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The land of Colorado was originally inhabited by numerous American Indian tribes, including the Arapaho, the Utes, and the Anasazi, or ancestral Pueblo. Both the Spanish and French laid claims to Colorado, but in 1803, most of Colorado was sold to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase. More of Colorado was obtained from Mexico through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo after the Mexican-American War.
In 1858, small deposits of gold were discovered in the eastern part of Colorado. A year later, large gold strikes were made by George Jackson and John Gregory, prompting the Colorado Gold Rush. Prospectors poured into the new gold camps of Black Hawk, Boulder, Colorado City, Gold Hill, and Pueblo. The rush was short-lived and many of the mining towns became ghost towns. Later, silver and lead mines became the mainstay of the Colorado mining industry.
In 1861, Congress established the Colorado Territory and appointed William Gilpin as first territorial governor. At this time, roughly 25,000 people lived in Colorado and conflicts with Native Americans were commonplace. The Sand Hill Massacre in 1864 of 163 peaceful natives by Colonel Jon Chivington only worsened the problem. In 1876, Colorado was admitted into the Union as the 38th State.
Throughout the 20th century, Colorado has continued to grow, but has also been through several economic declines due to falling metal prices and droughts. The economy recovered during World War II when the state's food, minerals, and metal products were needed for the war effort. The 1970s brought another boom when the energy crisis brought focus to Colorado's coal and oil industries. As Colorado moves into the 21st century, there is less focus on its original resource-oriented industries, such as mining, agriculture, and ranching, and more focus on high technology industries, including biotechnology, manufacturing, and tourism.
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