Think you know all there is to know about the Centennial State? Me too…until I discovered these 12 interesting tidbits of Colorado history that I never learned in school:

1. The 600 cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park were built by the Ancestral Puebloans who inhabited the area from about AD 550 to 1300.
Wikimedia Commons
During the late 13th century, the Puebloans began migrating south to Arizona and New Mexico, where their descendants continue to live to this day.
2. In 1863, one of Nevadaville's mines, the Pat Casey, was sold to Wall Street speculators, making it the first of any Colorado corporation to be quoted on the Big Board.
Wikimedia Commons
The Pat Casey later became the Ophir, which can still be visited today in the San Juan region.
3. During an expedition to find the southwest point of the Louisiana Purchase, Lieutenant Zebulon Pike discovered Pikes Peak.
Flickr/nigelmenzies
"Pikes Peak or Bust" became the slogan of many miners who traveled to the area after gold was found in 1858.
4. In 1870, the Kansas Pacific Railway laid 10 miles of rail in Colorado, the longest segment of track ever built in one day.
Wikimedia Commons
5. The Colorado motto, "Nil Sine Numine," is a Latin phrase meaning "Nothing without Providence."
Wikimedia Commons
There has been controversy over the exact translation, with some speculating it means "Nothing without God," "Nothing without a new mine," or "Nothing without the Deity."
6. The world's first rodeo is said to have occurred in Deer Trail on July 4, 1869.
Wikimedia Commons

Related Stories

This Is What Colorado Looked Like 100 Years Ago... It May Surprise You

This Is What Colorado Looked Like 100 Years Ago... It May Surprise You

 17 Rare Photos Taken In Colorado During The Great Depression

17 Rare Photos Taken In Colorado During The Great Depression

 Most People Have Never Seen These 15 Photos Taken During WWII In Colorado

Most People Have Never Seen These 15 Photos Taken During WWII In Colorado
7. When Colorado first attempted to join the Union, it received a veto from President Andrew Johnson.
Wikimedia Commons
Johnson's successor, Ulysses S. Grant, later accepted the admittance and issued a proclamation declaring Colorado a state on August 1, 1876.
8. The 200 ounces of gold that adorns the Colorado State Capital was originally donated by miners in the late 1800s.
Wikimedia Commons
9. To combat the problem of stray dogs running loose through Denver in the late 1870s, local police rented a wagon and drove around shooting every stray within shotgun range. This practice was halted in 1883, when residents voiced their outrage.
Flickr/Manatari
Police eventually took up the patrol again after several children were attacked by dogs in packs.
10. Tuberculosis brought the most new residents to Colorado during the 1800s.
Wikimedia Commons
Thousands came for the dry climate, including Doc Holliday.
11. The line separating Colorado, Kansas, and Oklahoma wasn't made official until 1990 (after years of dispute).
Flickr/Jason Rosenberg
The dispute began in 1867 after Congress commissioned a survey to determine what would become the line between Colorado and New Mexico. The line was intended to be 37th parallel north of the equator, but veered a half-mile off course.
12. When Coronado sought the Seven Golden Cities in the West, he sent a group of 15 men into southern Colorado, where they would eventually die from exhaustion.
Wikimedia Commons
The priest who discovered their remains called the area "Las Animas," which translates to "Souls in Purgatory."

Did you know any of these facts? Tell me in the comments!

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Related Articles

Explore Colorado