Early history of the Arkansas Valley in Colorado

The early history of the Arkansas Valley in Colorado began in the 1600s and to the early 1800s when explorers, hunters, trappers, and traders of European descent came to the region. Prior to that, Colorado was home to prehistoric people, including Paleo-Indians, Ancestral Puebloans, and Late prehistoric Native Americans.^[1][2][3]

With westward expansion of the United States, Colorado saw a number of trading posts and small settlements established in the Arkansas and South Platte valleys including Bent's Fort and El Pueblo. Southern Colorado, previously part of New Spain, was ceded in 1848 to the United States following the end of the Mexican–American War (1846–48). The early history of the Arkansas valley ends with the Colorado Gold Rush of 1858 when large numbers of Anglo-Americans began to arrive in Colorado. Colorado achieved statehood in 1876.^[1][2][a]

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