ATA 2010 Conference - Welcome to Denver!

Colorado History & Tours Sample

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Colorado, like us translators and interpreters, has a history of diverse cultures and many languages.

Arapahos with Interpreter

The first people known to have inhabited these lands were the Pueblo Indian tribes, succeeded by the Arapahos, Cheyennes, Sioux, Kiwoas, Comanches, Soshones, Navajos and Utes.

The first Europeans to arrive in Colorado were the Spanish conquistadores in the 1500s followed by the French explorers led by La Salle in the 1600s.

In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson negotiated the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France –The Louisiana Purchase. There was a claim of the eastern territory of the Rocky Mountains, which conflicted with a separate Spanish claim. When the US went into war against independent Mexico, the Guadalupe Hidalgo Treaty was signed and Mexico relinquished its northern territories to the US. Colorado was the Jefferson Territory for a while, before becoming the Colorado Territory. On August 1, 1876, less than a month after the centennial of the United States, Colorado became a state and, for this reason, was nicknamed the Centennial State.

Colorado’s war against Indian nations in the 1860s is a sad passage of its history known mainly for the Sand Creek Massacre and General Custer renewal of the conflict against the Cheyennes and Arapahos at the Battle of Washita River.

Pike’s Peak was the setting of the Gold Rush in the 1800s (it is worth taking a trip to Manitou Springs, 65 miles south of Denver to ride on the cog railway train), and later, its economy evolved into coal mining. Farming and ranching grew up alongside mining and town building. In the 1990s, the technological boom favored companies moving to the Rockies and the development of DTC –The Denver Tech Center-, a more people-friendly business compound only 20 minutes from downtown.

Downtown Denver is called Lodo, short for lower downtown. A free shuttle runs continuously along the 16th Street pedestrian mall to a variety of gourmet options and hip bars, where you can stroll and feel Denver’s unique flair and local shops. Have breakfast at The Market on Larimer, or dinner at Hotel Teatro, which has an extensive wine list, and is conveniently located across the street from the Denver Center for Performing Arts where you may plan to see a show.

If you want to drive through Denver’s DTC, you may enjoy shopping cowboy boots, belts or other Western-style attire at Sheplers. On this occasion, you can go to the near by Centennial airport for a happy hour or maybe dinner at the Perfect Landing where while listening to a live piano, you can watch, behind a sound-proof glass wall, the small jets landing and taking off with Colorado’s sunset as their backdrop.
If you want to get a better taste of the cowboy-far-west-ambience and visit the mountains, but with little time to spare, you can have dinner at The Fort, a restaurant in Morrison, only 20 minutes west of Denver, that boasts a beautiful view and Colorado game options such as elk. With just a 40-minute morning ride to Fairplay you can have a buffalo burger and draft beer lunch in the cowboy saloon of an old haunted hotel. Gamblers will enjoy a full day at Blackhawk with its far west street-lined casinos.

If you have two or three days to spare, and maybe want to try the slopes of Colorado famous ski resorts, mine and ghost tours, fancy towns and boutiques, then you may consider the following suggestions.

Wind your way up the mountain roads to see the breathtaking vistas of the Continental Divide and drive to Winter Park for skiing. Then, head up to spend the night in Steam Boat Springs, another great ski resort town and bathe in the naturally 103o hot pools of the Strawberry Park (open until 10 PM) like the Utes used to do; and if the snow is falling, you’ll have an amazing unique experience, and you can be sure you won’t feel the cold! On your way back, stop by fancy Beaver Creek for ice-skating and Vail for its shopping and nightlife.

Another possible two-day trip is to have lunch in Boulder, maybe at the Dushanbee Teahouse with exquisite menu and architectural decorative elements made by artisans from several cities of Tajikistan. Boulder’s energy revolves around the campus of the University of Colorado, with its intellectuality and green awareness. A good way to feel it is perusing the Pearl Street pedestrian mall. Arrive to Estes Park to spend the night at world class The Stanley, with its early 1900’s history and ghosts tours; and if you are lucky, you may find yourself in the very room where Stephen King wrote The Shining. Drive back to Denver through Breckenridge, another quaint ski town, and dine at one of its lovely restaurants.

Coloradan ATA and CTA members are proud to host the Conference this year, and we will do our best for attendees to make the most of their visit.

If you like this article, please leave a comment. Thank you.

Links to activities mentioned in the article

http://www.colorado.com/?gclid=CN72rpDzw6QCFQoTbAod6APOEA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Colorado">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Colorado
http://www.cograilway.com
http://www.coloradoeats.com/market
http://www.hotelteatro.com/teatro/dining/kevin-taylor.aspx
http://www.denvercenter.org/Home.aspx
http://www.sheplers.com
http://theperfectlanding.com
http://www.thefort.com
http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/co/fairplay.html
http://www.blackhawkcolorado.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Divide_of_the_Americas
http://www.skiwinterpark.com/index.htm
http://www.strawberryhotsprings.com/2005
http://www.steamboat-springs.com
http://www.beavercreek.com
http://www.vail.com
http://www.boulderteahouse.com
http://www.stanleyhotel.com

http://www.breckenridge.com