Colorado: Our Colorful State

The history of Colorado is the story of its people, young and old, and of all nationalities. Together they form a rich mosaic of heroes and rascals-the lucky, unfortunate, known, unknown, rich and poor folks who fashioned Colorado's past, forged the present, and laid the groundwork for the future. We are what they were. As Abraham Lincoln observed a year after Colorado gained territorial status, "Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history."

In Colorado: Our Colorful State, a fourth grade textbook perfectly adaptable for people of all ages, many of these people take a bow upon the stage. Supplemented by drawings, maps, and photographs, the text transports young and older readers from the appearance of the dinosaurs to the coming of the first hunters and gatherers and on to the late twentieth century.

The builders of Mesa Verde and the Spanish explorers cross the pages. So, too, do the Utes, railroad builders, ranchers, miners, and farmers who, each in their own way, left a heritage. The women-who fought to gain the vote, saved Mesa Verde National Park, homesteaded, and "tamed" the frontier-take their place as well. Finally, the great changes of the twentieth century, and the people who helped bring them about, come into focus as the book closes in on the present.

Filling a gap in grade school coverage, Colorado: Our Colorful State opens a wide window on all aspects of Colorado's saga, focusing in particular on those various peoples who called Colorado home. It is their story, it is our story.

Duane A. Smith is a professor of history at Fort Lewis College in Durango, and is the author or coauthor of more than fifty books on Colorado and the West. He also serves as chair of the Durango Parks and Forestry Board and on the Anima School House Museum Board.