History Colorado

10/17/2026

In the early 1870s, only a few years after the Civil War, the United States was shaken to its core by a forgotten-but-dangerous epidemic. This virus didn’t affect humans—only horses. But in a world before cars, tractors, heavy machinery, and electricity, horses practically carried the economy in their saddlebags. As hundreds of thousands of horses were laid low by disease, Americans struggled to shoulder the burden without them—literally.

Learn more about this forgotten epidemic and history of Colorado in a new article from The Colorado Magazine by Dr. Thomas Andrews of the Center of the American West.
Read more: https://h-co.org/great-horse-flu

Image 1: “Ruined, and Winter at the Door—An Episode of the Horse Plague.” An illustration by Paul Frenzeny for Harper’s Weekly, showing how dependent many American families were on their horse, and the anxiety and loss many experienced when these animals perished. Harper’s Weekly, November 23, 1872
Image 2: Horse-drawn carts and buggies in early Denver, around the late 1860s or early 1870s. History Colorado, 2022.57.15926
Image 3: Pack burros and their drivers on Ute Pass west of Colorado Springs in the late 1800s. Horses and donkeys were a vital part of the economy across the state, from rural farms to growing cities and isolated mines. Denver Public Library Western History Collection X-22266

10/16/2026

At 9,633 feet, Fishers Peak is a prominent mountaintop in Las Animas County, Colorado, near the New Mexico border. Historically part of the Santa Fe Trail, an important commercial route in the nineteenth century, the peak and surrounding area are now part of Colorado's forty-second state park, Fishers Peak State Park, created in 2019.

Established in 2019 as Colorado's forty-second state park, Fishers Peak State Park covers 19,200 acres south of Trinidad near the New Mexico border. The mountainous area includes a cluster of hills and mesas that give way to the Colorado plains to the north and Raton Pass, a historic gateway to New Mexico, to the south. The park's iconic peak was initially known as “Raton” but later changed to “Fisher,” perhaps in honor of US military officer Woldemar Fischer, who supposedly attempted to ascend it during the Mexican-American War in 1846.
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Image by Beall, Jeffrey, 2018. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

10/15/2026

Today marks the 60th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Passed in the wake of the destruction of historic neighborhoods and communities during urban renewal and federal highway construction, the Act gave local voices, including local governments, state agencies, Tribes, and the public a seat at the table to shape how federal projects are implemented in the communities we know best.

Unfortunately, as we mark this milestone anniversary we also face unprecedented threats to this longstanding and collaborative process. With proposed changes to Section 106 of the NHPA introduced in the Senate in late September, as well as procedural changes proposed at the Advisory Council for Historic Preservation, Coloradans risk losing their seat at the table.

When those who know our communities best are kept out of the decision making, we risk loss of the places and communities that define Colorado, the material evidence of our nation’s history, and the cultural landscapes we hold sacred.

Many of our partners across the state and country are expressing their deep concerns, from the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Colorado Preservation, Inc. – whose message below offers action steps so you can stand up for Colorado’s historic places.

Learn more at our upcoming webinar about Section 106 of the NHPA on October 26, 2026 at 3:00 pm at: https://www.historycolorado.org/events-experiences =section-106-in-colorado-your-seat-at-the-table;instance=20261026150000?popup=1&lang=en-US

Stand with us Friday, October 30, at 7:30 a.m. at the Tall Bull Memorial Grounds in Daniels Park for a statewide advocacy photograph. 📸

This gathering is part of CPI’s No Seat at the Table campaign. Proposed changes to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act from the ACHP, along with U.S. Senate Bill 5653, could cut Coloradans out of federal decisions that affect our public lands, neighborhoods, and historic places. The Senate vote is scheduled for November 9.

The photograph will bring Coloradans together to demonstrate what is at stake when communities lose their voice in federal decisions affecting their lands, historic resources, and future. It will serve as the centerpiece of a statewide campaign encouraging public awareness and engagement.

How you can help:

📅 Arrive by 7:30 a.m. and wear attire that reflects your community. We expect to wrap up in an hour or less.
👥 Bring a friend. Our goal is 100 people.
📞 Call your U.S. Senators TODAY. Tell them to vote no on U.S. Senate Bill 5653. Colorado’s Senators are Michael Bennet (303-455-7600) and John Hickenlooper (303-244-1628)

RSVP and sign the waiver at this link: https://forms.gle/1ZkdjkUQ6jpa9i7E7

10/13/2026

Please note that the History Colorado Center will be closed October 13, 2026. We will re-open October 14, 2026.

Thank you for your understanding!

10/12/2026

Today, as we recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we are honored to unveil this statue of Chief Black Kettle. Cheyenne Chief Black Kettle was a respected spiritual and political leader. Despite his strong advocacy for peace with the US government, more than 230 Cheyenne and Arapaho were murdered by US troops in the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre in Colorado.

Soon on the Colorado Capitol grounds, this statue of Black Kettle will stand alongside the figures of Arapaho Chief Left Hand and Medicine Woman holding a baby, in a memorial of the deadliest day in Colorado history. In a 2025 joint resolution, the Colorado General Assembly gave their unanimous endorsement of a Sand Creek Massacre memorial installed in front of the West Steps of the Capitol. The memorial, The Peacekeepers, is a decades-long effort of the descendant Tribes to honor the massacres victims, recognize their enduring connections to their homelands, and enable our collective healing.
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"The Peacekeepers," Chief Black Kettle. Sand Creek Massacre Memorial Committee, Sand Creek Massacre descendants appointed by the Northern Cheyenne, Northern Arapaho, Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes, in collaboration with Gerald Shippen.
Sand Creek Massacre Foundation

10/10/2026

While traditional histories often focus on the rich and powerful and the neighborhoods they call home, that’s rarely the full story. A more complete story of a city requires visiting neighborhoods sometimes neglected not just by history, but by city leadership, creating a long history of struggle. Peppersauce Bottoms in central Pueblo is one of those communities. But despite facing floods, ethnic tension, redlining, and even high-profile murders, it’s still standing.

