Don’t worry, I didn’t know this factoid either.
But according to Karl Isberg at the Pagosa Springs SUN, Colorado was brought into the union on August 1, 1876, meaning that it’s almost time to celebrate our state’s 136th birthday.
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Colorado was created in a successful effort to assure more votes for that year’s Republican Presidential candidate, Rutherford B. Hayes. Apparently it worked, because while Hayes didn’t win the popular vote, the three delegates from Colorado helped him to become the 19th President of the United States. Knowing that, I’m honestly surprised that state creation hasn’t caught on as an election technique in the last 150 years.
So now I’m trying to dream up the best way to celebrate Colorado’s birthday. So far I’ve got:
- Hike a 14er, then throw up at the top because I’m out of shape, then refuse to hike down because I’m tired
- Drink lots of local beer (leaning toward this one)
- Only participate in conversations about Peyton Manning and this year’s Broncos team
- Leave a 5,280 foot trail of bird seed on the ground in honor of Colorado’s mile high reputation
- Not start a forest fire
- Listen to the Fort Collins band Elway while watching file footage of John Elway
- Start an “old timey” mining operation
- Eat a sugar beet
- Remember that the eastern plains and west slope exist
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