Colorado: Our Colorful State

The history of Colorado is the story of its people, young and old, and of all nationalities. Together they form a rich mosaic of heroes and rascals-the lucky, unfortunate, known, unknown, rich and poor folks who fashioned Colorado's past, forged the present, and laid the groundwork for the future. We are what they were. As Abraham Lincoln observed a year after Colorado gained territorial status, "Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history."

In Colorado: Our Colorful State, a fourth grade textbook perfectly adaptable for people of all ages, many of these people take a bow upon the stage. Supplemented by drawings, maps, and photographs, the text transports young and older readers from the appearance of the dinosaurs to the coming of the first hunters and gatherers and on to the late twentieth century.

The builders of Mesa Verde and the Spanish explorers cross the pages. So, too, do the Utes, railroad builders, ranchers, miners, and farmers who, each in their own way, left a heritage. The women-who fought to gain the vote, saved Mesa Verde National Park, homesteaded, and "tamed" the frontier-take their place as well. Finally, the great changes of the twentieth century, and the people who helped bring them about, come into focus as the book closes in on the present.

Filling a gap in grade school coverage, Colorado: Our Colorful State opens a wide window on all aspects of Colorado's saga, focusing in particular on those various peoples who called Colorado home. It is their story, it is our story. Duane A. Smith is professor of history at Fort Lewis College and author of numerous books on Colorado and Western history, including A TALE OF TWO TOWNS, MINING AMERICA, THEY CAME TO PLAY (with Mark Foster), COLORADO: A HISTORY IN PHOTOGRAPHS (with Richard N. Ellis), and the high school textbook COLORADO: THE HIGHEST STATE (with Thomas J. Noel).

Kate Shuchter is a native of Boulder, Colorado, and has a M.A. in Education from CU-Boulder. Ms. Shuchter has taught at the elementary level in the Boulder Valley School District for eight years and also works as an educational consultant.