[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 3143-3144]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF COLORADO BECOMING A TERRITORY

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                           HON. MIKE COFFMAN

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 2, 2011

  Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 
150th Anniversary of Colorado becoming a territory of the United States 
on February 28th, 2011.
  The territory was organized as a result of the Pike's Peak Gold Rush 
of 1858 through 1861. Given its name from the discovery of gold in the 
foothills of the mountain named for its explorer, Zebulon Pike, this 
gold rush resulted in a large movement of miners and prospectors to the 
area in search of their fortunes.

[[Page 3144]]

  As the initial gold deposits were collected, settlers moved westward 
into the Rocky Mountains to search for additional deposits, forming 
camps wherever they were discovered. Denver became the central supply 
town for these prospectors. More permanent mines emerged and settlers 
understood the vast wealth this mineral rich country held, and sought 
to establish a more concrete set of laws and government.
  Colorado officially became a territory of the United States through 
the signature of President James Buchanan on February 28th, 1861.
  The Colorado Territory was formed amid the furor of succession of 
southern states and matured during our Civil War. Our great state is 
now a destination for Americans and foreign travelers who come to 
behold our natural beauty and engage in our superior recreational 
activities.

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