Archive for the ‘History’ Category
One of the later states to join the Union, Colorado was known for its tough and tumble personality. First explored by the Spanish during the 1500s, it was claimed as a Spanish Territory in 1706. For many of its years, Colorado was vastly unexplored by the Spanish. It became a home for Spanish priests who wanted to build Missions to convert the heathen natives of the area.
However, Colorado became an interest to the newly formed United States when it was acquired as part of the Louisiana Purchase made in 1803. With only the eastern side of the state included in the Purchase from France, military exploration began as part of the westward expansion, which was deemed a part of American Manifest Destiny.
Colorado played an important part of American expansion to the West. As thousands of American pioneers moved westward in search of new land, gold, and the freedom to homestead, the rugged terrain of Colorado was a frequent way layer. The enormous Rocky Mountains claimed thousands of lives as pioneers tried to navigate the huge peaks to get to the other side.
Men who wanted to be left alone became known as Mountain Men. These men would live, often completely alone, within the mountain wilderness. Many were on good terms with the Native Americans in the Rocky Mountain area. This allowed them to trade for goods and live in relative peace. Along with hunting, they trapped and became excellent fur traders.
As pioneers continued to flow west, they would often look to find the Mountain Men and pay them to lead them through the mountains safely. Although many still perished on these journeys, the Mountain Men played a huge role in Westward Expansion.
In July of 1858, gold was found in the territory area known as Pike’s Peak. What had started as small number of men trying to carve out a place to live suddenly became a boom town. During the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush, over 100,000 men, women, and children came to Colorado in search of precious gold. Unfortunately, with the advent of these huge boom towns came liquor, loose women, and violence. Many of the gold rush men were killed or maimed if their plot produced gold when another’s did not.
On August 1, 1876 the Colorado Territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Colorado by President Ulysses S. Grant. With the after effect of the gold rush, the next wave of white settlers came in to Colorado not for gold, but for the valuable minerals that needed to be mined. This led to Colorado becoming a huge underground mining state.
Today, Colorado is still rich in their mining history and is known for its School of Mines. This university is number one in the nation for its depth and complexity in the mining industry. Unfortunately, Colorado was also known in 1999 by the Columbine High School Massacre. While Colorado’s history is rich with many aspects, it is still a down home state that is forward thinking when it comes to nature and activism. It’s a fascinating combination of history that makes it such a unique state.