Colorado—The Centennial State (38)
Admitted into the Union: August 1, 1876
Capital: Denver
State Bird: Lark Bunting
State Flower: Columbine
State Tree: Colorado Blue Spruce
State Animal: Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep
Population: 4.3 million

Mountain moguls: Vail, America’s top ski destination, was originally used for backcountry survival training for the Army's 10th Mountain Division during WWII. Steamboat Springs is home to the Union’s largest ski-jumping complex, where the US Olympic ski-jump team trains. Aspen is the ski resort most favored by the rich and famous. Our Colorado Lodge Tote is at home wherever you choose to shoosh.

Got oxygen?: Colorado has 52 “fourteeners” (peaks over 14,000’ above sea level). Impressed with the view from Pikes Peak, Katherine Lee Bates wrote America the Beautiful.

Road scholar: Trail Ridge Road (elev. 12,183’) in Rocky Mountain National Park is the highest paved highway in the Union. The highest paved North American road leads to Mt. Evans, peaking at 14,258’. The Eisenhower Tunnel is the highest auto tunnel in the world; it cuts through the Continental Divide at 11,000’. Colfax Avenue in Denver is the longest continuous street in the Union.

Hats off to Mike! “Mike the Headless Chicken Day” in Fruita honors a chicken that lived for 4 more years after a failed butchering attempt in 1945.

No thanks. Colorado is the only state in history to turn down the Olympics (1976). Voters weren’t ready to welcome the pollution and population boom.

Ride ’em, Cowboy! Denver hosts the world’s largest rodeo, the National Western Stock show, every year. The World's First Rodeo was held on July 4th, 1869 in Deer Trail.

Chuggin’ nuggets: The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, opened in 1882, was built to haul gold and silver ore from the San Juan Mountains. Today it provides year-round passenger service with vintage 1920s steam locomotives and rolling stock indigenous to the line.

Glamour girl: In Denver in 1959, Ruth Handler created the Barbie doll, named for her daughter, and Ken in 1961, named for her son. Barbie has had more than 80 careers and close to 1 billion outfits have been produced for her and her friends.

Famous Coloradoans: Chief Ouray, Molly Brown, Douglas Fairbanks, Lon Chaney, Amy Van Dyken, Mark Hamill, Scott Carpenter, Tim Allen.