Colorado
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Much of the mountain areas before this event had been tropical and dinosaurs roamed the area. There is a lot of evidence to this effect, especially in Colorado and around the Pikes Peak area.

Many fossilized tropical plants and underwater creature's fossils have been discovered.

A great deal of history surrounds Pikes Peak. For instance:

*Before the white man arrived, Native Americans thrived in this area for centuries. Pikes Peak was a spiritual place for the natives.

*Spanish explorers ventured into the area in search of gold and other riches as early as the 16th century.

*Zebulon Pike led expeditions into the Colorado territory and eventually discovered the mountain that would bear his name. However, he never set foot on it.

*Fur trappers and traders found the great bounty of the Pikes Peak region. The area was full of wildlife and trading with the natives was a friendly and profitable venture.

*Gold was discovered at Pikes Peak in 1859 and many easterners raced west to make their fortune.

*Many present day towns flourished during the gold rush. Some became ghost towns just as easily.

*Miners needed a faster way to send their gold back east and railroads were built. Tracks from Colorado continued west to the Pacific.

*Hauntings go hand in hand with the ghost towns of Colorado. However, it is found that even the established towns of the region have their share of other world visitors.

*There was only one way to get to Pikes Peak and further west and that was through a wagon road known as Ute Pass.

*Katherine Bates stood atop this famous Colorado mountain and wrote a poem that would eventually become the song, "America the Beautiful".

*Pikes Peak became known as "America's Mountain".

There is so much to see and do in the Pikes Peak region of Colorado. The natural beauty of the area, abundant wildlife, excursions into the past, will leave you searching for more.

Travel to the summit of the Peak by the Cog Railway and you will get a glimpse into the old homes and depots that lined the trail before the first railroad to the top was built.

As you stand atop this grand mountain, you can see the beauty of the state and feel its history.

There is so much history and legend here. So on your next ski trip or family vacation to Colorado, stop and take a look around. You are standing or visiting the exact spots that early explorers traveled centuries ago, long before civilization came to the territory.

I have been interested in the old west since I was a kid in the 1950's. When my husband told me we were moving to Colorado, I couldn't believe it.

The history of the state fascinated me. So I started to investigate. I found a wealth of information, legend, ghost stories, unknown explorers, settlers, ghost towns, etc.

Tags:  mountain evidence fossilized history ventured territory discovered natives