Colorado approves state

constitution which is still in
effect, 1876

46
 Immigrants
Welcome
To America!
People have come to
Colorado from other states
and many other countries. As
time goes by, the state’s
population grows more
diverse. This means that
people of different races and
from different cultures and
ethnic backgrounds have
moved to Colorado.

Around 80 percent of
Colorado’s population is of Immigrants
European descent. Hispanics are
the largest ethnic group in the
state and make up about 15
percent of the population. Many
Hispanics came to Colorado
when part of the state was
ruled by Mexico. Freed slaves
were living in Colorado before
the Civil War, and many came
after the war ended.
African-Americans make
up about four percent
of the population.
Today, most of
Colorado’s immigrants
are from Europe, Mexico,
Canada, and Japan.
47
 Disasters & Catastrophes!

1921
A flood in Pueblo kills more
than 100 people and causes
$20 million in damages.

1932-37
A severe drought causes “dust bowl” conditions across
the Great Plains and creates economic hardship for
Colorado’s farmers.
Disasters &
Catastrophes

1976
A flash flood hits Big Thompson Canyon and
kills 139 people.

In April 1921,
75.8 inches
1990
Golf ball to baseball-size hail
(192.5
centimeters) of
causes $625 million in damage
snow fell at and injures 60 people along
Silver Lake Colorado’s Front Range. Heavy
within a 24-hour
period!
rain washes the hail into
sewers, causing water to back
up from 3 to 6 feet (.91 to 1.82
meters) in some places.
48
 Legal Stuff
1876
Colorado’s constitution includes a
requirement that schools should
not be segregated by race.

1890
The price of silver is raised by the passage of the
Sherman Silver Act and boosts the state’s silver industry.

1922
Seven western states agree to the
Colorado River Compact which Legal Stuff
states that the water of the
Colorado River must be shared
between the states.

1927
Josephine Roche of the Rocky
Mountain Fuel Company signs a
historic labor contract and works to
improve labor conditions.

1964
The U.S. Congress approves
groundbreaking civil rights laws.
49
 Women & Children

1860
SCHOOL Boulder miners build
Colorado’s first
schoolhouse.

1893
Colorado becomes the second state
to give women the right to vote.
Wyoming was the first.
Women &
Children
1973
Patricia Schroeder is the first
woman from Colorado elected to
Congress. She serves for more
than 20 years.
1994
Colorado founds the
Youth Offender System
to send convicted
teens to an Army-style
boot camp rather
than to prison.
50
 Wars
Fight!, Fight!, Fight!
Wars that had an impact on Colorado:
● American Revolution
● War of 1812
● Mexico’s War for Independence
● Mexican-American War
● Civil War
● Indian Wars
● World War I
● World War II Wars
● Korean War
● Vietnam War
● Persian Gulf War

51
 Claim to Fame

The beautiful Rocky Mountains are Colorado’s claim to

fame. The Rocky Mountains run from Canada to Mexico.
Colorado’s section of the mountains is known as the Southern
Rockies. The Colorado Rockies have two belts of ranges that
divide the state. The eastern belt includes the Front Range, the
Wet Mountains, and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
The San Juans, the Sawatch Mountains, and the Park
Claim
to Fame
Range make up the western belt.
The Sawatch Range is the highest. Colorado’s
tallest peak, Mount Elbert, is located there. Colorado has
more than 1,140 mountains that are taller than 10,000 feet (3,048
meters).
Ski resorts in Colorado offer a variety of Winter sports,
such as downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, and snowboarding.
Aspen and Vail are considered world-class ski resorts and draw
skiers from all over the world.
Rocky Mountain scenery includes the Royal Gorge of
the Arkansas River, Black Canyon, Garden of the Gods, and
Pikes Peak.
Coloradans love their mountains. When a professional
baseball team came to Denver in 1993, it was named the Colorado
Rockies to honor the state’s claim to fame.

