Colorado Day 2023: Colorado Day is annually observed on August 1. The holiday commemorates Colorado’s admission to the Union on August 1, 1876, as a result of a congressional act signed by President Ulysses S. Grant. Prior to the Spanish settlement of Colorado in 1598, Native American nations had inhabited the region for approximately 14,000 years. In March 1907, the state legislature enacted a law officially designating August 1 as Colorado Day; therefore, the celebration began on August 1, 1907.
DAY OF COLORADO HISTORY
Numerous Native American communities, including the Ancestral Puebloans, Apache, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Comanche, Shoshone, and Ute, inhabited Colorado approximately 14,000 years ago. One of the Spanish conquistadors, Juan de Onate, founded the Spanish province of ‘Santa Fe de Nuevo Mexico’ on July 11, 1598. Eventually, Colorado became a part of this province, and the regular commerce between the Spaniards and the local Native Americans became known as ‘Comercio Comanchero,’ which translates to ‘Comanche commerce.’
The Spanish, who asserted sovereignty over the territory, contested the United States’ territorial claim to the eastern portion of the Rocky Mountains in 1803. The United States went to war with Mexico in 1846, gaining the conflict and claiming the Southern Rocky Mountains for American settlement. However, it wasn’t until a few years later that settlement began in earnest due to the ‘Pikes Peak Gold Rush.’ On June 22, 1850, a man named Lewis Ralston discovered gold in a stream that flowed into Clear Creek; he promptly named the stream ‘Ralston’s Creek’ This resulted in the beginning of the “Pikes Peak Gold Rush” in 1857, when gold seekers flooded the territory in quest of gold. Three years later, an estimated one hundred thousand individuals came in quest of gold, causing a population boom. However, when the gold ran out, they compromised for silver, hard rock gold, and other minerals.
Colorado became a territory of the United States on February 28, 1861, by an act of Congress signed by President James Buchanan. This occurred during the notorious secession of the Southern states, which led to the American Civil War. 28 days after the United States’ Centennial Celebration, on August 1, 1876, President Grant signed a proclamation admitting Colorado as the 38th state, garnering it the nickname “Centennial State.” In 1907, ‘Colorado Day’ was first observed.
DAY OF COLORADO ACTIVITIES
Wish someone “Happy Colorado Day!”
Celebrate by wishing all Coloradans ‘Happy Colorado Day!’ Send a message of benevolence to all Coloradans you know or post a message of kindness online.
Examine the U.S. map.
Examine the United States map and attempt to locate Colorado. If you do not have a physical map, you can find a multitude of them online.
Details about Colorado
There is an abundance of rich and engaging information about Colorado. Conduct investigation and even plan a future trip to the location. Start with our “facts” section and continue exploring!
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Five IRRELEVANT FACTS ABOUT COLORADO
- On November 7, 1893, Colorado became the first state in the Union to grant women the right to vote.
- Colorado’s borders with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah allow for simultaneous entry into all four states.
- At a depth of 304.8 metres, the Mother Spring aquifer is the deepest hot spring in the globe.
- The Grand Mesa in Colorado is the world’s longest flat-topped mountain, with a surface area of several hundred square miles.
- The Royal Gorge Bridge is the nation’s tallest suspension bridge at 1,053 feet.
