Portal:Colorado/Did You Know

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• The Lindenmeier Site in Larimer County includes a Folsom culture campsite radiocarbon dated to 8710 BCE, some 4706 years before the biblical creation.
• The French Republic concluded its sale of its colony of La Louisiane to the United States on December 20, 1803. The United States claimed the entire watershed of the Mississippi River as its territory. Spain claimed a large southwestern portion of the watershed as the trading and protective territory of its colony of Santa Fe de Nuevo México.
• On November 15, 1806, a U.S. Army reconnaissance expedition led by Captain Zebulon Pike first sighted the great summit of the Mexican Mountains that now bears his name.
• On February 26, 1807, Spanish cavalrymen arrested the Pike expedition in the San Luis Valley. The reconnaissance party was taken to Chihuahua, and then expelled from Mexico.
• William Bucknell and a party of frontier traders opened the Santa Fe Trail in 1821.
• Frontier trader William Bent operated Bent's Fort on the Santa Fe Trail from 1833 to 1849.
• The village of San Luis de la Culebra was founded on April 9, 1851, the first nonindigenous community in what would become Colorado.
• The discovery of gold by Green Russell along the South Platte River in July 1858 precipitated the Pike's Peak Gold Rush.
• The Provisional Government of the Territory of Jefferson governed the region from 1859 to 1861 without federal sanction.
• San Miguel, the original Costilla County seat, was later found to lie in New Mexico.
• Denver Union Station opened on June 1, 1881.
• Colorado became the first U.S. state to grant women the vote by popular referendum on November 7, 1893.

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• President Theodore Roosevelt signed an act of Congress creating Mesa Verde National Park on June 29, 1906.
• Denver International Airport opened on June 11, 1995.
• On November 15, 1902, Arapahoe County was split into three new counties: the City and County of Denver, Adams County, and South Arapahoe County.
• The State of Colorado had three Governors on March 17, 1905.
• The first National Western Stock Show opened in Denver on January 29, 1906.
• The Democratic National Convention meeting in Denver nominated William Jennings Bryan for President of the United States on July 10, 1908.
• President Woodrow Wilson signed an act of Congress creating Rocky Mountain National Park on January 26, 1915.
• Mamie Geneva Doud married U.S. Army lieutenant (and later General of the Army and President of the United States) Dwight Eisenhower in Denver on July 1, 1916.
• The population of Colorado first exceeded one million in 1929.
• Denver Municipal Airport opened on October 17, 1929.
• In 1942, Governor Ralph Carr welcomed Japanese-Americans to Colorado despite the war with Japan.
• The first class of the United States Air Force Academy graduated on June 3, 1959.
• UNESCO designated Mesa Verde National Park as one of the original 12 World Heritage Sites on October 9, 1978.
• John Hickenlooper, later a Colorado Governor and United States Senator, founded a popular Denver brewpub in 1988.
• The Denver Broncos won the NFL Super Bowl in 1998, 1999, and 2016.
• President Bill Clinton signed an act of Congress elevating the national monument to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park on October 21, 1999.

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• The 2013 Colorado floods struck the northeastern Front Range region beginning September 11, 2013, causing extensive flood damage.
• On June 8, 2002, a U.S. Forest Service technician accidentally started the Hayman Fire which became the most extensive wild fire in Colorado history.
• U.S. Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton signed an order elevating the national monument to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve on September 13, 2004.
• President George W. Bush defeated Colorado native John Kerry in the November 2, 2004 election for President of the United States.
• Senator Barack Obama accepted the nomination of the Democratic National Convention for President of the United States in Denver on August 28, 2008.
• The population of Colorado first exceeded five million in 2009.
• Workers uncovered a trove of mammoth, mastodon, and other Pleistocene fossils near Snowmass Village on October 14, 2010.
• President Barack Obama issued a proclamation creating Chimney Rock National Monument on September 21, 2012.
• The Black Forest fire began on June 11, 2013, destroying 486 homes, the most in Colorado history
• Colorado became the first state to legalize cannabis for recreational use on January 1, 2014.
• President Barack Obama issued a proclamation creating Browns Canyon National Monument on February 19, 2015.