52
 Indian Tribes
• Cheyenne • Comanche
• Arapaho • Ute
• Kiowa • Apache
• Sioux
• Navajo

Early Native Americans hunted deer, caught

fish, and grew corn and squash. Families lived
in buffalo hide teepees that could be moved
easily and quickly.
Indian
Tribes
Indians found that horses of Spanish
descent could be ridden, used to hunt buffalo,
and to make war on other
tribes. A Comanche family’s Colorado Indians
could not have
wealth was measured by the known that the
number of horses they coming of the
settlers would
owned! On horseback, the mean an end to
Comanche ruled the plains the way of life they
had known for
of Colorado hundreds of years!
for
decades!
53
 Explorers and Settlers
Here, There, Everywhere!
WILLIAM BENT—frontiersman and scout who
founded Bent’s Fort with his brother Charles
on the Santa Fe Trail; fort housed travelers and
served as a trading post for the fur trade

STEPHEN HARRIMAN LONG—Army officer,

explorer, engineer; provided U.S. with valuable
information about the American West

ZEBULON MONTGOMERY PIKE—Army

officer, explorer; made an unsuccessful attempt
to scale the snow-covered peak that is
Explorers now named after him
and Settlers

CHRISTOPHER “KIT” CARSON—

mountain man and expert scout; commanded
Fort Garland until November 1867, when he
retired from the Army

“Go West,
young
man!”

54
 State Founders
Founding Fathers
These people played especially important roles in
early Colorado!

WILLIAM JACKSON PALMER—soldier, railway

businessman, industrial promoter; helped develop
the Colorado Territory
JOHN EVANS—physician, businessman and public official; territorial
governor of Colorado; built the Denver Pacific Railroad, the first
railroad between Denver and the East
HORACE AUSTIN WARNER TABOR—mining developer, lieutenant
governor
NATHAN COOK MEEKER—journalist and social reformer; founded
Union Colony at Greeley, a cooperative agricultural settlement;
served as an Indian agent

Founding Mothers
CLARA BROWN—pioneer and nurse; former slave who State
bought her freedom; joined the Gold Rush and later Founders
turned her home into a hospital, church, and
boardinghouse for destitute miners
MARGARET TOBIN (THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY)
BROWN—mining-era pioneer with her husband,
James; Denver philanthropist; survived the Titanic
disaster
ELIZABETH MCCOURT (BABY DOE) TABOR—one of
the first women in Colorado to own and work a mine
herself; later married the wealthy Horace Tabor; continued
to work the penniless Matchless Mine after his death
EMILY GRIFFITH—started the Opportunity School in 1916 which
offered free classes for adults who wanted to improve their lives
CATHERINE MURAT—known as the “Mother of Colorado”; first in
Denver to fly the American flag, which she had made from clothing
55
 Famous Native Americans

People
Black Kettle was a famous Cheyenne chief whose village
was destroyed in the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre. While
trying to negotiate peace, he was killed when General
George Custer raided his new camp in Oklahoma.

Ute chief Ouray was respected by his own people and white
settlers for his efforts to promote peace between the two
groups.

Chipeta was the wife of Chief Ouray. Along with her

husband, she traveled to Washington, D.C. in 1867 to
promote peace with the white settlers in Colorado.
Tribes
The Pueblo people are descendants of ancient cliff
Famous
Native dwellers. These cliff dwellers are often called the
Americans Anasazi, which means “ancient ones.” Ironically, the
word Anasazi, is a Navajo word. A more correct
name for these people would be the Ancient Puebloans.

The Arapahos, Comanches, and Kiowas were great

horsemen who were able to pursue migrating herds of
buffalo with their newfound way of traveling. These Native
American families lived in tepees made of buffalo hide that
could be packed up and ready to move within minutes.

Pueblos looked like little

rock apartment houses
in the cliffs.
56
 Ghosts

GIDDY-UP GHOST!
The ghost of John Fagan, who was
buried alive, rides on horseback near
Fort Lupton and Bent’s Fort.

WESTERN HEADLESS HORSEMAN

Espinosa’s ghost was last seen in the
Sangre de Cristos Pass area. The
ghost is a headless body astride a
black horse.

SILVER SPIRIT
An ugly one-armed ghost was last
seen in Leadville’s Chippewa Number
Six mine. Ghosts

“ENLIGHTENED” MARBLE ORCHARD

The Silver Cliff Cemetery has had some
odd occurrences. In 1882, several
intoxicated miners saw eerie bluish
D
lights above the gravestones. Many
O Y

people have seen the lights since then.

