|
|
|
Description
Fast Facts
Famous Natives
Flag
Land Statistics
Landforms
Lat/Long
Links
Maps
Symbols
Time
Timeline
Travel Info
Weather
USA PAGE
PRINT THIS MAP
A Brief Description In the Colorado area, centuries before the white man appeared on the scene, nomadic Indians foraged the plains for edible vegetation and small animals.
In approximately 100 A.D., in the Four Corners' area of southwestern Colorado, the very-advanced Anasazi Indians built functional, multi-story cliff dwellings in canyon walls; later their entire culture simply vanished.
In 1540, the Spanish explorer Coronado and a large expedition of men moved north out of Mexico in search of gold, eventually reaching southeastern Colorado in 1541. Over the next two centuries, French and Spanish exploration of this mountainous area continued.
In 1800, when Napoleon Bonaparte's armies moved across Europe, pressing Spain into a corner, the Territory of Louisiana (New Orleans) and a huge slice of land in the now central United States (including much of Colorado) was ceded to France by Spain via a treaty.
In 1803, with war pressures mounting, Napoleon approved the sale of the entire area to the United States in a transaction named the Louisiana Purchase and the United States doubled in size almost overnight.
Three years later, U.S. President Thomas Jefferson dispatched Lieutenant Zebulon Pike to explore this recently purchased territory; directly west of Colorado Springs stands one of the Lieutenant's most famous (namesake) discoveries - Pikes Peak.
Beginning in the 1820's adventurers, fur trappers and traders of all description flooded the area, trading posts (forts) were established to effectively and safely barter with the Indians. Beaver pelts and buffalo skins were shipped to the eastern markets in huge quantities.
And speaking of Indians, Colorado at that time was the hunting grounds of the Apache, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Comanche, Utes and others. As Indian lands (territories) were stolen, hostilities with the invading white men were inevitable, but the firepower of the U.S. Military forces eventually proved overpowering to the Native Americans.
When gold was discovered in California in 1849, the subsequent get-rich-quick "fever" spread across the west, reaching the Colorado Territory when it was also found (near Denver) in 1858. In the next few years, tens of thousands of people arrived here to search for the golden treasure. As a result dozens of small settlements were built across the territory, and the small town of Denver was itself dedicated in 1860.
In 1861, the U.S. Congress officially created the Colorado Territory just a few weeks before the firing on Fort Sumter that signaled the beginning of America's Civil War. Colorado (for the most part) was a Union territory, and over 4,000 men volunteered to support the Union cause, fighting the confederates and the Indians.
It took fifteen more years for Colorado to achieve statehood in 1876, and it proudly became the 38th State. It was subsequently called the "Centennial State" to honor the one-hundredth year anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Much of America was devastated by the Civil War, and like other states, the economy in Colorado finally sprang to life some during World War I, but only after the high employment rates and manufacturing demands of World War II did real economic growth take place in the state.
Colorado today is famed for its refreshing air and scenic lifestyles; the incomparable ski resorts and winter sport venues in the Rockies; Denver's many cultural attractions and professional sports teams; small, clean mountain towns, and a broad slice of America's most beautiful landscape - in plain view - for all to see.
Learn more about Colorado here!
 Contact Us | Privacy Statement  Copyrighted by Graphic Maps All rights reserved! All maps, graphics, flags and original descriptions created by Graphic Maps, a d/b/a of the Woolwine-Moen Group, unless otherwise noted and/or directly linked to the source, and use of same for any application whatsoever (with the exception of outline maps) requires written permission.
We make no copyright claim on any statistical data on this page, nor on any non-original graphics, and/or pictures not produced by us. Certain statistical data is gathered from the CIA World Factbook, as well as numerous public domain reference materials.
Every effort is made to be as accurate as possible when disseminating information on any worldwide destination. We are not responsible for unintentional data entry errors or omissions. If you would like to submit an addition, change or correction, or suggest a new link, please forward it to our map department and we will give it our immediate attention.
|
|
PRINT THIS MAP
Famous Natives COLORADO FAMOUS NATIVES - here! Fast Facts COLORADO FAST FACTS - here! Flag and Symbols COLORADO FLAG AND SYMBOLS - here! Landforms COLORADO LANDFORMS - here!  Land Statistics COLORADO LAND STATISTICS - here! Latitude and Longitude COLORADO LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE - here! Links COLORADO LINKS - here! Maps COLORADO MAPS - (a large selection) here! Time TIME IN COLORADO - here! Timeline of History COLORADO TIMELINE - here! Travel Information COLORADO TRAVEL - here! Weather COLORADO WEATHER - here! |
|
|
