ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

History of Colorado

Okay kiddo, today we're going to learn about the history of Colorado!

A really long time ago, Colorado was inhabited by many different Native American tribes like the Arapahoe, the Ute, and the Cheyenne. They lived in Colorado for thousands of years before any Europeans came to the area.

In 1540, a Spanish man named Francisco de Coronado explored the Southwest, which included parts of Colorado. But it wasn't until the 1800s that Colorado really started to change.

In the early 1800s, many people were moving west to explore the new lands. One of these explorers was a man named Zebulon Pike, who explored the area now known as Colorado in 1806. Pike was sent by the U.S. government to explore the Mississippi and Arkansas Rivers, but he ended up exploring the Rocky Mountains instead.

After Pike came other explorers, trappers, and traders, who wanted to make their fortunes in the West. They hunted animals for their fur, and found gold and silver in the mountains. Soon, people were coming to Colorado from all over the world to seek their fortunes.

In 1858, gold was discovered near a place called Cherry Creek. This attracted many people, and soon Denver was born. Denver became a big city because it was a major stop on the way to the gold mines.

Colorado became a state in 1876, and it was nicknamed the "Centennial State" because it became a state in the same year that the United States turned 100 years old.

In the early 1900s, tourism became a big industry in Colorado. People came to see the mountains, and to ski and snowboard in the winter. The state also became a popular spot for ranching and farming.

Today, Colorado is a beautiful state, full of mountains, rivers, and forests. It's home to many different people, including Native Americans, Hispanics, and people from all over the world. And that's the history of Colorado, just for you my little one.