O In fact, National Geographic magazine
did a story on the cemetery.
U

B ELIEVE
IN G H O S T S?
57
 Sports Stuff
Famous Colorado
Sports Figures:
John Elway—quarterback for the Denver
Broncos; helped the Broncos beat the highly
favored Green Bay Packers in the 1998 Super
Bowl Championship

Rashaan Salaam—won the

1994 Heisman Trophy, the nation’s top award to a
college football player, while at the University of
Colorado in Boulder

William Harrison “Jack” Dempsey—world heavyweight

champion in the early 1900s; called the “Manassa Mauler”

Rich “Goose” Gossage—great baseball pitcher

NATIONAL SPORTS EVENTS: World Snowboarding

Championships, Breckenridge—held every March
Sports Stuff

SPORTS CENTERS: Olympics Training Center, Colorado

Springs—up to 600 athletes in a variety of sports can live and
train at the facility at one time

POPULAR COLORADO PROFESSIONAL TEAMS: Denver

Broncos (football), Colorado Rockies (baseball), Denver Nuggets
(basketball), Colorado Avalanche (hockey), Colorado Rapids
(soccer)

If you are a home run hitter at Coors Field, you are in luck. The thin
mountain air is on your side! Home runs fly out of the park and fans
rarely see low-scoring games. However, if you are a pitcher, this thin
mountain air might be a real nightmare!
58
 Entertainers
★ LON CHANEY—actor
★ DARRYL F. ZANUCK—movie
producer
★ JOHN DENVER—folk singer,
songwriter, actor
★ MARY COYLE CHASE—playwright
★ PAUL WHITEMAN—musician and orchestra
conductor
★ TIM ALLEN—actor and comedian
★ DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS—actor
★ EUGENE FODOR—violinist
★ TED MACK—TV host
★ JUDY COLLINS—folk singer Entertainers
★ GLENN MILLER—“Big Band”
orchestra conductor
★ ANTOINETTE PERRY—
The movie, The actor and director;
Unsinkable Molly
Brown is about Broadway’s Tony Awards
Denver’s Molly
Brown, who
were named for her
survived the Titanic
disaster. The Ballad
of Baby Doe is an RIDDLE: Which entertainer listed
opera about
Elizabeth McCourt above was originally named
Tabor’s life.
Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr.?
ANSWER: John Denver
59
 Authors
✒ HELEN HUNT JACKSON—novelist
who tackled tough subjects in the late
1800s; famous for her brave stance in novels
like A Century of Dishonor and Ramona

✒ EUGENE FIELD—poet and journalist

known for his work in children’s literature,
including such poems as Little Boy Blue

✒ CLIVE CUSSLER—best-selling novelist known for his

work Raise the Titanic, Night Probe, and Deep Six

✒ DALTON TRUMBO—author of Johnny Get Your Gun

and movie screenplays such as Spartacus, Exodus, Hawaii,
and Papillion

✒ HANNAH GREEN—novelist and short-story

writer; best known for I Never Promised You a Rose
Authors Garden and The Far Side of Victory

✒ ANNE PARRISH—author and illustrator; known

for such books as Floating Island
and The Perennial Bachelor
Katharine Lee
Bates traveled
up Pikes Peak ✒ JAMES MICHENER—author,
in 1893. She teacher; his novel Centennial is
was inspired by
its beauty and about Colorado
wrote a poem
called “America nom de plume: French for
the Beautiful,”
which was later pen name, a fictitious name a
set to music. writer chooses to write under
instead of his/her real name
60
 Colorado Artists
WILLIAM HENRY JACKSON—
photographer; created one of the
largest and most expansive
collections of western
photography

ROBERT ADAMS—photographer of
the western landscape

GEORGE ELBERT BURR—etcher

whose western-influenced work is in
the permanent collection of many U.S.
museums

EPPIE ARCHULETA—blanket weaver;

her work has been termed a “national
treasure” by the National Endowment for
Colorado
the Arts Artists

GEORGE CATLIN—painter who lived with various

Indian groups in the 1800s and painted their portraits
and way of life

ALBERT BIERSTADT—landscape
painter in the 1800s; his work
helped bring worldwide attention
to Colorado’s natural beauty

