We mentioned that Nebraska‘s admission as a state was vetoed by the president. Colorado got the same veto. Congress overrode the veto of Nebraska’s admission, though. Colorado couldn’t get the votes to override the veto, though, and had to wait for statehood. One reason was that there weren’t very many people living there at the time. Colorado Territory in the 1800s was important for its gold, silver, and coal mines. People wanting statehood for Colorado counted the miners as residents. That made sense, since they lived there, but they usually were not permanent, year-round residents, so it was a bit questionable.
There were also some negative stereotypes about Colorado at the time, as the cutting above shows.
The nay-sayers were wrong. Colorado became a state in 1876 and is a beautiful, thriving state. We often visit Colorado. Let us share some of our experiences with you as you get to know this mountainous western state.
We usually enter Colorado from the East, so our first view is a lot like Kansas: plains and sunflowers.
We like to stop at a classic diner along the way.
Colorado cities
From there it’s just a couple of hours to Denver, the Mile High City. It deserves its nickname, because it’s situated 5,280 feet above sea level — that’s one mile.
William and Ellina live in Denver. Here you can see the Denver Central Library, one of the biggest public libraries in the nation, built in postmodern style.
Longmont is a nearby town worth visiting. We love the Longmont Museum at the Longmont Recreation Center.
The Robot Rising exhibit was a favorite of ours.
But we appreciate the history exhibits as well, including this hands-on exploration of tools used by early inhabitants of Northern Colorado.
We also really like Ft. Collins, including Old Town, a special part of town very popular with tourists.
Even if you pick casual food like nachos, you can expect it to be exceptionally fresh and tasty.
Ditto for pizza. Colorado style pizza is not like other kinds of pizza.
Another very special town is Crested Butte, way up in the mountains.
Nature
But Colorado is not just cities. In fact, it’s famous for its natural beauty.
Rivers, streams, hills, and forests make up much of the state.
There are parts that look like castles made of rock.
And mountain areas that are very far from human habitation.
The Rocky Mountains are Colorado’s most famous mountains.
We have some intrepid folks on our team.
But you can enjoy outdoor activities in Colorado even if you aren’t that adventurous. Biking is easy in towns like Ft. Collins, which are designed to encourage it.
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