I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute.
Early settlers found a lot to like once they crossed the Appalachians and settled in states like Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa. But there was not much to like about Colorado. According to historians, when first settlers arrived there, in fact, many decided the difficult trail through the Rockies onto Oregon was the lesser of two evils.
But the discovery of gold and silver in the 1860s and 70s and the arrival of railroads in Denver in the late 1870s brought a brighter future. Colorado held its first state fair in 1879, Colorado Agricultural College, now Colorado State University opened about a year later.
That’s today’s American Agriculture History Minute. I’m Mark Oppold. Thanks for reading. I’ll see you next time.