Colorado History Point Opportunities
Spring 2024
Class 13 – January 11
Map Work – Colorado Counties
Fill in the blank county map of Colorado. This was sent home with the students or you can print this: Colorado Counties blank map
You can find county names and locations here: https://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeedserv/coloradocountiesmap
Students will receive 1 point for each county labeled successfully.
Video & Response Sheet
Watch the following: Colorado Experience – National Western Stock Show
Print out and complete the Response Sheet: National Western Stock Show – Colorado Experience Response Sheet
Students will receive 1 point for each correct answer.
Class 14 – January 18
Colorado Hispanic History Scavenger Hunt
Visit this online exhibit: History Colorado La Gente Online Exhibit
Complete the Colorado Hispanic History Scavenger Hunt Worksheet that was handed out in class (or print from the link).
This is a true scavenger hunt. The questions are in random order. Students will need to read the questions first and then step through the parts of the online exhibit to find the answers. Notice that many of the parts of the exhibit have arrows that indicate there is more information continue on another page. There are also videos and interactive maps for students to explore.
Students will receive 1 point for each correct answer.
Acequias
Students should read this article about the acequias in Southern Colorado: Keeping a Unique Water Tradition Alive in Southern Colorado’s Acequias
You’ll notice a Listen button in the middle of that article. You can listen to this article as well as read it if you’d like.
Also, watch this video in which the acequias are mentioned: The Hispanic Experience in Colorado: Conversations on History: How We Lived in the Past
For points, students should answer these questions:
- Where in Colorado are the acequias found?
- What is the purpose of the acequias system?
- What is needed to be done to keep the acequias system running well?
- How does the acequias system reflect the sense of community that Hispanics in the area feel?
- What challenges are the people living near and depending on the acequias facing?
- How is the culture and community in the San Luis Velley changing in recent times?
Videos to Watch
The video mentioned in the previous section is one of three discussing the Hispanic experience in Colorado. Students can watch the other videos in the series.
The Hispanic Experience in Colorado: Conversations on History: Who We Are
This Hispanic Experience in Colorado: Conversations on History: Where We Came From
The Hispanic Experience in Colorado: Conversations on History: How We Lived in the Past
For points, students should write a short summary of each video.
San Luis Valley
Students can watch a Colorado Experience video on the San Luis Valley.
For points, they can write a short summary of the video.
Colorado Hispanic Biographies
Read these two stories:
Marciano Aguayo
Jovita Aguayo Ortega
For points, students should list five interesting things they learned from each essay.
Map Work – State Parks
Mark every Colorado State Park on the state map that was handed out in class (you can find this blank map here: Colorado map with highways).
Students will receive 1 point for each state park labeled successfully.
You can use this map to complete the assignment:
Class 15 – January 25
Colorado: Round Up on the Cimarron 1898 (Library of Congress photograph)
This is a colored photograph of a roundup in Colorado just before 1900, taken near the Cimarron River in Colorado. A roundup is a meeting of cowboys who bring together herds of cattle to be sorted, traded, and/or branded by their owners. It was also a social event, gathering men from around the area for several days. They would socialize, talk about ranching, and do the business of cattle selling and trading. Take a look at this picture:
For points, students can answer these questions:
- Describe the landscape in this picture.
- What things did cowboys have to build for a roundup?
- There are also lots of horses in this photograph. What role do you think horses played during these roundups?
Ranchlands (History Channel)
This is a History Channel production that tells the story of a ranching family in Colorado. The Phillips family raises bison and cattle on 200,000 acres of Colorado ranch lands. This series tells about the history of ranching in Colorado, present day challenges, and gives a neat look into Colorado ranching life.
You can finish it at home:
Ranchlands: Episode 1 – Crossroads (10:33)
Ranchlands: Episode 2 – The Branding (11:50)
Ranchlands: Episode 3 – Survival (10:28)
Ranchlands: Episode 4 – Bison Season (11:27)
Ranchlands: Episode 5 – The Roundup (10:42)
Ranchlands: Episode 6 – The Future of the Frontier (11:33)
For points, students can watch each video and write a short summary essay OR make a list of 3-5 interesting things from the video.
