IF COLORADO’S SPACIOUS SKIES, AMBER WAVES OF grain and purple mountain majesties inspired Katharine Lee Bates to pen the patriotic song, “America the Beautiful,” the same attracted tuberculosis victims to heal, homesteaders to stake land, and gold seekers to mine.
Whether your ancestors were early settlers or later arrivals, Colorado’s abundant resources will provide ample opportunity to chart their journey.
MILE-HIGH HISTORY
Several tribes lived in what is now Colorado before and concurrently with white settlement, including the: Anasazi, Arapahoe, Cheyenne, Comanche, Jicarilla, Kiowa, Kiowa Apache, Navajo, Pawnee, Pueblo, Shoshoni, and Ute.
Spanish explorers came through in 1541 followed by the French, then Americans including Zebulon Pike (the namesake of “Pikes Peak”) and John C. Fremont. At the time, much of Colorado was part of Louisiana Territory: originally claimed by France, then transferred to Spain and back to France before being purchased by the United States in 1803.
Explorers established numerous forts and trading posts along the way, including Bent’s Fort
