A Colorado History, Essay Example

Part 1

Colorado is a geographically and geologically diverse state. It is primarily notable for its mountainous parts. The mean elevation of Colorado is 6,800 feet, which thus gives the state the name “the crest of the continent.” There is a great disparity between highest and lowest points of elevation, with a low-point of 3,3350 feet and a high point of 14,433, otherwise known as Mount Elbert. Elbert is not the only “fourteener” – the U.S. Geological Survey notes that 55 other summits also possess a height greater than 14,000 feet. The Continental Divide is also found within the Rocky Mountain chain that falls within Colorado’s border, and separates the state’s river systems. The mountains contribute to Colorado’s extreme geologically richness, as an extensive number of minerals are found there.

The radical mountain ranges of Colorado are contained within the state’s 104.247 miles, which makes it the eighth largest state. However, mountains are not the state’s only distinctive feature. There are five key rivers that lead into the Colorado Rockies, among them the Colorado River and the Rio Grande, alongside four treeless parks, that are located in the North, Middle and South parks of the State and the San Luis Valley. Moreover, the Colorado plains, which constitute 40 percent of the state, is a unique landform known as the “Great American Desert” and dominates Eastern Colorado. Such diversity clearly indicates that Colorado is not merely reducible to the Rocky Mountains, although the state’s high altitudes clearly play a role in defining the state’s image to both residents and outsiders.

Arguably, because of such a diversity of landforms, Colorado’s climate is decidedly capricious. Whereas the low humidity in the summer is an obvious plus, simultaneously, the mountain ranges can contribute to the severity of all sorts of storms, such as wind, rain, and snow.

It can be said that the geography, geology and climate of Colorado has influenced its inhabitants. The prominence of the mountains on the Colorado landscape suggests adventure, with the inviting challenge to climb its numerous peaks. At the same time, the vast plains of East Colorado imbue the state with a character of profound openness and endlessness. Moreover, the presence of minerals has had a seductive function in the state’s history, tempting all those who would attempt to make a fortune within its boundaries. The rich natural resources of the state has reflected itself in the state’s history, insofar as miners, dam builders, and stockmen, alongside pre-American Indian tribes, all sought Colorado as a place to make their livelihood.

It is such a combination of varied land forms all concentrated within the boundaries of a single state that arguably defines the essence of Colorado. Colorado contains enough diverse landforms to match the landforms of several European countries combined together. With such a diversity of possibilities presented in the state’s geography, one could say that this correlates to the encouragement of a potential social diversity. In other words, this can explain why Coloradans comprise a diverse population, various religious, ethnic, and cultural groups come to Colorado, precisely because its own landforms are so diverse: the state’s heterogeneous nature invites a plethora of prospective settlers. In this sense, Colorado can always remind someone, wherever they are from, of home. At the same time, the richness of nature in Colorado creates an arguably ecologically conscious culture, in which natural beauty is viewed as one of the key factors contributing to a greater quality of life.

Part 2

The civilizations of the respective Native American groups that have lived in Colorado constitute a great portion of the state’s history. Arguably, the defining feature of these peoples is their architecture, insofar as the existential trajectory of the Indians of Colorado can be understood as a movement from wandering nomadic tribes to the sophistication of the pueblo settlement.

The first inhabitants of the state were the Paleo-Indians who, seeking settlement, arrived in the state’s Mesa Verde section approximately 2000 years ago. These Native Americans lived in the area for the next one thousand three hundred years, and were largely an agriculturally based civilization. Historians commonly divide this period of Native American habitation into three eras. The Basketmaker Period recapitulates the first period, where previously nomadic peoples settled and began to take up a domestic style of life. The fixity of their dwelling places provides an opportunity for architects to learn more about these peoples, insofar as artifacts such as tools, utensils and weapons were uncovered around their primary domicile, which were natural caves. The basketmaker name refers to the culture’s rich basket culture, which were used as food, water and supply containers. Furthermore, the agricultural inclination of these Paleo-Indians can be further demonstrated in their non-martial culture, as they did not possess advance weaponry, such as bows and arrows.

The second era, known as the “Modified Basketmaker Period”, can be said to constitute a development in the culture of the Paleo-Indians in Colorado. This shift may be considered radical, as the defining traits of the Basketmaker period became more complex. Firstly, the basket culture was supplemented with the addition of pottery. Secondly, the sophistication of weaponry also developed, as bows and arrows were added to their arsenal. Thirdly, the Paleo-Indians of this period moved away from their previous domiciles in natural caves to the construction of homes. Part of the uniqueness fo this period is the Modified Basketmakers usage of the pithouse as domicile, an abode constructed, as the name suggests, in the ground, however, also featuring ventilation for fire. The development in weaponry allowed these Paleo-Indians to also augment their skill in hunting, to the extent that the bow and arrow was more superior to the atlatl, a spear type instrument used in the previous era.

What is known as the Development Pueblo Period begins in 750 A.D. and ends in 1100 A.D. One of the key features of this era is a continued development in housing, with the traditional pithouse model gradually left behind in favour of more advanced apartment style homes, thus yielding the term “pueblo” for the era, which is Spanish for village. Materials for the construction of the domiciles were constantly experimented with, eventually giving way to masonry.

The Development Pueblo Period essentially anticipates the course of development that culminates in the Classic Pueblo Period, lasting from A.D. 1100-1300. The pueblo model of the previous era was refined into a complex style, in which masonry walls were executed with a profound skill. Moreover, a greater aesthetic depth entered these constructions, as decoration and design characterized the masonry walls. It is arguably such architecture that is the greatest achievement of this civilization: pueblos were constructed within canyon walls. These include Cliff Palace, which consists of 200 rooms and possesses multi-story terraces.