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• On August 13, 2020, the Cameron Peak Fire ignited which would surpass the Pine Gulch Fire to become the most extensive wild fire in Colorado history.
• On March 13, 2020, a woman in El Paso County became the first person in Colorado to die from the COVID-19 virus.
• On July 31, 2020, lightning ignited the Pine Gulch Fire which would surpass the Hayman Fire of 2002 to become the most extensive wild fire in Colorado history.
• On October 14, 2020, the East Troublesome Fire ignited which would also surpass the Pine Gulch Fire to become the second most extensive wild fire in Colorado history. Experts say the onslaught of 2020 Colorado wild fires was aggravated by climate change.
• On December 30, 2021, the Marshall Fire killed two people and destroyed 1,084 homes and seven businesses and damaged another 149 homes and 40 businesses
• U.S. President James Buchanan signed the organic act creating the free Territory of Colorado on February 28, 1861.
• The Union Pacific Railroad was completed west to Julesburg on November 18, 1867.
• Deer Trail hosted the world's first organized rodeo on July 4, 1869.
• The first of what would become the Colorado State Fair opened in Pueblo on October 9, 1872, four years before Colorado became a state.
• U.S. President Ulysses Grant signed the presidential declaration admitting the State of Colorado to the Union on August 1, 1876.
• Katherine Lee Bates wrote America the Beautiful after a trip to the summit of Pikes Peak in the summer of 1893.

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• The world's largest brewery is located in Golden.
• Byron White was the only All-American football player to sit on the Supreme Court of the United States (1962-1993).
• Ben Nighthorse Campbell was only the second Native American to sit in the United States Senate (1993-2005).
• The lowest point in Colorado is higher than the highest point of 18 U.S. states.
• Colorado had a 2014 life expectancy of 80.21 years, longest of any U.S. state.
• Colorado has the lowest rate of heart disease of any U.S. state (2.7% – USCB 2008)
• Colorado has the lowest rate of adult obesity of any U.S. state (20.5% – CDC 2012)
• Colorado has the fewest motor vehicles per capita of any U.S. state (0.328 – USCB 2008)

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• The Gunnison River is the longest river entirely within Colorado at 164 miles (264 km).
• Colorado is known as the Mother of Rivers because it holds the headwaters of the Colorado River, Arkansas River, Rio Grande, Canadian River, North Platte River, San Juan River, South Platte River, Smoky Hill River, Cimarron River, Yampa River, Gunnison River, White River, Dolores River, Laramie River, Little Snake River, Purgatoire River, Rio Chama, Cache la Poudre River, Huerfano River, Arikaree River, San Miguel River, Roaring Fork River, Animas River, Uncompahgre River, Apishapa River, Eagle River, Big Thompson River, Mancos River, Conejos River, Blue River, Piedra River, and many more.
• No point in Colorado is less than 466 miles (750 km) from the sea.
• The Continental Divide splits Colorado into a Western Slope draining to the Pacific Ocean and an Eastern Slope draining to the Atlantic Ocean.
• The waters of Colorado flow either to the Gulf of California (Mar de Cortés) via the Colorado River (Rio Colorado) or to the Gulf of Mexico (Golfo de México) via either the Mississippi River or the Rio Grande {Rio Bravo del Norte).
• The Sangre de Cristo Mountains divide the waters flowing to the Arkansas River from the waters flowing to the Rio Grande and the San Luis Closed Basin.
• Colorado has two Cimarron rivers. The eastern Cimarron River flows into the Arkansas River, while the western Cimarron River flows into the Gunnison River.
• The Rio Grande, known as the Rio Bravo del Norte in Mexico, is the longest river originating in Colorado at 1,896 miles (3,051 km).

