The U.S. quarter, which has been produced since 1796 took on a new look as of 1997 when the 50 States Commemorative Coin Program Act was signed into law on December 1st by then President Bill Clinton. The decision to strike these new and collectible coins took many years to finally become reality, but the[continue reading...]

On May 1, 1961 the Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep was designated as the official Colorado State Animal. This animal is found only in the Rockies, usually in very rugged terrain. This animal is named for the large curved horns found on the males. The male, or ram, can have horns that reach up to 50[continue reading...]

The Lark Bunting, which was designated Colorado’s official state bird in 1931, is a medium-sized sparrow of the Great Plains. You can recognize one by the small gray bill and a white wing patch on all birds, male and female. The breeding males are all black except the white wing patch, being the only sparrow[continue reading...]

Many people enjoy Colorado for the wonderful fishing. We have many varieties of trout in the rivers and lakes of Colorado but in 1994 the Greenback Cutthroat trout was designated the official state fish. The attention drawn to this species of fish was important because it was on the verge of extinction due to pollution[continue reading...]

The Colorado Flag consists of three horizontal stripes of the same dimension. The top and bottom stripes are blue, the same color blue that is used in the United States Flag. The center stripe is white. On top of the blue and white background is a large, red letter C. The center portion of the[continue reading...]

The official state flower for Colorado is the Rocky Mountain Columbine. It was designated in April of 1899, and protected by law in 1925 against destruction of this rare species. It is a spring blooming flower which comes in a variety of colors from pale blue to white, pale yellow and peach – many bi-colored[continue reading...]

One of the most recognizable dinosaurs may be the Stegosaurus. With a long, narrow and pointed skull and a thick, solid body with 17 bony plates embedded in the back, the Stegosaurus is a fascinating prehistoric specimen to see. The first Stegosaurus found in Colorado was in 1877 just west of Denver. The area near[continue reading...]

Colorado’s official State Gemstone is the Aquamarine. It was officially designated in 1971. The word comes from the Latin aqua and marina, meaning “water of the sea” and refers to the beautiful turquoise blue colors usually associated with this gemstone. It is a variety of beryl, which may range from very small crystals to several[continue reading...]

The Colorado Hairstreak Butterfly was designated the official Colorado State Insect in 1996 due almost entirely to the efforts of Colorado 4th graders led by Melinda Terry, a teacher at Wheeling Elementary in Aurora, CO. It took considerable effort and time to bring the Hairstreak Butterfly to the front running position as the official insect,[continue reading...]

In the mountains around Alma, Colorado is a beautiful and sought after crystal mineral called Rhodochrosite. It was officially named as Colorado’s state mineral in 2002 based on a proposal by Platte Canyon High School in Bailey,Colorado. The reason given was the fact that “while the mineral is found worldwide, large red crystals are found[continue reading...]