History of Colorado
Colorado is among the fifty states of the United States of America having joined the federation in the year 1876, as the thirty eighth state. This is after the congress had passed an act in March 3, 1875, with the specifications that Colorado territory becomes enjoined in the United States of America.It is the eighth biggest state in terms of land mass.
Rich in natural resources and physical features, the state was first explored by the westerners during the 1500s and gained the name Colorado from the Spanish due to the red color of their soil. Its original inhabitants were the Pueblo followed later by the Plains Indians. The signing of the Guadalupe Hidalgo treaty which brought to an end the Mexican-American war is what led to the ceding of Colorado to the United States of America.
War erupted in 1860s and lasted to the 1880s amongst the Plains Indians due to the discovery of gold in Colorado in the year 1958. This Plains Indian War extended to become a fight between the white settlers and the natives. The discovery of gold in this state made the Colorado inhabitants to direct their attention towards physical resources and up to date, they largely rely on such activities as tourism and agriculture for the sustenance of their economy.
In 1972, Colorado entered into the books of records for being the first state in the US to reject the hosting invitation by Olympic committee. The international Olympic committee had invited Colorado to host the 1976 winter Olympics but the state rejected this offer since its voters had voted to oppose the use of the state’s revenues for the financing of games.
As at 2010, the population of this state was standing at 5,029,196 having a geographical size of 104,094 square miles. The state has a motto that states “Nil sine Numine” (Nothing without Deity) and do use two nicknames namely; colorful Colorado or Centennial State.
The Puebla’s who happened to be the original inhabitants of Colorado started to move to Arizona and New Mexico during the late 13th century. They had inhabited this land from between AD 550 to 1300s. However, their rich history is still preserved with the Mesa Verde National Park that has over four thousand archeological sites and artifacts.
In 1826, lieutenant Zebulon Pike discovered the Pikes Peak when he was on an expedition with the intention of discovering the Louisiana Purchase boundaries. This peak later on became an important landmark for the hundreds and hundreds of fortune hunters who were travelling to west having the “Pikes Peak or Bust” slogan written on their wagons since 1958 when gold was discovered in the area.
On the 29th day of November 1864, there was a mass slaughter of over one hundred and fifty peaceful Arapaho and Cheyenne by over seven hundred volunteer soldiers who were being commanded by colonel john Chivington at the time of the manslaughter this is one of the factors that catalyzed the emergence of the Plains Indians war between the US army and the Native American Indians.