Cattle Branding
Brands are labels on cattle. They let everyone know to who an animal belonged. Branding was done by burning a symbol into the cow’s hide with a hot iron.
The following two illustrations are from a publication of the Bent County (Colorado) Cattle and Horse Growers’ Association. It was published in 1885. This brand book documented the brands from local ranches. Examine these pages:
For points, students should answer these questions:
- Why would ranchers want to brand their cattle?
- Where on the animal might you find the brand?
- Crop means to cut. How else did cowboys mark cattle?
- What are some of the differences between these cattle?
Read the following essay: Ranching in Western Colorado
For points, write a creative story of a day in the life of a ranching family. Use your imagination to describe your characters, the landscape and environment, and their daily activities.
Map Work – Mountain Ranges
Use this blank map of Colorado to complete this assignment. This was passed out in class, but can also be found here: Colorado Counties blank map. The county lines are marked to assist in this activity.
For points, students should use colored pencils to shade in Colorado’s mountain ranges. Each one should be labeled with its name.
The information for this assignment can be found at the following online sources:
List of Mountain Ranges in Colorado
Explained: The Mountain Ranges of Colorado
Points awarded will depend on the number of mountain ranges identified and the neatness and beauty of the map they create.
Class 16 – February 1
Students watched this video in class:
Class 17 – February 8
The Telegraph and Morse Code
In class, we discussed the effect of changing modes of communication on the social and economic way of life in Colorado. This included a discussion of the telegraph and Morse Code. Students took home a Morse Code Worksheet. If they’d like to learn more about Morse Code, this is a great resource: Tools for Learning Morse Code.
For points, students can complete and return this worksheet.
Rural and Urban Colorado
Students can complete this worksheet for more points: Rural and Urban Colorado
The Irish in Colorado
Read the article entitled The Irish in Colorado’s Mining Towns in Colorado Heritage magazine.
For points, students can complete and turn in the response sheet for this article: The Irish in Colorado
Cheesman Park
Read any or all of the following:
- Historical comic about Cheesman Park: Colorful Colorado: Cheesman Park, The Old Boneyard
Note: this file includes the actual comic and lots of background about how the author designed the work. It’s very interesting! - Article about the history of Cheesman Park: Denver’s Cheesman Park was once a place of final repose for thousands of pioneers
- Article about Cheesman Park: Cheesman Park’s Past Life … as a Cemetery
- Article based on an interview of Louisa Arps in 1956: Cheesman Park Hill
For points, answer these questions:
- In which Colorado city is Cheesman Park located?
- To whom did the Cheesman Park land belong when General William Larimer set it aside as Mount Prospect Cemetery in 1858?
- How many bodies were removed from Cheesman Park?
- What were many of the original headstones made of? What problem did that cause?
- What do you think about E.P. McGovern’s work of moving bodies from Cheesman Park? Were his actions appropriate?
Map Work – Downtown Denver
Students took home an unlabeled map of Downtown Denver and the surrounding area: Downtown Denver Map Activity
For points, students should label the map with the numbers of the locations at the bottom of the sheet. Please be neat!
Class 18 – February 15
10th Mountain Division Presentation
For points, students should write a summary of the 10th Mountain Division presentation by History Colorado at CCE. Discuss what you learned and list the things that you found particularly interesting.
Colorado Experience: Camp Hale
Watch this video about Camp Hale and the 10th Mountain Division.
For points, students should list 5-10 interesting things they learned about Camp Hale.
Colorful Colorado Comic: 10th Mountain Division
Check out this comic on the 10th Mountain Division.
For points, answer these questions:
- What country’s soldiers inspired the creation of the 10th Mountain Division?
- What types of jobs did soldiers in the 10th Mountain Division do before joining up?
- What does Sempre Avanti mean?
- What happened to the 10th Mountain training runs after the war?
- What former U.S. Senator was a member of the 10th Mountain Division and ran against Bill Clinton in 1996?
Map Work – Create a Map of Colorado
Choose three maps from this website: Colorado Travel and Tourist Maps
Pick three different maps and combine the elements on the map into one map that includes all those elements.
- When choosing the three maps to combine, try to find something that connects them (all winter activities, all water activities, regions—rural, National Park, Neatness is very important in this activity. Use rulers, different colors, and very neat handwriting to create your map.
