Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)/Colorado

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Edition of 1921; disclaimer.

1486451Collier's New Encyclopedia — Colorado

COLORADO, a State in the Western Division of the North American Union; bounded by Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Utah; gross area, 103,645 square miles; admitted to the Union, July 4, 1876; number of counties, sixty-three; population (1890) 412,198; (1900) 539,700; (1910) 799,024; (1920) 939,629: capital, Denver.

Topography.—Colorado is very mountainous, being traversed by the Rocky Mountains, which extend over nearly the entire W. part of the State. The average altitude of the State is 7,000 feet, the lowest portion being 3,000 feet above the sea, and there are over 100 mountain peaks more than 13,000 feet high. The Sawatch or Saguache range, or Great Divide, is a continuation of the Sierra Madre range of Mexico, and contains the peaks, Mt. Harvard, 14,375; Mt. Elbert, 14,351; and the Mountain of the Holy Cross, 14,175 feet. The Park Range joins this range in the N., highest points Torrey's Peak, 14,147 feet, and Gray's Peak, 14,341 feet. The Front Range contains Pike's Peak, 14,147 feet, and Evans, 14,330 feet, and is situated a little E. of the main ranges. In the S. is the Sangre de Cristo range, containing Blanca Peak, the highest in the State, 14,464 feet. In the W. part are several lower ranges, running in a general N. W. and S. E. direction. The valleys are a distinguishing feature of the scenery, and are known as parks. San Luis is the largest and has an area of 8,000 square miles, quite level, and at an elevation of 7,000 feet. The only lake of any size in Colorado is in this park, is about 6 miles in length, and is fed by nearly 20 streams. Colorado is the principal watershed in the Western States, many of the largest rivers having their origin here, among them the Platte, Colorado, San Miguel, Arkansas, and Rio Grande del Norte. Nearly all these rivers wind their way through rocky cañons, varying from one to 3,000 feet in depth. “Monument Park” and the “Garden of the Gods” have rock spires, rising above the meadow land, shaped like towers and pillars, caused by erosion.

Geology.—The mountains of Colorado are mostly of azoic and eozoic formation, while the E. and S. W. slopes are of palaeozoic, bordered by metalliferous, Jurassic, and triassic strata in the W. central parts. The extreme E, plain is largely tertiary, and the S. W. is chiefly cretaceous, the valleys of the South Platte and Arkansas rivers being of this formation.

Soil, Climate, etc.—Colorado has about 15,000 square miles of fertile arable land, and about 70,000 square miles of grazing land. Most of the land will produce abundant crops under irrigation, which is now being carried on extensively, one irrigating canal having a length of 54 miles. The mountains are well covered with pine, spruce, and fir forests. The climate is very healthful and mild, and people suffering from pulmonary and asthmatic troubles find much relief here. There are various mineral springs, which are valuable for medicinal purposes. The hot sulphur springs in Middle Park and Wagon Wheel gap, and the hot, iron, and soda springs in Manitou are popular resorts.

Mineral Production.—Colorado for many years was first among the States in the value of its mineral products. For various reasons, including the development of mineral fields in other Western States, the working out of hitherto important mines, and the decline in the price of silver, have resulted in a relative change of this position. The mineral industry, however, is still the most important in the State, and Colorado continues to rank high among the mineral-producing States. The total value of the mineral products in 1917, the latest date for which complete figures are available, was $80,586,021. Coal was the most valuable of the mineral products, with 12,483,336 tons, valued at $27,669,129. Gold was second in value with 760,901 fine ounces, valued at $15,729,224. Zinc was third with 60,158 tons, valued at $12,272,209. The silver production was 7,304,353 fine ounces, valued at $6,018,787. Other important mineral products were coke, clay products, tungsten ore, and ferro alloys. The production of the principal minerals mined in the State in 1919 was as follows: Gold, $9,892,000; silver, 5,630,000 ounces; lead, 35,650,000 pounds; copper, 3,400,000 pounds; zinc, 52,300,000 pounds. The total value of these products was $22,522,000. The estimated coal production in 1919 was 10,100,000 short tons, a decrease of over 2,000,000 tons from the production of 1918.

Agriculture.—The acreage, production, and value of the principal crops in 1919 were as follows: Corn, 671,000 acres, with a production of 11,206,000 bushels, valued at $15,913,000; oats, 249,000 acres, with a production of 6,524,000 bushels, valued at $5,872,000; wheat, 1,459,000 acres, with a production of 17,645,000 bushels, valued at $35,643,000; hay, 1,065,000 acres, with a production of 2,396,000 tons, valued at $44,326,000; beans, 69,000 acres, with a production of 448,000 bushels, valued at $1,568,000; potatoes, 92,000 acres, with a production of 11,004,000 bushels, valued at $18,768,000.

Manufactures.—There were in 1914 2,126 manufacturing establishments in the State, employing 27,228 wage earners. The capital invested was $181,776,000; the amount paid in wages, $20,200,000; the value of the materials used, $89,776,000; and the value of the finished products, $136,839,000.

Banking.—In 1919 there were 128 National banks in operation, having $5,491,000 capital, $7,981,596 in outstanding circulation, and $7,885,250 in United States bonds. There were also 228 State and savings banks, with $5,063,000 in capital, $44,709,000 in deposits, and $55,231,000 in resources. In the year ending Sept. 30, 1919, the exchanges at the United States clearing-house at Denver aggregated $1,520,001,000.

Education.—There were in 1918 176,523 pupils enrolled in the elementary schools. Of this 91,229 were boys and 85,294 were girls. In the secondary schools were enrolled 24,240 pupils. The total enrollment in all grades was 200,763. The average daily attendance was 137,984. There were employed in the elementary schools, 6,167 teachers, of whom 5,944 were women and 223 men. In the secondary schools were 1,052 teachers, of whom 714 were women and 338 were men. There were in all 6,926 teachers in the elementary and secondary schools of the State. The average annual salary of teachers in all schools was $749. The permanent school fund of the State amounted to $4,948,492, The total expenditures for the support of schools were $7,093,598,

Churches.—The strongest denominations numerically in the State are the Roman Catholic, Methodist Episcopal, Presbyterian, Baptist, Protestant Episcopal, Congregational, Lutheran, and Disciples of Christ.

Railways.—The railway mileage of the State in 1919 was 5,542. The Denver and Rio Grande has a mileage of approximately 2,600 miles of track.

State Government.—The governor is elected for a term of two years, and receives a salary of $5,000 per annum. Legislative sessions are held biennially. The Legislature has 35 members in the Senate (elected for four years) and 65 in the House (elected for two years). There are four Representatives in Congress.

History.—The name Colorado comes from that of the river, meaning “red water.” Explorations were made here by United States army officers in 1806, 1819, and 1842-1844, and several fur-trading stations were established. In 1854 Conejos, in the Rio Grande Valley, was founded by colonists from New Mexico, and a Jesuit mission established. Gold was discovered in 1858, and as a consequence of this, Denver, Boulder, and Auraria were speedily founded and made a county of the Territory of Kansas. In 1861 Colorado, according to its present limits, was organized as a Territory, and in 1876 was admitted into the Union, receiving the popular designation of the “Centennial State.”