BRADFORD RHEA—“living tree” sculptor; his detailed

works include a mermaid, golfer, and giraffes
61
 Very Important People
MALCOLM SCOTT CARPENTER,
BOULDER—astronaut; second
American to orbit the Earth

RUTH HANDLER, DENVER—invented

the Barbie doll, using her real-life
daughter’s nickname; Barbie’s the world’s
most popular doll and was the very first doll
produced by the Mattel toy company

ADOLPH COORS, GOLDEN—established his brewery

in 1873, using the region’s famous mountain spring
water; Coors is presently the nation’s third
largest brewer

Very
WILLARD LIBBY, GRAND
Important VALLEY—scientist; discovered
People radiocarbon dating and won
the 1960 Nobel Prize

RODOLFO GONZALES, DENVER—

founded the Crusade for Justice to bring together
Colorado Hispanics and give them more control over
their lives

PAUL STEWART, DENVER—foremost historian of

black history in the West; started the Black American
West Museum and Heritage Center in Denver

62
 Mountain Men
Kit Carson, the famous
mountain man, occasionally
lived at Bent’s Fort on the
Arkansas River. He was an
excellent scout, hired by John
C. Frémont to lead his
exploration party through
the Rocky Mountains.

Jim Beckwourth, a black mountain man, helped

found a trading post that would later become
Pueblo, Colorado. He was often called “The Crow”
because of his friendship with the Crow Indians.
The Crow discovered a pass through the Sierra
Nevadas and named it Beckwourth Pass.
Mountain
Jim Nugent, often called “Rocky Mountain Men
Jim,” was a rough-and-tumble mountain
man. He lived in the area that is now
Estes Park. The right side of Jim’s
face had been clawed by
a grizzly bear, but the
left side was still
handsome. People
were often afraid of
him because of his
terrible temper.

63
 Political Leaders
BYRON WHITE, Fort Collins—lawyer who was
appointed by President John F. Kennedy to the
U.S. Supreme Court in 1962; served on the
country’s highest court until 1993

PATRICIA SCHROEDER, Denver—first Colorado

woman elected to Congress; elected in 1973 and
served more than 20 years

BEN NIGHTHORSE CAMPBELL, Ignacio—elected

to a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in
1986; in 1992, he was elected to the U.S. Senate
and re-elected in 1998; first Native American
senator from Colorado

FEDERICO PEÑA, Denver—Hispanic

Political
Leaders lawyer elected to the state legislature in
1979; served as mayor of Denver from
1983 to 1991; named to President Clinton’s
cabinet in 1991 where he
In 1987, the served as Secretary of
people of Guffey Treasury and then as
elected a cat
named Paisley as Secretary of Energy
their mayor! This
town of less than
30 people has had WELLINGTON WEBB,
a cat mayor ever Denver—city’s first
since. Me-wow!!
African-American mayor,
elected in 1991
64
Colorado’s Famous Cowboy

Colonel William F. (Buffalo Bill) Cody

was a well-known cowboy who earned his
nickname hunting buffalo to feed railway
workers who were building a railroad
after the Civil War. Buffalo Bill had many
jobs–Pony Express rider, soldier, Indian
scout, hunting guide, and actor. Probably
his most famous job was as the organizer
and performer of the famous “Buffalo
Bill’s Wild West Show.”
With female sharpshooter Annie
Oakley and the respected Indian chief
Sitting Bull, Buffalo Bill traveled all over Colorado’s
Famous
the United States. Eventually, his Cowboy
show’s popularity grew and they
traveled overseas—even
performing before Queen
Victoria! Colorado’s beloved
cowboy and entertainer is
buried west of Denver
in Golden, atop
Lookout Mountain.

65
 Churches and Schools
Keeping the Faith
Sheldon Jackson Memorial Chapel, Fairplay—
built in 1874 by Presbyterians
First Presbyterian Church, Georgetown—
native-stone building completed in 1874
Grace Episcopal Church,
Georgetown—built in 1867
South Broadway Christian Church,
Denver—built in 1891
Zion Baptist Church, Denver—oldest African-American
Baptist church in Colorado