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• Georgetown still operates under a charter granted by the Territory of Colorado in 1868.
• Denver was originally incorporated in 1859 under the laws of the Territory of Jefferson as the City of Denver, Auraria, and Highland, more commonly known as Denver City.
• 12 Colorado municipalities had more than 100,000 residents at the 2020 United States census.
• 17 Colorado municipalities had fewer than 100 residents at the 2020 census.
• The City and County of Denver and the City of Blackhawk were the most and least populous Colorado cities at the 2020 census.
• The Town of Castle Rock was the most populous Colorado town at the 2020 census.
• The ghost town of Carbonate is an active Colorado statutory town despite having no year-round residents since the 1890 census.
• The ghost town of Fulford, a census-designated place, lost both of its two residents between the 2010 and 2020 censuses.

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• Colorado ghost towns include American City, Beartown, Beaver City, Buckskin Joe, Buffalo Boy, Capitol City, Chihuahua, Climax, Eureka, Gothic, Massive City, Mayday, Pie Plant, Saint Elmo, Saints John, Stumptown, Tincup, and Wild Irishman.
• The 64 Colorado county seats include Aspen, Cañon City, Central City, Cortez, Cripple Creek, Dove Creek, Fairplay, Leadville, Colorado Springs, Glenwood Springs, Hot Sulphur Springs, Pagosa Springs, and Steamboat Springs.
• The 272 Colorado municipalities include Arriba, Bonanza, Brush, Deer Trail, Dinosaur, Log Lane Village, Lone Tree, Montezuma, Parachute, Sawpit, Silt, Sugar City, and Swink.
• The 187 Colorado census designated places include Bark Ranch, Battlement Mesa, Blue Sky, Brick Center, Chacra, Evergreen, Gold Hill, Gunbarrel, Hasty, Highlands Ranch, Joes, No Name, and Sunshine.
• Post offices in Colorado include Bedrock, Hygiene, Marvel, and Paradox.
• Other Colorado communities include Fink, Grizzly, Last Chance, Peeples, Plainview, Punkin Center, Spook City, Stoner, Tiny Town, and Troublesome
• Other Colorado place names include the Cannibal Plateau, Mount Massive, the Mummy Range, the Never Summer Mountains, Slumgullion Pass, Summit Peak, Yankee Boy Basin, South Park, Middle Park, North Park, and the West Fork East Fork Williams Fork.

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• The highest point in Colorado and all the Rocky Mountains is the summit of Mount Elbert at 14,439.6 feet (4,401.2 m) elevation.
• Although the Rocky Mountains extend from New Mexico to British Columbia, the Rockies' 30 highest major summits all rise in Colorado.
• The western portal of the Eisenhower Tunnel on Interstate Highway I-70 is the highest point on the U.S. Interstate Highway System.
• U.S. Highway 34 on Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park is the highest U.S. Highway.
• The Pikes Peak Highway is the highest toll road in the world.
• Colorado State Highway 105 on the Mount Blue Sky Scenic Byway is the highest paved highway in North America.
• The Manitou and Pike's Peak Railway is the highest railroad in North America.
• A freedman miner lived for many years in a cabin he built at about 14,000 feet (4,270 m) elevation on Mount Lincoln. The cabin is believed to have been the highest permanent residence in North America.
• The summit elevation of Pikes Peak is 14,115.19 feet (4,302.31 m) above sea level.
• Colorado State Highway 5, the Mount Blue Sky Scenic Byway, ascends to 14,160 feet (4,316 m) elevation near the summit of Mount Blue Sky.
• The summit of Grays Peak at 14,278 feet (4,352 m) elevation is the highest point on the Continental Divide of North America.