Read the too-often-untold story of this historic southern Colorado neighborhood in a new article from The Colorado Magazine. Read more: https://h-co.org/story-peppersauce-bottoms

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Image: The wreckage of Peppersauce Bottoms in the aftermath of the 1921 flood. Pueblo City-County Library District, pccld-ph-p-289-02-001

Image: Japanese American picnic in Pueblo, taken May 3, 1915 by Japanese born photographer Frank Muramoto. Pueblo County Historical Society via Pueblo City-County Library District, pchs-p-99-0172

Image: The Denver & Rio Grande Western (D&RGW) passenger main lines passing under the old West Fourth Street Bridge in western Pueblo, looking west. Peppersauce Bottoms was to both the west and north of the photographer as this picture was taken, in the low-lying floodplain around the Arkansas River. Denver Public Library, Z-5135

10/09/2026

📢 Calling all Native artists! Join the Native American Artisan Market & Story Celebration to sell your work, connect with community, and celebrate Native creativity and culture.

This event supports Native artists, fosters cultural education and intergenerational connection, and restores the Native Urban Stories project to the public via creative art, practical workshops, shared food, storytelling, and community recognition.

Bring your family and friends and learn new skills in hands-on workshops, listen to stories from community members, and support Indigenous artists and culture.

📆 Saturday, November 14, 2026 | 10 AM - 2:30 PM
📍 The Denver Indian Center | 4407 Morrison Rd, Denver, CO 80219

Learn more and register to be featured in the Artisan Market, hosted by History Colorado and the Denver Indian Center, Inc. at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1EZSgYAn0dGbXEvudU74YuZ5XaeSiHp3TJn-4e4cyHCU/edit?ts=6ac7b99f

⏳ Artist Registration Closes Ocotber 16, 2026
✅ Artists Notified October 20th-21st

10/08/2026

Colorado is famously rectangular—at least it looks that way on most maps. Its four borders cut across the landscape instead of following it, including the state line between Colorado and New Mexico, which on your navigation app of choice probably looks perfectly straight. It slices smoothly over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, cuts through the Old Raton Pass, and bisects the San Luis Valley with an invisible boundary, separating Taos from Conejos in law if not always in spirit. But zoom in and you’ll see that the supposedly straight line is actually strangely jagged. And that wasn’t by design.

In 1925, New Mexico sued Colorado over this boundary. The letter of the law, including both states’ constitutions, defined the boundary between the two as the 37th parallel—but when federal surveyors set out to trace that line over the landscape, they messed up. Not just once, but multiple times over 50 years. The result was a meandering, saw-toothed border. Similar errors all over the state lines left Colorado with a total of 697 sides, making it—according to mathematicians—a hexahectaenneacontakaiheptagon.

In the case of New Mexico v. Colorado, the Supreme Court ruled that the surveyor’s line was, for all intents and purposes, the southern border of Colorado, and it would simply be too much hassle to change the roughly mile-wide strip of mostly unused land. So they tossed out the suit and politely requested New Mexico not bring it up again, for everybody’s sanity. And Colorado, legally, hasn’t been a rectangle since.

—Devin Flores, Assistant Editor and Managing Editor of the Colorado Encyclopedia
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Postcard of Old Raton Pass, once a major hurdle on the famous Santa Fe Trail. History Colorado 2019.13.6334
Early map of Colorado Territory by Samuel Augustus Mitchell, 1862. Courtesy of the Clements Library, University of Michigan
US surveyors in Colorado in the 1870s, mapping a remote location. History Colorado, 83.400.3036

10/07/2026

🏳️‍🌈 "Out of the Closet and Into the Mountains, " from The Colorado Magazine archives explores of how le***an feminists fostered women’s community in Colorado during the 1960s-1980s. Read more: https://h-co.org/out-closet-and-mountains

Through grassroots media like Big Mama Rag, they cultivated an inclusive, statewide network that prioritized community-building, social events, and outdoor recreation. By turning to the mountains and nature, they created an empowering, uniquely western space for le***an culture to thrive.

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Image: A 1975 photo of a group of “Denver Feminists” on the way to a Women in Print Conference in Nebraska. Pictured, left to right, Eileen Bresnahan, Katie Sharp, Tea Schook, Vicki Piotter, Pet Rapp, and Clair Strann.

10/06/2026

Perhaps no town in the western United States has taken a more unexpected turn than Crestone, Colorado – the onetime mining and ranching center has become an international hub for Buddhist, Hindu, New Age, and other spiritual practices.

In 1971 the Arizona-Colorado Land and Cattle Company (AZLCC) initiated a plan to develop part of the Baca land grant as a large residential subdivision known as the Baca Grande. The company built roads and installed utilities across a large swath of land at the base of the mountains, attracting some new residents to the area. It was not until Maurice Strong, a Canadian financier who owned a controlling interest in AZLCC, and his wife, Hanne Marstrand Strong, began to give land grants to religious organizations that the town developed its current character.

Today, Crestone features more than two dozen religious centers, including one of the largest and most diverse groupings of Eastern and New Age spiritual communities in the world.
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Image: Crestone, 1959 by Muriel Sibell Wolle . Denver Public Library Special Collections, X-5432