SCHOOLS
University of Denver—founded in 1864 by a group of
Methodists; previously called Colorado Seminary
Colorado College, Colorado Springs—
Churches established in 1874
and Schools Colorado School of Mines, Golden—established
first as Jarvis Hall in 1874
Colorado State University, Fort Collins—established as
an agricultural school in 1870
United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs
University of Colorado, Boulder
Regis University, Denver
Naropa Institute, Boulder—the United States’ only
Buddhist university
66
Historic Places and Parks
★ Larimer Square Historic District, Denver—
these 17 brick structures were erected
between 1870 and 1890
★ Brown Palace Hotel, Denver—this 1892
triangular building has played host to Denver
society, royalty, and presidents
★ Wheat Ridge Soddy, Boulder—built in 1860
by stacking blocks of native tall-prairie grass sod
★ The Lost Gold Mine, Central City
★ Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site—
frontier trading post along the Santa Fe Trail

PARKS
★ Mesa Verde National Park—contains pre-
Columbian cliff dwellings and other relics of
early people Historic
Places and
★ Rocky Mountain Parks
National Park—
sits along the
Continental Divide
★ Black Canyon of the Gunnison National
Park—a sheer-walled canyon with
geologically interesting ancient rocks

67
 Home, Sweet Home!
Early Residency
Byers-Evans House, Denver—eclectic house built
by the founder of the Rocky Mountain News in
1880; now houses the Denver History Museum
Governor’s Mansion, Denver—Colonial Revival
house dating to 1908
Molly Brown House, Denver—
home of the “unsinkable” Molly
Brown who survived the Titanic
disaster
Thomas-Billings Home, Central
City—now a museum
Pitkin Place, Pueblo—street of fine old
Home,
Sweet homes of Victorian and Queen Anne styles
Home!
Avery House, Fort Collins—built in 1879
of native red sandstone
Briarhurst, Manitou Springs—
an 1888 Tudor Revival house
where high society met;
now a restaurant
68
Mining in Colorado
Cherry Creek was the first place in
Colorado where gold was found.
Oro City grew quickly after Abe
Lee found gold nuggets in the
water at the bottom of California
Gulch in 1860. Other mining
communities such as Central City
and Black Hawk started in the
same way.

The 1870s silver rush in Colorado

happened after the first gold boom had died
down. Oro City turned out to
have lead ore with large
amounts of silver. The city’s
name changed to
Leadville.
Mining in
Gold was once again Colorado

discovered at Cripple Creek

in 1891. A cowhand found
gold in a stream. Cripple
Creek was the largest
producer of gold in the
United States for
several years.
69
 Libraries
Check out the following special state
libraries! (Do you have a library card?
Have you worn it out yet?!)

Denver Public Library—oldest library

in the state
State Historical Society of Colorado,
Denver
Libraries of the University of
Colorado, Boulder
Colorado State Library, Denver
Colorado State University Libraries,
Fort Collins

Libraries Colorado has 120

tax-supported
library systems.
Each year the
libraries circulate
an average of 7.8
books for every
resident.

70
Colorado Attractions
Buffalo Bill’s Memorial Museum, Golden—located atop
Lookout Mountain
Pikes Peak—ride the Cog Railway up this 14,110 foot
(4,301 meter) mountain
Garden of the Gods, near Pikes Peak–large, red rock
formations
Vail Ski Resort—one of many ski resorts in Colorado
Glenwood Hot Springs, Glenwood Springs—hot water
that bubbles up from inside the earth!
Durango—a real western town; many western movies
were filmed in this area; rustic trains add to the
atmosphere
United States Mint, Denver—one of only four mints in
the United States, this mint opened in 1906
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Colorado Springs
Denver Zoological Gardens
Movie Manor, Monte Vista—you can view the giant
drive-in screen from your motel bedroom; built-in ceiling
speakers provide sound

Colorado
Attractions

71
 Museums
The Aspen Art Museum
Boulder Museum of History
University of Colorado
Museum, Boulder
Colorado Springs Pioneer
Museum
May Natural History Museum
and Museum of Space Exploration,
Colorado Springs
Museum of the American Cowboy, Colorado
Springs
Western Museum of Mining and Industry,
Colorado Springs
World Figure Skating Museum, Colorado Springs
Children’s Museum of Denver
Denver Museum of Natural History
Astor House Hotel Museum, Golden
Buffalo Bill Memorial Museum, Golden
Colorado Railroad Museum, Golden
Museums