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• The official elevation of City and County of Denver is precisely one mile (5,280 feet = 1,609.344 m) above sea level. When the United States National Geodetic Survey determined that Denver was actually 36.10 inches (917 mm) higher than previously thought, the city merely lowered its elevation reference point on the west steps of the Colorado State Capitol by the difference to remain the Mile-High City. Most of Denver is actually more than one mile above sea level.
• The point where the Arikaree River flows out of the state at 3,317 feet (1,011 m) elevation is the lowest point in Colorado, and the highest low point of any U.S. state.
• The Town of Holly with a town center elevation of 3,392 feet (1,034 m) is the lowest municipality in Colorado.
• The City of Wray with a city center elevation of 3,566 feet (1,087 m) is the lowest incorporated city in Colorado.
• Denver is only the third highest U.S. state capital after Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Cheyenne, Wyoming.
• Denver is the highest U.S. city with a population of at least 600,000.
• Colorado Springs is the highest U.S. city with a population of at least 100,000.
• The mean elevation of Colorado is 6,800 feet (2,070 m), highest of all 50 U.S. states.
• The City of Leadville with a city center elevation of 10,152 feet (3,094 m) is the highest incorporated city in the United States.
• The Town of Alma with a town center elevation of 10,578 feet (3,224 m) is the highest incorporated town in the United States.

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• The Four Corners is the only place where four U.S. states meet.
• Native peoples, Spain, France, the United States, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, and the State of Deseret have claimed various portions of the present State of Colorado.
• In antiquity, the area of the Front Range Urban Corridor was a popular migration route for Paleoamericans.
• Today, the Front Range Urban Corridor is the home of more than five million people.
• Denver is one of the few cities in the world with both a police department and a sheriff's department.
• Denver is the only world city to accept and later reject an Olympic Games for environmental reasons.
• Denver is the home of the Great American Beer Festival, the National Western Stock Show, the People's Fair, and the Festival of Mountain and Plain.

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• Las Animas County, Colorado's most extensive county, is more than 4.56 times the size of Rhode Island, 2.44 times the size of Delaware, and 98% the size of Connecticut.
• The Colorado Organic Act of 1861 defined Colorado as an ellipsoidal rectangle bound by the parallels 37°N and 41°N latitude and the meridians 25°W and 32°W longitude from the Washington Meridian.
• 160 years of subsequent government land surveys redefined the state boundaries as a ellipsoidal polygon of 697 sides.
• The southwestern corner monument of the Territory of Colorado later became the common boundary point of the U.S. states of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah known as the Four Corners.
• Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah are the only three U.S. states with no natural boundaries.
• Although Colorado and Wyoming have the same shape and both measure four degrees of latitude by seven degrees of longitude, Colorado is 6.42% more extensive than Wyoming because it lies closer to the equator.
• Gilpin County and Clear Creek County are the only two Colorado counties to retain their original 1861 boundaries.
• All 21 of the highest U.S. counties by mean elevation are in Colorado.
• Jefferson County borders ten other Colorado counties.
• The City and County of Denver and Delta County each border only three other Colorado counties.
• Twelve Colorado counties have the same name as their county seat.
• Nine Colorado counties have no incorporated municipalities other than their county seat.

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• The sand dunes of Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve are the tallest and highest in North America.
• Colorado is home to 4 national parks, 8 national monuments, 2 national recreation areas, 2 national historic sites, 3 national historic trails, 1 national scenic trail, 11 national forests, 2 national grasslands, 41 national wilderness areas, 2 national conservation areas, 8 national wildlife refuges, 66 areas of critical environmental concern, 115 state natural areas, 42 state parks, and 323 state wildlife areas.
• Mesa Verde National Park is the 7th oldest U.S. National Park and the world's first cultural national park.
• Mesa Verde National Park was one of the 12 original UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
• Rocky Mountain National Park is the 9th oldest U.S. National Park.
• Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park is the northernmost 14,000-foot (4,267 m) peak of the Rocky Mountains of North America.
• Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park is the highest continuous highway in North America.
• The Painted Wall rises vertically 2,250 feet (690 m) from the Gunnison River in the Black Canyon.

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• Colorado was originally defined only by latitude and longitude, but is now delineated as a polygon with 697 sides.
• Mount Evans was named for the territorial governor complicit in the Sand Creek Massacre.
• Mount Silverheels was named for a beloved prostitute.
• San Miguel was designated the original Costilla County seat, but was later found to be in New Mexico.
• In 1865, the white male voters of the Territory of Colorado denied the vote to Indians, Negros, Asians, and women.
• Twenty-eight years later, the male voters of the State of Colorado granted women the vote, only the second state to do so.