DENVER — On Sunday, August 1, Colorado is turning 145 years old.
Colorado officially joined the Union August 1, 1876 — 100 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, hence the nickname “The Centennial State.” To mark the occasion, we celebrate Colorado Day.
As Denverite pointed out a few years ago, the first Colorado Day celebration took place in 1907 after a group called the Sons of Colorado pushed for the holiday. In March of that year, the state legislature passed an act officially declaring the holiday. (It remained an official state holiday until Colorado started celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1985.)
And while not officially a state holiday anymore, there are still plenty of celebrations to enjoy.
For starters, Colorado’s 42 state parks celebrate Colorado Day with free entry. Do all those options stress you out? Colorado Parks and Wildlife has a slimmed-down list with some of their favorite places to celebrate Colorado Day here.
"There's so much to celebrate in Colorado, from more than 70% of Coloradans rolling up their sleeves to get the safe and effective vaccine, to our economy roaring back even stronger from this pandemic," Governor Jared Polis said in a statement. "I encourage everyone to celebrate Colorado Day responsibly, whether that’s by visiting one of the 42 beautiful state parks completely free on August 2nd, by visiting a local small business or taking a moment to pause and reflect. Our state has it all, and I encourage every Coloradan to get out there and enjoy it.”
Speaking of free things, all of the museums part of History Colorado will offer free admission on Sunday:
- History Colorado Center
- Center for Colorado Women's History in Denver
- El Pueblo History Museum
- Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center
- Ute Indian Museum
- The Trinidad History Museum is not open Sunday but will have free admission Saturday, July 31
Register for the free event at the History Colorado Center in Denver here.
At the Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center, visitors will be able to explore a new exhibit that shines a light on the lesser-known history of enslaved Native Americans in the area.
“This exhibition of Native enslavement is an opportunity to have a conversation about a difficult topic that the powers that be don’t want to be had,” said artist chip thomas, whose work is on display at the museum.
Colorado Day is also significant because it marks the first day of the new Colorado State Historian’s term. The State Historian is a position that dates back almost a century, but Dr. Nicki Gonzales will be the first Latino to hold the title.
Gonzales is based in Denver, but her family has “deep roots” in Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico, according to History Colorado. She is also part of History Colorado’s State Historian’s Council.
“History is one of the most effective ways we can understand ourselves and our present moment,” Gonzales said in a news release. “I’d like to see more unrecognized stories shared publicly so we can arrive at a truer sense of where we’ve been and who we are.”
Of course, the history of the region dates back well before Colorado was officially a state (evidently, so do some of the recently broken weather records). A couple months ago, Rocky Mountain PBS spoke with renowned professor and architect Ronald Rael, whose ancestors lived in southern Colorado back when it was still part of Mexican territory. For Rael, who recently returned to his ancestral home in Conejos County after living and teaching in Oakland, the history of the area is very impactful.
“The border isn’t here — but it was here,” Rael said, “and that memory still exists.”
As Denver native Theodora Kroeber once wrote, "Colorado is a state of mind, rather than a place, and we love it."
Kyle Cooke is the Digital Media Manager at Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach him at kylecooke@rmpbs.org.