72
Mounuments and Places
Great Sand Dunes
National Monument,
northeast of Mesa
Verde—565 square miles
(1,463 square kilometers) of sand and dunes
reaching heights of more than 1,200 feet
(366 meters)

Colorado National Monument, Fruita—

natural spires, columns, canyons, and
dinosaur fossils

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument,

Florissant—a volcanic eruption 35 million
years ago buried and preserved
insect, plant, and fish fossils Monuments
and Places

Hovenweep National Monument,

southwestern Colorado—canyon heads
and six clusters of dwellings dating back
900 years

73
 The Arts
• Central City Opera House—opened in
1878 and still in operation today
• Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra
• Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Denver
• Aspen Music Festival—held each
summer
• MahlerFest, Boulder—held in January;
celebrates the music of Austrian
composer Gustav Mahler
• Colorado Music Festival, Boulder—
founded in 1976; held from June to
August
• Denver Performing Arts Complex
The Arts
• Colorado Shakespeare
To be... or not to
be involved in the
Festival, Boulder—
arts — that is the
question. What is
held from July to
your answer? August at the Mary
Rippon Theatre built
in 1939
74
 Ski Areas
Spectacular state skiing!
Each year, 11 million skiers come to Colorado’s famous
slopes. The state boasts 23,000 skiable acres (9,308
hectares) and 27 major ski resorts. Most resorts are
found in quaint historic towns.

A few of Colorado’s famous ski

resorts include:

Aspen—host (along with Vail)

of the World Cup Ski Racing
Competitions; founded by silver
prospectors
Telluride—remote, but
accessible; a modern resort on a
mountain nestled near the
historic town of Telluride
Breckenridge—includes four ski areas; previous
gold-mining community
Winter Park—special facilities and programs
for disabled people who want to ski Ski Areas
Steamboat Springs—famous for its hot
springs
Vail—first made popular by
the photographs of William
Henry Jackson; originally a
favorite area for hunting
Glenwood Springs—also
famous for its steaming
hot springs
75
 Roads and More!
Roads…
Trail Ridge Road out of Rocky Mountain
National Park is the highest continuously
paved road in the United States.
Loveland Pass, 11,992 feet (3,655
meters) high, used to be the main road
through the mountains. Now two
tunnels provide passage through
the mountains.
Red Mountain Pass, a windy and
curvy elevated road, takes you
into the old mining town of
Silverton.

…and more!
Royal Gorge Bridge, near Cañon City is the world’s
highest suspension bridge. It hangs 1,053 feet (316
meters) above the Arkansas River!

Roads and
The Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel and the
More! E. Johnson Memorial Tunnel were made
to provide cars with access across the
Continental Divide without relying on the
Loveland Pass road. Both
tunnels were blasted through
the mountains near Idaho
Springs and are about 3,000
feet (914 meters) lower than
the Loveland Pass.

76
 Rocky Wonders
Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs—
made of red rock landforms called earth
pillars; the rocks have such names as the
Sleeping Giant and the Kissing Camels
Manitou Cliff Dwellings, near Colorado
Springs—a 40-room pueblo where the
Anasazi lived about
AD 1200; more
pueblos can be found
in the western part of
the state
Black Canyon—
formed over 2 million years by the Gunnison
River; in some places the Black Canyon walls
are 2,425 feet (739 meters) deep
Dinosaur National Monument,
Dinosaur—more than 50 kinds of Rocky
Wonders
dinosaurs lived here millions of years
ago; their bones have been fossilized in
the rock in western Colorado
Red Rocks Amphitheater, near Morrison—a
natural bowl that has been turned into an
outdoor theater; the bowl is surrounded by
Colorado’s famous red sandstone rocks
77
 Animals
Colorado’s animals
include:

Beaver
Bighorn Sheep
Black Bear
Bobcat Moose
Coyote Mountain Lion
Fox Mule Deer
Marten Porcupine
Prairie Dog
Pronghorn
Skunk
The Bighorn
Animals Sheep is the Squirrel
state animal. It
can be found in
the Rockies.

78
 Wildlife Watch
Some endangered
Colorado animals are:
Grizzly Bear
Gray Wolf
Wolverine
Bald Eagle
Lynx
Wood Frog
Black-footed Ferret

Bison used to be
numerous, but
were hunted to
Wildlife
near extinction Watch
in Colorado.
Now, small herds
remain on
private land.

