Colorado History: Do Colorado

The first humans to live in North America and the area now known as the state of Colorado were hunters.  Archaeologists believe that these hunters were originally from the continent of Asia.  They entered North America by walking across the Bering Land Bridge. 

The "bridge" was actually a strip of frozen land that was 1,000 miles wide.  It connected northeast Asia to western Alaska thousands of years ago.  Wild animals crossed back and forth over the Bering Land Bridge.  The Asian people followed the animals to North America.  When the ice melted, the frozen bridge disappeared, and the water raised the level of the sea.  The people who followed the animals into North America had no way to get back to Asia.  They continued following the wild animals throughout North America.  Some of these people settled in Colorado.

Colorado's First People

Archaelogoists believe that nomadic hunters crossed the Bering Land Bridge thousands of years ago and traveled to Colorado.  Artifacts found in the northeastern corner of Colorado along the Platte River prove that humans were in the area at least 10,000 years ago.  The artifacts included arrowheads with long points and flint tools made into knives.  These tools were used by hunters of the Folsom culture who traveled through the region in search of sloths, mammoths, bison and other extinct game animals.  The Folsom built camps near stone quarries.  Stones from the quarries were used to make tools, weapons, and shelters.

The Basket Makers

Watch this video about Basket Makers. 

The Anasazi People

Watch this video about Anasazi People.

The Pueblo Peoples

Watch this video about the Pueblo People.

The Ute Culture

Watch this video about the Ute Culture.

Colorado's Other Native American Cultures

While the Ute settled in Colorado's mountains, the Cheyenne, Apache, Navajo, Arapaho, Comanche, and Kiowa people roam through Colorado in search of buffalo and other large game animals.

Colorado's early Native Americans were skilled hunters.  They rarely stayed in one place long enough to build permanent homes or plant crops.  To kill a bison, the hunters chased the animal over the side of a cliff or into deep sand.  Once the bison was trapped, the hunters killed the huge animals with a spear.  They were careful to use every part of the bison for food, clothing, tools, and weapons.  They even covered the outside of their tepee homes with biosn skins.

As the bison began to disappear from Colorado, the hunters found other wats to survive or left Colorado completely.  Fighting often brok out over hunting territories.  The Apache and Navajo tribes raided the peaceful Pueblo settlements and stole food, clothing and tools.  They also took the Pueblo children as slaves.  You will soon learn that life for all of Colorado's Native Americans changed forever with the arrival of Spanish explorers and settlers.