Colorado Trivia & Tidbits - Page 12

Looking for Colorado trivia? Try our list Colorado little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

Since Wisdom Industries was founded in 1970 in Merino, Colo. (pop. 246), the company has manufactured more than 2,000 amusement rides such as Tilt-A-Whirls and Twizzlers, including some 700 small roller coasters.

first appeared: 5/9/2004

The area around Ridgway (pop. 713) boasts some famous names: fashion designer Ralph Lauren owns the nearby Double RL ranch, while actor Dennis Weaver’s house—an “Earthship”-style built with more than 3,000 tires and 100,000 aluminum cans—is located northwest of town.

first appeared: 5/2/2004

The Mission: Wolf refuge, located northwest of Walsenburg (pop. 4,182) between the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and Greenhorn Mountain Wilderness Area, is home to nearly 40 captive-born wolves and wolf-dog crosses. Established in 1988, the 410-acre sanctuary includes 50 fenced acres for these animals that cannot be released into the wild.

first appeared: 4/25/2004

Coal baron John Cleveland Osgood wanted only the best for himself and workers at his mine near Redstone (pop. 92). In the early 1900s, Osgood built cottages for workers with families, an inn for single workers and guests, and a castle for himself. The castle is a 42-room home complete with Tiffany chandeliers, Italian oil paintings, and Persian rugs. Redstone Castle is now used for group rentals for events such as weddings or retreats.

first appeared: 4/18/2004

The house used in exterior shots for the TV sitcom Mork & Mindy, which aired from 1978 to 1982, can be found at 1619 Pine Street in Boulder.

first appeared: 4/18/2004

The 1892 Rochester Hotel in Durango (pop. 13,922) pays homage to Colorado’s film history, with rooms decorated in an Old West motif inspired by one of the many movies filmed in the area. Around the World in 80 Days is one room’s theme. Another is called the Harry Carey Jr. room after the famous Western actor.

first appeared: 4/11/2004

The Spanish Peaks, which rise up from the plains of eastern Colorado near Chuchara, yet they have gone by many different names. The two peaks, which climb to more than 12,000 and 13,000 feet above sea level, were called Huajatolla or Wahatoya—or “breasts of the world”—by American Indians. Spanish explorers named them Dos Hermanos (Twin Brothers) and settlers referred to them as the Twin Peaks.

first appeared: 4/4/2004

The state song–Where the Columbines Grow—was adopted in 1915. The song’s composer, A.J. Fynn, was inspired by a journey in 1896, when he saw Colorado’s mountain meadows covered with columbine flowers.

first appeared: 4/4/2004

Arapaho oral history says the tribe once lived in northwest Minnesota before migrating to Colorado near the headwaters of the South Platte and Arkansas rivers.

first appeared: 3/28/2004

The 13th step of the state Capitol building in Denver is exactly one mile above sea level–for now. Plaques once said the honor belonged to the 15th step, but new instrument measurements in 1969 told engineers that the 18th step was the winner. Even newer technology set the mark at the 13th step last October.

first appeared: 3/21/2004

The Colorado Ski Museum and Ski Hall of Fame in Vail (pop. 4,531) tracks 130 years of skiing history in the state, dating back to early trappers.

first appeared: 3/14/2004

Aspen (pop. 5,914) is named after the aspen tree, one of the most widely distributed trees in North America.

first appeared: 3/14/2004

Giant pieces of abandoned football equipment cast in marble and aluminum dot the west side of Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium in Denver.

first appeared: 3/7/2004

The Yampa River, from the Stillwater Reservoir 15 miles to Yampa (pop. 317), can be fished for brook trout, rainbows, browns, cutthroat and whitefish. In the 50-mile stretch from Steamboat Springs (pop. 6,695) to Craig (pop. 8,091), Northern pike can be caught in the 20-pound range.

first appeared: 2/29/2004

The red marble that gives the state Capitol its distinctive splendor is called “Beulah red.” Cutting, polishing, and installing the marble took six years, from 1894 to 1900.

first appeared: 2/22/2004

Colorado comes from the Spanish word for “colored red.”

first appeared: 2/22/2004

The state’s first and oldest military post, Fort Garland (pop. 432), was established in 1858 to protect settlers in the San Luis Valley. The fort was once commanded by legendary frontiersman Kit Carson.

first appeared: 2/15/2004

The Denver Performing Arts Complex is home to seven theaters and a concert hall with combined seating for 9,300 people.

first appeared: 2/8/2004

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument near Cripple Creek (pop. 1,115) holds spectacular remnants of the earth’s prehistoric life in the one-time shadow of the Guffey Volcano. The volcano erupted millions of years ago, creating fossils and leaving the valley filled with petrified trees.

first appeared: 2/8/2004

The 1905 Kit Carson County Carousel, a National Historic Landmark in Burlington (pop. 3,678), is the only wooden merry-go-round in the United States with its original paint. The deer have real antlers, and some of the horses real tails.

first appeared: 2/1/2004

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