79
 Birds

You birds
may spy in
these Colorado:

Blackbird
Duck
Goose
Golden Eagle
Grouse
Hawk
Lark Bunting
Mallard
Meadowlark
Mockingbird
Pheasant
Quail
Robin
Sparrow
Birds
Mockingbirds are Turkey
able to imitate
other birds’ Warbler
songs perfectly!

80
 Insects
Don’t let these Colorado
bugs bug you!
Beetle
Cricket
Fly
Bumblebee
Honeybee Ants
Mayfly
Mosquito
Moth
Butterfly
Weevil
Whirligig

Ladybug Dragonfly

Whirligig Beetles
Grasshopper have two pairs of
eyes—one pair Insects
Do we know
any of these looks above the
Maybe... Hey,
bugs? that ladybug water, the other
is cute! looks under it!

81
 Fish
SWIMMING IN COLORADO WATERS:

Bass
Carp
Catfish
Kokanee Salmon
Perch
Sunfish
Trout
Walleye

Fish

82
 Pond Life
IN COLORADO’S PONDS,
YOU MAY FIND:
Crayfish
Diving Beetle
Fishing Spider
Hydra
Leech
Muskrat
Mussel
Tiger Salamander
Toad
Turtle
Water Bug

Axolotls, or Tiger
Salamanders, are
unlike other
salamanders in that
they do not change Pond Life
as they grow into
adulthood. Other
salamanders
normally lose their
gills and become
like lizards.

83
 Rocks and Minerals
Minerals are the building blocks of
all rocks. Most minerals are tiny and you
need a magnifying glass to see them
clearly. Some minerals you may find in
Colorado include:
Iron Pyrite
Quartz
Calcite
Feldspar
Kaolinite
Rocks are solid masses of minerals
or rock fragments that occur in nature.
Some rocks you may find in Colorado
include:
Rhyolite
Sandstone
Rocks and
Schist
Minerals Gneiss
Marble
Slate
Quartzite
84
 Trees

These trees grace the state of Colorado:

Aspen
Pine
Spruce
Juniper
Alder
Dwarf Maple

Trees

85
 Flowers
these
bout
Ar a Colorado
e you crazy
wildflowers?
Violet Buttercup
Wild Geranium Indian Paintbrush
Columbine Black-eyed Susan
Jacob’s Ladder Lupine
Chicory Wild Blue Iris
Goldenrod

The roots of
some types of
Flowers irises are used to
give a sweet
smell to
perfumes and
soaps.

86
 Cream of the Crops
Colorado’s main farm income is from the
sale of livestock and livestock products. Crops
account for only 30 percent of farm income.

Colorado’s agricultural
products include:
Horses
Beef Cattle

Dairy
Cattle

Wheat

Corn Sheep
Hay
Cream of
the Crops

Poultry
Hogs
87
 Colorado Potpourri
Manitou & Pikes Peak
Cog Railway Company
made its first ascent on
June 30, 1891. The cog
railway was invented in
New Hampshire and uses
a gear between the rails
that meshes with a cog
(like the tooth on a gear) on the track. It can
climb much steeper grades than a regular
train.
The largest silver nugget ever discovered
in the United States was found in Aspen in
1894. It weighed about 1,840 pounds (834
kilograms).
The world’s first snowboarding competition
was held in Leadville in 1981. The World
Snowboarding
Championships
were permanently
moved from Lake
Tahoe to
Colorado
Breckenridge
Potpourri in 1986.

88
 Festivals
National Western
Stock Show, Denver

Steamboat Springs
Winter Carnival,
Steamboat Springs

Winter Park Wingbreak, Winter Park

Blossom Festival and

Royal Gorge Rodeo,
Cañon City

Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Telluride

Festival of the Arts, Crested Butte

Colorado State Fair, Pueblo

Larimer Square
Oktoberfest,
Denver

Aspen Filmfest,
Aspen
Festivals
Parade of Lights,
Denver
89
 Holidays
Calendar
Presidents’ St. Patrick’s Memorial
Day, Day, Day,
3rd Monday March 17 last Monday
in February in May

Independence Columbus
Day, Colorado Day, Day,
July 4 August 3 2nd Monday
in October

