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<br />Colorado has been part of six nations and
<br />eight territories. Colorado Territory was cre-
<br />ated in 1861 from Kansas Territory when
<br />Kansas became a State. Statehood was granted
<br />to Colorado on August 1, 1876, centennial year
<br />of the signing of the Declaration of Indepen-
<br />dence, thus inspiring the name "The Centennial
<br />State." Eecause of its magnificent summits,
<br />Colorado has also been called the "Mountain
<br />State" or "Alpine State."
<br />The Pikes Peak rush brought men of almost
<br />every nationality, occupation, and station in
<br />life to Colorado. When these pioneers came,
<br />buffalo roamed the plain in great numbers,
<br />stalked by Indians of the Cheyenne, Arapaho,
<br />Commanche, and Kiowa Tribes. Trappers and
<br />miners heading into the mountains came upon
<br />the Ute Indians of Shoshonean stock. One by
<br />one, all the tribes but the Utes were subdued
<br />and moved to reservations in other regions.
<br />By 1880, peace came between the white man and
<br />the Ute after a long series of uprisings.
<br />Today the State has an Indian population of
<br />slightly over 4,000. Two groups of Utes-
<br />Southern and Ute Mountain-occupy adjoining
<br />reservations in the southwestern corner of
<br />Colorado, with lands extending into New
<br />Mexico. But the Indian has left his mark on
<br />the land-in relic and ruin, in legend and
<br />folklore, in place names that preserve the
<br />memory of their tribes, their greatest chiefs
<br />and warriors, and their indelible contribution to
<br />our historic past.
<br />
<br />Population Growth
<br />
<br />Colorado's citizenry has more than tripled
<br />since 1900, the greatest gain taking place in the
<br />last 10 years. In the 1960 census Colorado's
<br />population was 1,753,947, 33d in rank among
<br />States, an increase of 32.4 percent since 1950.
<br />Population averages 16.9 persons per square mile
<br />and only eight States, all in the West, have less
<br />density of population.
<br />Out of basic resources and an excellent geo-
<br />graphic position, Colorado, with her energetic
<br />populace, has emerged as the commercial, finan-
<br />cial, manufacturing, professional, and cultural
<br />center of the Intermountain West. Surveys of
<br />Colorado's industry and commerce show pro-
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<br />ductivity is high, employment is stable, and labor
<br />relations are good. Steel is the State's foremost
<br />manufactured article but mineral extraction and
<br />agriculture remain its two basic industries.
<br />
<br />Resource Wealth
<br />
<br />Resources abound in Colorado. They include I
<br />lands, different and delightful, contributing
<br />much to the pleasure of Coloradans and their I
<br />visitors; minerals and metals, supplies and pro- I
<br />duction of several ranking first in the Nation; I
<br />water, flowing in six major rivers, originating I
<br />in Colorado's high Rockies and spreading out I
<br />through 18 neighboring States; agriculture and I
<br />livestock, making Denver-its largest city- I
<br />one of the Nation's leading livestock processing 11
<br />and shipping points; game and fish resources, .
<br />
<br />
<br />A Colorado fisherman nets a big one Irom an icy lake
<br />in the San Juan Primitive Area.
<br />
<br />enjoyed, preserved and replenished by sports
<br />enthusiasts.
<br />The highest State in the Union, Colondo
<br />offers a wide variety of scenic delights with,
<br />glaciers, summer snow banks, immense for~stS:
<br />of pine and spruce, half-mile-deep canyons, and:
<br />twel ve-thousand-foot passes. !
<br />Dominated by the lofty Rocky Mount:lins,
<br />which form the Continental Divide between the!
<br />dry plains to the east and the plateaus to the i
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