Explore how Colorado has changed from the 1600s to today. What do you notice about the cultural groups in the region and how they change over time?

Prior to and during the 1600s, American Indian tribes including the Navajo, Utes, Kiowa, Apache, Comanche, Cheyenne, Pawnee, and Arapaho called the area that is now Colorado home. The traditional tribal territories were not marked by physical boundaries or paper documents, and the tribes moved according to the season and hunting grounds.

In the 1700s, France and Spain each claimed part of today’s Colorado, with the Rocky Mountains likely serving as the border between their so-called lands. However, French and Spanish explorers, missionaries, and soldiers didn’t have a strong presence in the area, and many of the American Indians living on the land had little contact with them. 

President Andrew Johnson vetoed the first two attempts at Colorado statehood, believing that the population was too small. However, in 1875, his successor Ulysses S. Grant learned there were more than 175,000 people living in the Territory. Colorado became a state on August 1st, 1876.

In 1854, the previously “unorganized” territory was divided into Kansas and Nebraska, dividing what is today Colorado into four territories: Utah, Nebraska, Kansas, and New Mexico.

In 1836 Texas revolted against Mexican rule, creating the Republic of Texas. Mexico began granting lands to Mexican individuals to settle in the contested region, helping to secure the region for Mexico and protect against Texan claims. The Republic of Texas ended in 1845, when Texas became part of the United States.

In 1861, President Abraham Lincoln created Colorado Territory and appointed William Gilpin as its first Territorial Governor. The Territory’s boundaries were set at lines of longitude and latitude, rather than following natural features of the landscape. 

Mexico won its independence from Spain in the Mexican War of Independence in 1821, so the Spanish claim became part of Mexican Territory. 

The Mexican-American War began when the United States annexed Texas in 1845. Mexico believed this to be their land. The war ended with the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, when Mexico lost a third of its land to the United States, including part of today’s Colorado.

Colorado’s border has remained the same since it became a state in 1876. 41 “Welcome to Colorful Colorado” signs are posted on roadways entering the state from Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. 

Standards for Maps of Colorado (1600-Today)

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework