BY CLAY
LARROY
In
the world of traveling,
there are plenty of great resources available to both new and experienced
travelers alike. There are many websites, guides, books, videos, and other
resources available. By writing this blog I hope that I am providing valuable
information about wonderful vacation destinations. When you want to
plan a vacation contact me!
Colorado history, language & culture
Long before any Europeans
set food in the New World, Colorado was inhabited by various Native American
tribes including the Arapaho, Apache, Ute and Cheynee.
Spanish explorers were the first Europeans to work their way to present-day Colorado, though they never formed any long lasting settlements in the area. A permanent settlement wasn't established until trading posts were created by traders and trappers along the Arkansas River in the mid-19th century.
When the US won the Mexican-American War in 1848, the southern portion of the Rocky Mountains (including parts of Colorado) were opened for American settlement. The first permanent European town, San Luis, was established by Hispanic settlers in 1851.
Like many other territories in the region, Colorado witnessed a population boom in the wake of the California Gold Rush in 1849 and 1850. Initially, no gold was found in Colorado and gold seekers overlooked this state for the western coast. Those who stayed however, had their patience rewarded, as in 1859 gold was found, along with silver, and minerals throughout the Rocky Mountains.
The Territory of Colorado was created in 1861. Until that point, modern day Colorado had been divided between the territories of Kansas, New Mexico, Utah, and Nevada. Colorado became the 38th state after President Ulysses S. Grant signed the territory into statehood in 1876.
Throughout the 19th century, Colorado became one of the major mining hubs for the US. Silver, gold, and mineral mining was rich throughout the state, and the continued discovery of gold fields meant business was booming in Colorado during this time. Due to the plentiful metals in the state, the US Treasury established a money mint in the capital, Denver, in 1906; it is still in operation today.
Into the 20th century, the mining boom died down as deposits of metals and minerals dwindled across Colorado. The focus moved manufacturing and industry to boost the economy, and a huge influx of people to their cities greatly urbanized the state's metropolises. Today, Colorado is one of the US's best states for business, as home to federal facilities, and booming agricultural and industrial industries.
Spanish explorers were the first Europeans to work their way to present-day Colorado, though they never formed any long lasting settlements in the area. A permanent settlement wasn't established until trading posts were created by traders and trappers along the Arkansas River in the mid-19th century.
When the US won the Mexican-American War in 1848, the southern portion of the Rocky Mountains (including parts of Colorado) were opened for American settlement. The first permanent European town, San Luis, was established by Hispanic settlers in 1851.
Like many other territories in the region, Colorado witnessed a population boom in the wake of the California Gold Rush in 1849 and 1850. Initially, no gold was found in Colorado and gold seekers overlooked this state for the western coast. Those who stayed however, had their patience rewarded, as in 1859 gold was found, along with silver, and minerals throughout the Rocky Mountains.
The Territory of Colorado was created in 1861. Until that point, modern day Colorado had been divided between the territories of Kansas, New Mexico, Utah, and Nevada. Colorado became the 38th state after President Ulysses S. Grant signed the territory into statehood in 1876.
Throughout the 19th century, Colorado became one of the major mining hubs for the US. Silver, gold, and mineral mining was rich throughout the state, and the continued discovery of gold fields meant business was booming in Colorado during this time. Due to the plentiful metals in the state, the US Treasury established a money mint in the capital, Denver, in 1906; it is still in operation today.
Into the 20th century, the mining boom died down as deposits of metals and minerals dwindled across Colorado. The focus moved manufacturing and industry to boost the economy, and a huge influx of people to their cities greatly urbanized the state's metropolises. Today, Colorado is one of the US's best states for business, as home to federal facilities, and booming agricultural and industrial industries.
Things
to see and do in Colorado
16th Street Mall
Explore the 16th Street
Mall, a tree-lined promenade in the heart of the city, running between downtown
Denver and Union Station. Popular with shoppers, it is always alive with
pedestrians, cafes, street performers and fountains.
American football
Cheer American football
team, the Denver Broncos (www.denverbroncos.com)
to victory at Invesco Field, Mile High Stadium.