- You can create a legend or key for your map to keep your map neat.
- Be sure to include elements that are crucial to understanding your map. (For example, if you are mapping activities that occur on water, you need to include AND label the waterways of Colorado).
- Make sure your map is large enough to be read clearly.
Class 19 – February 22
Dr. Justina Ford
Watch this video about the life of Dr. Justina Ford:
For points, answer these questions:
- When did Justina Ford become the first Black woman to be licensed as a physician in the state of Colorado?
- What state was Dr. Ford born in?
- What did her mother work as?
- Where did Dr. Ford go to medical school?
- Before arriving in Colorado, where did Dr. Ford and her husband go?
- What was the name of the church where her husband, Rev. Ford, was pastor?
- What neighborhood did they live in?
- Why did Justina practice out of her home?
- How many children did Justina Ford have?
- Why did the Fords stop driving their car?
- When did Dr. Ford get membership in the Denver and Colorado Medical Societies?
- What happened to her home after she died?
The Ku Klux Klan
Students should watch the video below.
For points, students should complete this response sheet: Response Sheet – KKK
How the Church helped take down the Klan in Colorado
Read the following online article: The crazy, true story of how the Church helped take down the Klan in Colorado
For points, list the most interesting things in this article.
Map Work – Go on an Adventure!
Visit this website: Colorado Travel Videos
NOTE: There are a total of 126 videos to choose from! Click at the bottom of the list to see more.
Pick a destination, watch the video, and then map the route from your home to this destination. You can use a blank map of Colorado to map this out: Colorado map with highways
Students can get points for as many destinations as they’d like. Place all destinations on the same map. You don’t need a new map for each destination.
Class 20 – February 29
Capilla de San Isidro
Read this article: Capilla de San Isidro
For points, students should list 3-5 interesting things about this historic church in the San Luis Valley.
Pope John Paul II
Watch the following video:
For points, complete this response sheet: Response Sheet – Pope John Paul II
How Catholicism Came to the United States – Colorado
Watch the following video.
For points, list as many interesting things from the video as you’d like.
Historic Churches of Colorado
For this activity, students should find pictures of historic Catholic churches in Colorado. Create a document that includes as much of the following as you can find for each church:
- Photograph
- Location
- Year built/dedicated
- Interesting facts about the church
Here are some resources to help you:
Students will receive points for each church they include.
Map Work – Catholic Diocese
On a Colorado Counties blank map, identify the 3 diocese in Colorado. Color in the counties, using a separate color for each of the three diocese. Use this for reference: Maps of Catholic dioceses of Colorado
Class 21 – March 21
Animal Reports
Students have the opportunity to earn points by preparing and presenting an in-class report on a Colorado animal. If they would like to take advantage of this opportunity, please send any A/V or digital material by the Wednesday before class.
Colorado Parks & Wildlife Research
For points: For the following two webpages, students should watch the video, read the summary, and then list 3-5 things they learned.
The Black-Footed Ferret in Colorado
For points, students can watch this video and write either a summary or list several facts they found interesting.
Colorado Parks & Wildlife 125th Anniversary
To commemorate the 125th anniversary of the establishment of the CPW department, they put together a fun list of things to do to engage with wild life and places in our state.
For points, do some of these activities and turn in a list of what you did.
Introduction of Wolves into Colorado
Wolves have recently been reintroduced into Colorado. These are some resources that explain that process:
Wildlife officials release 5 wolves from Oregon into Colorado as reintroduction begins
Wolves Make a Controversial Return to Colorado
For points, students can write up a summary of this process, answering why, when, where, and how these wolves were introduced into the state.
Map Work – Animal Habitats
In class, we used an online interactive map to learn about the habitats and habits of some of Colorado’s animals. You can find that map here. (Note: it is very slow to load, so be patient as it comes up).
For points, students can map out the habitat areas of as many animals as they’d like. Please put each animal species on a separate map. You can use this blank map of Colorado to do this activity.
Class 22 – April 11
Amache
In class, we watched a short version of this video. This is the full length documentary about the internment camp in Colorado during World War II.
For points, students can watch this full length video and write either a summary or list several facts they found interesting.