Colorado The Centennial State

By Rafael Roque E.

Colorado’s welcome is as high as the Rockies, as deep as gorges and canyons, and as broad as the Great Plains. It’s as old as pre- Columbian dwellings, as fresh as powdery snow, and as unforgettable as vistas of alpine meadows and peaks.

In the last few months, many Dominican students have being visiting the different states which from the American Union as a result of the work of some organizations that draft them for staying there as part-time workers. From this city, many have gone, many have stayed and others have returned.

As for as I know, some of those students are working in different cities of Colorado’s State. That experience will make them better citizens and I’m sure that when they come back, their behaviour will be much better than the one they showed before.

But as myself benefited from a similar experience, I’m going to tell you about the state. Colorado’s has an area of 103,500 square miles. It’s the seventh state in size or nearly as large as Illinois and New York combined. It’s located in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, is called the Centennial State because it was admitted to the Union in 1876, the hundredth anniversary of American independence. It was borne first by Colorado River and later bestowed on the territory. Colorado’s record has a background of forgotten races, of primitive civilizations, of discovery, of adventure, of colonial experiment. Long ago, before ever a white man entered the state. Indians lived in the Southwestern part. Upward from the south the Spanish came on their far quest for golden treasure, while later the trappers followed along the Indian trails in search of furs. With the discovery of gold, for a time Colorado’s greatest wealth, long lines of wagons crept across the plains, and the State’s first “empire builders” arrived.

Miners were first, but Colorado early Citizens discovered other wealth in the state. Great herds soon roamed the plains and grassy valleys, and stock raising was the second phase of growth. I visited a ranch where there farmers took care of 42,000 calves almost ready for the meat market.

Coming back to its geology, Colorado is now divided into six regions. Each of them is dressed with the most attractive formation that Mother Nature and man have created. For example, on the North Central region is Denver the state capital. This city is full of great museums, theatres, symphony, historic homes, parks and gardens. Not far from Denver is the city of Boulder where the highest dam of the world is located. But now I must finish my comments and I promise to tell you more about that beautiful state.