🠈 Colorado State 🠊
Colorado is a rectangular shaped state overlapping the Continental Divide in the Mountain West. The State includes a swath of the Great Plains, The Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, a large swath of the Southern Rocky Mountains and upper Northwest Corner of the Colorado Plateau.
The Eastern Portion of the state was acquired by the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. The Western Portions were the territory of Spain, then of Mexico and finally acquired by the United States with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 after the Mexico/American War.
The Eastern Portion of the State was included in the Kansas Territory. In 1859, early settlers attmpted to create a square shaped "Territory of Jefferson" which included sections of Wyoming and Utah. Meanwhile, Brigham Young wanted to include much of Western Colorado in The Empire of Deseret which stretched all the way to San Diego..
The boundaries for the Territory of Colorado was set in 1861 during the administration of James Buchanan after the Pikes Peak Gold Rush (1858-1861) led to much of the settlement along the Front Range.
The Colorado Territory was named for the Colorado River; However, there was some dispute about which branches of the Upper Colorado should be called the Colorado. The people in Colorado City, the first Territorial Capitol, wanted the section of river now called The Blue River to be the Colorado.
Due to the dispute, the upper section of the Colorado River (through Grand Junction was called the Grand River. The Colorado River proper started at the confluence of the Grand and Green Rivers West of Moab, Utah. So, at the time of statehood in 1876, Colorado was named after a river that did not officially flow through Colorado.
This problem was rectified in 1921 when the Grand River, which starts in Rocky Mountain National Park, was renamed The Upper Colorado.
The Territorial Capitol of Colorado was moved from Colorado City to Golden City in 1863 and to Denver in 1869.
The state boasts a diverse geography with high mountain plains, steep mountains and deep canyons in the West. The lowest point in the state is 3,317 feet on the Arkansas River as it flows from the state. The lowest point in Colorado is higher than the highest point of 18 states.
Most of the Population in the state lives along the Front Range which sits between the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains.
The Continental Divide runs through the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies include 54 peaks over 14,000 feet. Summitting the 14ers is a preoccupation of many modern day mountain men.
Due to the recreational opportunities in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado has become a popular tourist destination and is noted for a healthy lifestyle.
Colorado has grown to a population of and has seven Congressional Districts.
The Colorado Color Project offers directories and calendars for select communities in the Mile High State.