Colorado History

The region that is today the State of Colorado has been inhabited by native peoples for more than 13 millennia.[9] The region was acquired by the United States with the Louisiana Purchase from France in 1803 and the Mexican Cession in 1848. The region was divided among the Territory of New Mexico organized in 1850, the Territory of Utah organized in 1850, the Territory of Kansas organized in 1854, and the Territory of Nebraska organized in 1854. Hispanic settlers from Taos, New Mexico, settled San Luis (then in the Territory of New Mexico, but now Colorado's first European settlement) on 1851-04-09.

Gold was discovered along the South Platte River in western Kansas Territory in July of 1858, precipitating the Pike's Peak Gold Rush.[10] The Provisional Government of the Territory of Jefferson was organized on 1859-10-24, but failed to secure federal sanction. The election of Abraham Lincoln on 1860-11-06, led to the secession of six slave states and the approach of civil war. The Republican led U.S. Congress admitted the eastern portion of the Territory of Kansas to the Union as the free State of Kansas on 1861-01-29, leaving the western portion of the territory (and its gold fields) unorganized.

Thirty days later on 1861-02-28, outgoing U.S. President James Buchanan signed an act of Congress organizing the free Territory of Colorado.[4] (The boundaries of the new territory were the same as the State of Colorado today.) The name Colorado was chosen because it was commonly believed that the Colorado River originated in the territory. Early Spanish explorers had named the river the Rio Colorado for the reddish-brown silt it carried from the mountains.[11] (In fact, the Colorado River did not flow through Colorado until House Joint Resolution 460 of the 66th United States Congress changed the name of the Grand River to the Colorado River on 1921-07-25.)[12]

On 1876-08-01 (28 days after Centennial of the United States), U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant signed a proclamation admitting the State of Colorado to the Union as the 38th state and earning it the moniker the "Centennial State". Colorado women were granted the right to vote beginning on 1893-11-07.

Three different ships have been named USS Colorado in honor of the state.