THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED.
Colorado was once a waif; a child without parentage; no older brothers
and sisters wanting it about; an outcast, unclaimed, lonely, wretched
and friendless. No state in the union has had a career anywhere
approaching that of Colorado. It was the center of more undefined
boundaries, and a part of a greater number of countries, than any
other portion of the world.
This is the genealogy of Colorado that has never before been traced,
and which has been gleaned with infinite care from many sources. It
belonged in turn to each of the following potentates or powers:
The Indians, Pope Alexander VI, Spain, New Spain, France, Louisiana
District, Louisiana, No Man's Land, Missouri, The Indian Country,
Texas Republic, The Unorganized Territory, Mexico, New Mexico, Upper
California, Utah, The Arapahoe and Cheyenne Tribes, Nebraska, Kansas,
Jefferson Territory--Colorado.
King Solomon took the child and when he offered to divide it between
the two mothers, he found to whom it belonged.
[Sidenote: 1492]
Pope Alexander VI took an imaginary map, drew an imaginary line across
it, and parcelled out most of the New Hemisphere, giving one side to
Portugal and the other to Spain, but he did not know that he had given
Colorado to Spain.
[Sidenote: 1521]
When a Government was established on these shores in 1521 and called
"New Spain," Colorado became a part of that country and slumbered for
two hundred and eighty years.
[Sidenote: 1801]
La Salle, a French Explorer, in 1762, went on a tour of discovery and
found a rich but weed-grown section that Spain was neglecting, which
he claimed for France and called it the "Louisiana District" for Louis
XIV, a name used by nearly every other King of France in those
centuries. Spain expostulated and then became violent. Agitation went
on. War was threatened. The trouble was not ended until 1801 when
Napoleon, while strangling Spain, forced her to cede the disputed
territory to him; it being the tract lying east of the Arkansas River
up to a certain point, then crossing the Divide south to the Red River
which it followed to its source, thence along the eastern foot-hills
of the Rocky Mountains. This divided Colorado, leaving with Spain that
portion lying west of the Rocky Mountains, and giving to France what
was located east of the mountains. Thus was left "No Man's Land" out
of the reckoning, which included these majestic, wealth-producing and
health-yielding mountains. They seemed to be too inconsequential to be
claimed by either country. Mountains, that by their impassive quietude
have soothed into tranquility the restless nerves of thousands of
sick; mountains, that brew unceasingly nature's healing balm for
ailing lungs; that are the home of twenty-four rivers, whose never
ending flood of life giving waters, lure riches from the farms, like
the touch of an Aladdin's Lamp; that have produced in furs, lumber,
gold, silver, lead, copper, zinc, iron, stone, marble, oil, live stock
and agricultural products, nearly five billion dollars.
"The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of
the corner."
[Sidenote: 1803]
Two years passed, and for the first time Colorado began to be
appreciated. 1803 saw sixteen million dollars in gold flowing to
France, and the Louisiana District, which included the eastern half of
Colorado, coming to the United States. This brought under the flag of
our Government for the first time, that part of Colorado lying east of
the mountains.
[Sidenote: 1812]
Louisiana in 1812 was admitted into the union as a territory according
to the State boundaries that exist at the present time. Missouri
Territory was the name given to what was left of the Louisiana
Purchase. Thus Colorado lying east of the mountains fell heir to
Missouri. The name is taken from the Missouri's tribe of Indians.
Next to the priceless heritage that came to us as a nation and as
individuals in the vast domain that we received from the Indians, was
the rich transference of Indian words into our language. It was like
the transfusion of new corpuscles into blood emaciated and
impoverished by disease. Here was a vacant world. Rivers, mountains,
states, cities, towns, boundaries--all a blank. Ready at hand was a
new language. It possessed crispness, freshness, strength, romance. We
absorbed it and never awoke to the full appreciation of its beauties
until Longfellow charmed and thrilled us with his matchless songs.
[Sidenote: 1823]
It was in 1521 that Cortez placed the foot of Spain on the neck of
Mexico. Three hundred years later, Mexico rebelled. She had to fight,
and succeeded in establishing her independence in 1823. This carried
into the fold of Mexico, that part of Colorado lying west of the
mountains, which had continued all these centuries to belong to Spain.
When Mexico came from under the Dominion of Spain, she wanted to be
free from slavery and objected to Texas bringing slaves into Mexican
Territory and selling them. This quarrel between Texas and Mexico
really brought about the war between Mexico and the United States.