Colorado National Monument
View the plains from
Colorado National Monument (www.nps.gov/colm), west of Grand Junction, an
area of fantastic red rock canyons, monoliths, pillars and cliffs. Dinosaur
National Monument (www.nps.gov/dino) in Colorado's northwest corner,
is a plateau cut by two rivers and home to one of the world's richest deposits
of dinosaur and reptile fossils.
Colorado State Capitol
View the Denver skyline
from the Colorado State Capitol, with its spectacular genuine gold roof and
sweeping views over the city and the Rockies.
Coors Brewery
Tour the Coors Brewery at
Golden and sample the famous beer made from Rocky Mountain spring water.
Flora and fauna
Wander through the Denver
Botanic Gardens (www.botanicgardens.org), boasting water gardens, a
Japanese garden, a rock alpine garden and conservatory housing a collection of
orchids and bromeliads.
Garden of the Gods
Hike, bike or horse ride
around the dramatically sculpted red sandstone pinnacles of the Garden of the
Gods (www.gardenofthegods.com), a National Natural
Monument.
Glenwood Springs
Soak in the world's
largest natural hot springs pool at Glenwood Springs (www.hotspringspool.com),
surrounded by soaring mountain peaks.
Great Sand Dunes
National Monument
Visit the Great Sand Dunes
National Monument (www.nps.gov/grsa), with some of the highest inland
sand dunes in North America.
Mountain National Park
Explore Rocky Mountain
National Park (www.nps.gov/romo) and the resort village of Estes
Park (www.estesparkresort.com). The Trail Ridge Road, one
of the highest continuous highways in North America, is strung with massive
peaks, rugged canyons, flower-strewn meadows, peaceful lakes and thundering
waterfalls.
Native Indian homes
Tour Indian cliff
dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park (www.nps.gov/meve),
in the high plateau country of southwestern Colorado, 56km (35 miles) west of
Durango. The 21,044-hectare (52,000-acre) park, a World Heritage Site, contains
dramatic Anasazi culture's cliff dwellings built over 700 years ago (www.nps.gov/meve).
Santa Fe Trail
Follow the path of early
traders and stagecoaches along the Santa Fe Trail (www.santafetrailscenicandhistoricbyway.org), now
designated a National Historic Trail, which is dotted with historic trading
posts. Step back in time exploring St Elmo's, Colorado's best-preserved ghost
town built around a mining camp in Chalk Creek Canyon.
Scenic drives
Drive the Black Canyon of
the Gunnison National Park (www.nps.gov/blca). It preserves the most
spectacular 19km (12-mile) stretch of the 85km (53-mile) gorge carved by the
Gunnison River. A paved road circles the rim of the canyon, at some points
nearly half a mile deep.
See Colorado by rail
Travel on the Manitou
& Pikes Peak Cog Railway (www.cograilway.com)
offering views of the Continental Divide from the 4,300m (14,110ft) summit of
Pikes Peak. Or ride the scenic Royal Gorge Railway in Cañon City (www.canoncitycolorado.com),
then experience the thrill of whitewater rafting down the Arkansas River.
Skiing
Ski the Rocky Mountains (www.nps.gov/romo),
renowned the world over for unparalleled skiing, quaint mountain towns,
world-class accommodation and spectacular scenery. Aspen (www.aspenchamber.org)
is America's most sophisticated ski resort, offering a full range of winter and
summer activities and countless restaurants and shops. Ski or snowboard in
Summit County, home to the popular ski resorts of Keystone (www.keystone.snow.com)
(with the longest ski season in the state), Arapahoe Basin (www.arapahoebasin.com),
Copper Mountain (www.coppercolorado.com) and Breckenridge (www.breckenridge.snow.com).
Steamboat Springs
Try your hand at fly
fishing, float over mountain vistas in a hot air balloon, or go tubing on the
Yampa River in the popular western-style town of Steamboat Springs (www.steamboat-chamber.com).
In winter hit the ski slopes for unforgettable champagne powder snow.
US Mint
See the US Mint, the
second-largest storehouse of gold bullion in the USA after Fort Knox in
Kentucky (www.usmint.gov).
REFERENCE SITES:
Well, we have this place in
Telluride, Colorado. It's somewhere I can just get away and relax and think.
Joe Cocker
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