Brief History of Colorado

Named the 'Cenntenial State' because it entered the Union 100 years after the signing of the Nation's Declaration of Independence. Denver municipal Auditorium, seating 12,500, is completed in1908, just in time for the Democratic National Convention, when William Jennings Bryan was nominated the third time for President. August 1, 1908 , Colorado Day is first celebrated, marking thirty-second anniversary of State's admittance to Union. Dome of the State Capitol is plated with gold leaf at a cost of $14,680.

Colorado's rich history includes Native Americans, the turn-of-the-Century Gold Rush years, pioneers, fur trappers, silver barons, cowboys, and gunfighters. Whether you're a history buff or simply interested in Colorado's past, numerous intriguing sites await you.

Denver is home to the Colorado History Museum as well as historic homes, neighborhoods, districts, and parks.

Lieutenant Zebulon Montgomery Pike explored the southwest portion of the Louisiana Territory in 1806 and though he never climbed the peak that bears his name, he did publish a report that attracted a lot of interest to the area. The slogan of "Pikes Peak or Bust," painted across many of the prairie schooners, was born at a time as fortune hunters headed west. Although only a handful of those who flocked to the region ever found gold.

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