The birth of Colorado

the long version

In 1861, Colorado was a newly named territory. Four years later it was forever changed, by the Civil War that had been raging back East and by its own development and the evolution of mining. The Colorado that emerged in the spring of 1865 was no longer the frontier that had found itself in a war. That frontier, that time, that way of life, all had passed. This is the story of Colorado and its people during the years of the Civil War, 1861-1865. It is not, however, a military history. Using original sources ranging from letters, diaries, journals, and reminiscences to government reports and newspaper stories, the book captures an important period in Colorado's mining, political, and economic development. -- from book jacket.