The farming tradition of the people also crystallized into efficacious agricultural skill. Dams and irrigation were present in order to help the success of crops, and moreover to store water – these are considered the primary examples of irrigation in Colorado. Furthermore, commerce began to emerge from agricultural successes, as the people began to trade with other tribes.

Nevertheless, this civilization originally experiences its decline, as most of the area succumbed to drought. Despite this unfortunate turn of events that led to the abandonment of the great structures of the period, it is precisely such great architecture and masonry that is arguably the lasting legacy of the peoples of this region.

Part 3

The Civil War represented a significant conflict in the early history of Colorado, insofar as at the outbreak of the war Colorado was a newly founded state, and thus there was no defined tradition that rendered Colorado decidedly Union or Confederate in orientation. Moreover, the ambiguity that arose from the War was also seized upon by the Native populations, who used the chaos in order to launch an offensive against the white settlers because of their past transgressions. Accordingly, the Civil War can be viewed as a crucial event in the early period of the history of Colorado, one that both tested and informed the state’s nascent identity.

The fundamental identity split of Colorado during the time arose from the fact that many of those who had come to the state for gold-mining purposes were originally from Northern and Southern states respectively. Whereas the Unionists were the majority and thus were able to limit expressions of explicit Confederate support, the state’s loyalty to the Union was somewhat ambivalent. That Lincoln appointed the devout Unionist William Gilpin as governor could be viewed as an attempt to make clear Colorado’s affinity to the North. This is also demonstrated in Gilpin’s actions: he established various military units to protect the state’s gold mines that were coveted by pro-Confederate forces, because such resources would help finance the war effort. Nevertheless, Gilpin’s actions were, at the same time, not largely well received. Because no federal funds were available to establish a military regiment, it was rumored that Gilpin would acquire military supplies through their confiscation from the populace. According to such controversy, Gilpin can be considered as a crucial figure in Coloradan identity, as he made his best efforts to clearly establish that Colorado was pro-Unionist. The lack of successes of Gilpin’s mandate, however, also demonstrates the ambivalence regarding Colorado’s identity to the Civil War conflict, and thus, the country as a whole.

Arguably, such a lack of clear identity contributed to Indian-white conflicts. Realizing the instability of Coloradan government and following the broken promises of previous treaties such as that of the Fort Laramie Treaty Council, Indian groups began to make raids against whites. This never developed into a full-out onslaught, however, attacks were persistent enough that Governor Evans authorized that settlers could fight back against Indians without repercussion. This eventually degenerated into the genocide at Sand Creek, which led to hundreds of Indians being murdered. Accordingly, inter-white conflicts, such as those between gold miners and settlers, arguably were somehow pacified by the shared enemy of the Indian, who was construed as barbarous Other.

The Civil War as such demonstrates the delicacy and incompleteness of the early Coloradan state’s identity. Whereas the Civil War demonstrated such fault lines, it is arguably the shared Indian enemy that was viewed by all sides as non-American, which infused the young state with a preliminary sense of unity.

Part 4

The removal of the Utes from reservations in Colorado is arguably one of the most tragic events in the state’s history, to the extent that it is symptomatic of the profound racism that informed American society. Governor John Evans had succeeded in agreeing to a treaty with the Utes tribes, giving the San Luis Valley to the settlers, with the Utes moving to a reservation in the Western Slope area. Despite this treaty, settlers nevertheless eventually desired to further expand into the Western Slope. The presence of minerals meant that miners had sought to make their future on the Ute lands. In the midst of such rising tensions following from white incursions, the government employed a single spokesman for the Utes named Ouray. However, insofar as Ouray was appointed by the government, and moreover, was not a full-blooded Ute, this led to further tensions between whites and Indians. Such tensions arguably were further aggravated by Nathan Meeker, who was given the status of agent of the area. Meeker attempted to radically colonize the lands of the Utes, in direct neglect of the protests of the Indian peoples. When the Indians advanced a resistance to the government policies, Meeker took the course of military intervention. Nevertheless, the Utes further resisted, which led to the Meeker massacre, in which numerous soldiers, government officials, including Meeker, were killed.

The so-called “massacre” increased the hatred the whites felt towards the Utes. Expansion into the Ute areas was now justified as a response to the actions of the Utes. Following a trial in Washington, D.C., the Utes were forced to leave Colorado entirely, being re-located to neighboring Utah.

Accordingly, the entire Ute experience in Colorado recapitulates the mistreatment of Indians at the hands of American settlers. Despite the generous concessions of the Indians to move to the Western slope, the drive for more land and more resources on the part of the settlers eventually led to the transgression of the treaty. The aggressive actions of Meeker to colonize the area showed a general disregard for the Indians’ form of life, while the appointment of Ouray as spokesperson could be considered a further step in attempting to weaken the Indians. That the Utes responded with the Meeker massacre may, in this regard, be viewed as a violent response to the equally violent attempt to acquire the Utes’ land. The entire incident demonstrates the absolute devaluation of the humanity of the Indians, insofar as they were only viewed as a barbarous people who obstructed the path of the supposed progress and development of civilization.

Works Cited

Ubbelohde, C., Benson, M., and Smith, D.A. A Colorado History. Boulder, CO: Pruett Publishing Company, 2006.