Veterans Thanksgiving,
Christmas,
Day, 4th Thursday
December 25
November 11 in November

Holidays

90
 Famous Food

Colorado is famous for the

following delicious foods!
Lamb chops
Venison (deer)
Grilled jalapeño buffalo
burgers
Slumgullion, a yellow meat
stew eaten by miners
Celestial Seasonings
herbal tea
Chuckwagon Steak
Elk Burgers Famous
Food

91
 Business & Trade
The production of scientific instruments,
food processing, and the making of industrial
machinery lead the
state in manufactured
goods. The Denver
metropolitan area is the
state’s leading
manufacturing center.
Colorado’s chief
industries are services,
government,
manufacturing, tourism,
and agriculture.

A region in Colorado is called “Silicon

Mountain,” named after Silicon Valley in
California. Silicon Mountain in the Front Range
of Colorado is so named because of its
numerous jobs in high-technology
industries. Colorado’s workers
are well-educated
and this draws high-
tech companies to
the state.

Rocky Mountain
high-tech!
Business
& Trade

92
Colorado Books & Websites

My First Book About Colorado

by Carole Marsh
America the Beautiful: Colorado
by Jean F. Blashfield
From Sea to Shining Sea: Colorado
by Dennis Fradin
Margaret’s Magnificent Colorado Adventure
by Julie Danneberg
Let’s Discover the States: Colorado
by the Aylesworths

Cool Colora
do Web
sites
http://www.state.co.us
http://www.coloradoex
perience.com
http://www.50states.co
m

Colorado
Books &
Websites

93
 Glossary

Colorado
Words to Know
ancient: relating to a time early in history
canyon: a deep, steep-sided valley
centennial: a 100th birthday or anniversary
constitution: a document outlining the role
of a government
G LO S S A R Y W O R D S

dune: a rounded hill or ridge of sand that has

been heaped up by the wind
fossil: the remains of an animal or plant that
lived long ago
gorge: a narrow pass or valley between steep
cliffs or walls
pioneer: a person who is among the first to
move to a region
pueblo: stone or adobe building built one
above the other
reservation: land in the United States that is
set aside for Native Americans to live on
revolution: the overthrow of a government
trading post: a store in a town or settlement
where trading is done
treaty: an agreement between two or more
Glossary nations, having to do with trade or
cooperation

94
 Spelling List

Colorado
Spelling Bee
Here are some special Colorado-related words to learn! To take
the Spelling Bee, have someone call out the words and you spell
them aloud or write them on a piece of paper.

Alamosa Gunnison
Anasazi Manassa
Arapaho Ouray
axolotl plateau
SPELLING
WORDS

Breckenridge Sawatch
Cavalry Stegosaurus
centennial Telluride
Comanche tributary
continental Utes
Curecanti Spelling
List

95
 About the Author
About the Author...
CAROLE MARSH has been writing
about Colorado for more than 20
years. She is the author of the
popular Colorado State Stuff series
for young readers and creator,
along with her son, Michael Marsh,
of “Colorado Facts and Factivities,” a CD-ROM widely
used in Colorado schools. The author of more than
100 Colorado books and other supplementary
educational materials on the state, Marsh is
currently working on a new collection of Colorado
materials for young people. Marsh correlates her
Colorado materials to the Colorado Content
Standards. Many of her books and other materials
have been inspired by or requested by Colorado
teachers and librarians.
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS:
Terry Briggs
Pam Dufresne
Jill Sanders
You know…
that was a great Sure was!
experience! Thanks for taking me
About along.
the
Author

96
 Good Uses For
Your State
Pocket Guide:
Study for tests!
Prepare reports!
Find quick answers!
Amaze your friends! “This is the BEST, most
Impress adults! thorough, most FUN little
Win trivia games! book about our state!”
Get Smart and
Have Fun!! Come with
us—explore See you
your state! inside!
The perfect reference guide for
students in grades 3 and up—or
anyone! This handy, easy-to-use guide
is divided into 7 color-coded sections.
Riddles, recipes and surprising facts
make this guide a delight!

This small hand-

www.gallopade.com held computer is
1-800-536-2GET your guide
within a guide!
All through this
book it will offer
fascinating little
facts about your
state!