[Sidenote: 1834]
In 1834 that portion of the Missouri Territory lying west of the
Missouri River became the Indian Country, which was the official
title; presumably "country" because there was no territorial
government and it so remained for twenty years. So to the Indian
country went all of Colorado east of the mountains, and north of the
Arkansas River.
[Sidenote: 1836]
Texas was once a Republic. In 1836 it had a Government of its own
separate from both Mexico and the United States, and independent of
both. She proceeded to reach into and through Colorado, and claimed
that part above the Arkansas River lying between Mexico's line on the
west of the mountains, and the Missouri line on the east of the
mountains. This made a home for "No Man's Land."
[Sidenote: 1845]
Texas was admitted into the Union in 1845, as a territory in her
present form. This threw back into chaos all she had claimed of
Colorado, and left it as "Unorganized Territory." In 1846 Texas
plunged the United States into War with Mexico, supposedly over the
western boundary of Texas. In two years twenty-three noted battles
were fought, including Palo Alto, Buena Vista and Vera Cruz. Only
twenty-three years after Mexico threw off the yoke of Spain, we
marched into Mexico City and took from her practically all the
territory north of her present boundary. It was ceded to the United
States in 1848, and in 1850 became New or Upper California. It was
divided in 1855 into three parts, named California, New Mexico and
Utah, the latter called after the tribe of Utah Indians. This brought
under the United States Flag for the first time, that portion of
Colorado west of the mountains, which had been Mexican Territory, and
which now became a part of the Territory of Utah, whose western
boundary was California. New Mexico received that part of Colorado
lying south of the Arkansas River, and east of the Rio Grande.
[Sidenote: 1851]
In 1851, by the Treaty of Fort Laramie, it was stipulated that the
part of Colorado east of the Rocky Mountains and north of the Arkansas
River should belong to the tribes of the Arapahoe and Cheyenne
Indians, which title was later extinguished by the Treaty of Fort
Wise.
[Sidenote: 1854]
Another turn of this endless chain, and 1854 saw the Indian Country
legislated out of Colorado, and Nebraska and Kansas ushered in to take
its place. Colorado east of the mountains was divided on an east and
west line into Kansas and Nebraska, about one mile south of Boulder.
So at this time we stood as follows: Utah on the west of the
mountains, Nebraska in the northeast, Kansas in the central east, and
New Mexico in the southeast. Here the cloud of Civil War, not much
larger than a man's hand at first, became ominous, and the rumblings
and mutterings grew louder each year until at last the storm broke.
Missouri was for the perpetuation of slavery, and jealous of the
territory that had been taken from her and given to Nebraska and
Kansas, tried to compel those territories to continue pro-slavery,
making a strong fight to force it into their Constitutions, which, on
account of her work and influence, she succeeded in changing three or
four times. Those states strongly objected to slavery, and there were
fierce political conflicts, especially in Kansas, which at last broke
out in endless raids. Quantrell with his guerillas massacred one
hundred and fifty at one time at Lawrence, Kansas, and destroyed two
million dollars worth of property. It has been said that every foot of
eastern Kansas soil was reddened with the life blood of her
anti-slavery citizens. This gave to that State the name of "Bleeding
Kansas," and the bleeding did not cease until the close of the Civil
War. The Legislature of Kansas created Arapahoe County, a stretch of
country several hundred miles long, which included a part of Colorado,
which then went by the name of the County.
[Sidenote: 1859]
The early settlers of Colorado, concluding to have a Government of
their own, met in 1859, organized a temporary government which they
called "Jefferson Territory," but which was never made a permanent
government or recognized at Washington.
[Sidenote: 1861]
In the year that the clouds hung low and heavy over the Union; the
year that saw the first gun belch forth the shot that cleaved the line
between the North and the South; when brother was going to war against
brother, father against son, and mothers with blanched faces were
wringing their hands in an agony of despair; when the whole civilized
world stood breathlessly apart to witness the fiercest human struggle
of modern times; in that the most memorable year in our National
history, here on this peaceful spot far removed from the noise of the
conflict, from the flame and smoke, from the tears and death agonies,
there was enacted a scene, picturesque, glorious, historical. Utah,
Nebraska, Kansas and New Mexico, generously and loyally stepped aside,
going to the east, to the west and to the south, bidding us adieu
forever. In their place, Cinderella-like, there burst from its
chrysalis the waif of centuries, smiling, gracious, brilliant, like a
bride bejeweled and bedecked for her wedding, the fairest and gentlest
in all the sisterhood of the Union; and may she bless the land
forever--Colorado.
THE END.