Colorado

Colorado - The Centennial State or Colorful Colorado.

Colorado joined the United States as the 38th state in 1876. It is America’s eighth largest state in terms of land mass. First peoples were the ancient Pueblo peoples and later the Plains Indians. The Spanish arrived in the late 1500s (referring to the area as “Colorado” for its red-colored earth). In 1848, it was ceded to the United States in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo that ended the Mexican-American War (1846-48).

In 1858, gold was discovered in the territory. This lead to intense fighting between Native Americans and the new white settlers attracted by the promise of wealth. (Part of the Plains Indian Wars (1860s-80s)

The state motto is "Nil sine Numine" (“Nothing without the Deity”) and the state flower is White and Lavender Columbine.