Colorado was the 38th state admitted to the Union, and is known as the “Centennial State” because of its entrance into the union in 1876, one hundred years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Colorado River was named earlier, and is Spanish for “red“, the color of the water that the Spanish explorers observed.
People have been living in Colorado at least 9,000 years. Spanish explorers were here in 1540, but the discovery of gold caused a major population explosion in 1859.
The state consists of 3 topographic zones: plains, mountains, and plateaus. The Continental Divide bisects the state, north to south and there are 54 peaks above 14,000 feet.
Denver is the State Capitol at 5,280 feet, one mile above sea level. Colorado is noted for its waterways and is the only state in the U.S. from which all water courses flow out of the state. Rivers that have their origins in Colorado include the North Platte, South Platte, Arkansas, Rio Grande, and the Colorado with its headwaters in Grand County.
Hafen and Hafen, Our State: Colorado, The Old West Publishing Company, 1971
Borneman and Lampert A Climbing Guide to Colorado’s Fourteeners. Pruett Publishing Company, 1978
John and Halka Chronic, Prairie Peak and Plateau Colorado Geological Survey, 1972
Wilma Davidson, Colorado The State We’re In. League of Women Voters, 1988