Contents -- Introduction A Patchwork Quilt of History 1 -- Location 2 -- The Rooftop of the Nation 3 -- Three Parts of Colorado 3 -- A Study in Contrasts 4 -- Activities for Further Exploration 5 -- Chapter 1 Colorado's National Parks and Monuments 7 -- Rocky Mountain National Park 7 -- Mesa Verde National Park 16 -- Great Sand Dunes National Park 18 -- Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park 18 -- Colorado National Monument 19 -- Dinosaur National Monument 20 -- Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument 20 -- Hovenweep National Monument 20 -- Garden of the Gods Park 21 -- Activities for Further Exploration 23 -- Chapter 2 Historic Sites and Ghost Towns 25 -- Bent's Fort 25 -- Fort Vasquez 28 -- Sand Creek 29 -- Ludlow 30 -- Caribou 34 -- Como 35 -- Independence 35 -- St. Elmo 37 -- Activities for Further Exploration 38 -- Chapter 3 Prehistory Colorado 39 -- Dinosaur Tracks 39 -- Animal Fossils 39 -- Plant Fossils 39 -- Prehistoric People 39 -- The Dent Site 42 -- Clovis People 43 -- Folsom People 43 -- Yuma People 45 -- Early Basketmakers 45 -- Activities for Further Exploration 48 -- Chapter 4 Native Americans in Colorado: The Ute, Arapaho, and Cheyenne 49 -- The Mountain Indians 49 -- The Plains Indians 54 -- Reservations 58 -- Activities for Further Exploration 61 -- Chapter 5 Spanish Exploration in and around Colorado 63 -- The Search for the Seven Golden Cities 63 -- The San Luis Valley: A Place of Superlatives and Supernatural 66 -- Juan de Ulibarri and Pedro Villasur 67 -- Anza and Chief Greenhorn 68 -- Important Changes 70 -- Activities for Further Exploration 71 -- Chapter 6 Explorers, Trappers, and Traders 73 -- Zebulon Pike-Lost Explorer or Spy? 73 -- The Long Expedition 76 -- Trappers and Traders 77 -- Rendezvous 81 -- Activities for Further Exploration 84 -- Chapter 7 Westward Movement 85 -- Around the Horn 85.

Discovery of Gold in California 86 -- Across Panama 86 -- Wagon Trains 88 -- Stagecoach Days 92 -- Activities for Further Exploration 94 -- Chapter 8 Early Gold, Silver, and Coal Mining in Colorado 95 -- The Colorado Gold Rush 95 -- Rocky Mountain Canaries 97 -- Rush to Silver 98 -- Coal Mining 101 -- Present-Day Mining 102 -- Activities for Further Exploration 103 -- Chapter 9 Early Colorado Railroading 105 -- The First Railroads in Colorado 105 -- The Rio Grande Railway 108 -- Railroad Rivalries 108 -- Extending Rail Lines 111 -- Activities for Further Exploration 117 -- Chapter 10 Farming and Ranching in Colorado 119 -- Early History 120 -- Ranching 120 -- Farming 124 -- Two Kinds of Farming 124 -- Vegetables and Fruits 128 -- Colorado's Grand Valley 128 -- Grains 130 -- Molson Coors Brewing Company and Anheuser-Busch 130 -- Challenges Facing Colorado Farmers and Ranchers 131 -- Activities for Further Exploration 132 -- Chapter 11 Colorado's Trees and Plants 133 -- The Plains Zone 133 -- The Foothills or Transition Zone 135 -- The Montane Zone 135 -- Subalpine Zone 135 -- Alpine Zone 136 -- Colorado's Forests 136 -- Activities for Further Exploration 141 -- Chapter 12 Colorado's Rivers 143 -- The Colorado River 143 -- The Arkansas River 143 -- The Dolores River 146 -- The Eagle River 146 -- The Gunnison River 150 -- The North and South Platte Rivers 150 -- The Rio Grande River 150 -- The San Juan River 151 -- The Yampa and White Rivers 151 -- Hot Springs 151 -- Activities for Further Exploration 152 -- Chapter 13 Colorado's Wildlife 153 -- Fish 153 -- Birds 153 -- Big Game Animals of Colorado 155 -- Fur-Bearing Animals 158 -- Other Mammals 161 -- Snakes, Turtles, and Lizards 163 -- Activities for Further Exploration 165 -- Chapter 14 Colorado Statehood and State Symbols 167 -- Symbols 172 -- The State Animal 172 -- The State Bird 172.

The State Flag 173 -- The State Fish 173 -- The State Flower 174 -- The State Fossil 174 -- The State Folk Dance 176 -- The State Gemstone, Mineral, and Rock 176 -- The State Grass 177 -- The State Insect 177 -- The State Motto 177 -- The State Nickname 177 -- The State Seal 177 -- The State Song 178 -- The State Tartan 178 -- The State Tree 179 -- Activities for Further Exploration 180 -- Chapter 15 Contemporary Colorado 181 -- Tourism 181 -- High Technology 183 -- International Business Machines 183 -- Hewlett-Packard Company 183 -- Storage Technology 183 -- Ball Corporation 184 -- Oil and Gas 184 -- Wind Power and Nuclear/Gas Power 186 -- Education in Colorado 186 -- Two-Year Community Colleges 187 -- Local District Colleges 187 -- Public Four-Year Colleges and Universities 187 -- University of Colorado 187 -- University of Northern Colorado 188 -- University of Southern Colorado 188 -- Colorado State University 188 -- Colorado School of Mines 189 -- United States Air Force Academy 189 -- Private Four-Year Colleges and Universities 190 -- University of Denver 190 -- Colorado College 190 -- Other Agencies 190 -- NORAD: Tracking Missiles and Santa 190 -- Growth in Colorado 191 -- Activities for Further Exploration 193 -- Select Bibliography 195 -- Index 197.