Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed in 1848, ending the war between Mexico and the United States. In return for fifteen million dollars from the United States, Mexico gave up the land that became California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. Texas also became part of the United States.
Colorado Territory was created in 1861. The borders of the Colorado Territory were the same as the current borders of the state of Colorado. Because gold had been found in the Pikes Peak region, the federal government wanted to establish firm boundaries. The Civil War then delayed statehood. The territory was dissolved when Colorado became the thirty-eighth state on August 1, 1876.
Ludlow Massacre happened in 1914 in Ludlow, Colorado. Striking miners were attacked by National Guardsmen. Nineteen men, women, and children were either shot to death or died in a fire. Children could read The Ludlow Massacre of 1913-1914 by Rosemary Laughlin. They could also examine some great primary resources at: https://guides.library.csupueblo.edu/ludlow.
“America the Beautiful” was published first in poem form in 1895 by Katherine Lee Bates, a professor at Wellesley College. Stories say she wrote the poem after visiting the top of Pikes Peak in Colorado. Children can read the poem at: America the Beautiful.
Colorado became the thirty-eighth state of the United States in 1876. Its nickname is the Centennial State, because it became a part of the country one hundred years after the revolution. Its name comes from a Spanish phrase meaning the color red. Early Spanish explorers in the area were impressed with the many red-colored canyons and thus called the area Colorado. People were living in the Mesa Verde cliff dwellings, in the state’s southwestern corner, around 1200. When gold was discovered in 1858, the local phrase became “Pike’s Peak or Bust.” It is the eighth largest state and the 21st most populous state. Denver is the state capital, and tourism is one of the most important economic factors. Children could visit an Internet site at: Colorado.
Zebulon Pike recorded seeing Pikes Peak in Colorado in 1806. The mountain, with an elevation of 14,115 feet, is a National Historic Landmark. Katharine Lee Bates wrote “America the Beautiful” after visiting the peak.