COLORADO, FLAG OF

U.S. state flag consisting of horizontal blue-white-blue stripes and a red C surrounding a yellow (gold) disk. Like many of the Western states, Colorado has an easily recognizable design for its flag. The red C stands for the name of the staterecalling the Spanish word colorado (red), the origin of the nameand it also stands for the state flower (columbine) and the state nickname (Centennial State). The latter was chosen because Colorado became a state in 1876, when the country was celebrating the centennial of its independence. The red, white, and blue of the U.S. flag appear in the Colorado flag, as do the blue, yellow, and white of the columbine. The area's extensive deposits of gold and silver, which brought many early settlers to the territory and which still are actively mined, are reflected in the yellow and white of the flag. The original flag design, by Andrew Carlisle Johnson, was approved in 1911; the flag took its present form with the law effective March 31, 1964. Whitney Smith History The earliest inhabitants The influence of Indian culture on Colorado has been strong. Indian place-names have enriched the English vocabulary; Indian folktales, music, and dances have been assimilated into American culture; and Indian food and artwork have made valuable and unique contributions to the Colorado economy. The cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park are among the physical remains of early Indian communities. The Plains Indians, mainly Arapaho and Cheyenne, guided the explorers, traders, and trappers across the plains. The Indians knew the streams, the natural routes, the sources of fresh water and firewood, the areas of natural protection, and the feeding grounds of the buffalo. The Great Basin Indians, mainly the Ute, made similar contributions to knowledge of the Rocky Mountains. The Indians, however, were displaced by Spanish explorers from Mexico in search of cities of gold and silver. Fearing attacks by the United States, they strengthened the Spanish frontier in the 1840s with huge land grants reaching as far north as the Arkansas River. On these grants were established the first permanent white settlements in Colorado and, in 1851, the first recorded irrigation. The Spanish language is imprinted on Colorado geography. The state was named from the Spanish colorado (red, or ruddy). Twenty large streams in Colorado are called ros, and numerous cities, villages, and mountain ranges and peaks have Spanish names. The U.S. territory American exploration of Colorado began immediately after the purchase of the Louisiana territory by the United States in 1803. Dispatched to map, explore, and record scientific data about the new land were Zebulon Pike in 1806, Stephen Long in 1820, and John C. Frmont in 1842. As knowledge of the area spread, fur traders and trappers followed. Permanently stamped on the land are the names of such frontier scouts as Kit Carson and Jim Bridger. Fort Bent and Fort Saint Vrain served as collection points for furs, places for food and supplies, and shelter and protection from Indians. In 1859 gold was discovered. A sudden great influx of people took place to the cry of Pikes Peak or bust, and the bustling gold-dust towns of Central City, Black Hawk, Gold Hill, and Cripple Creek made mining history. The first gold was panned from the streambeds, after which came the search for the mother lode in the mountains. In these frontier mining districts, civil and criminal codes were drawn up, and penalties for crimes were established. Of the thousands of seekers for gold, only a few found their bonanza. By the 1890s, the boom was over, and the mountains were largely vacated except for a few permanent mining towns. Contemporaneous with the mining rushes was Colorado's period of territorial government. In 1861 congressional legislation provided for administrative officials to be appointed by the president. Seven governors were appointed in 15 years, and none served a full four-year term. In 1875 a constitution was drawn up and ratified by the territorial assembly, and in 1876 Colorado became a member of the Union.