It’s Colorful Colorado with Colorful Angela Raines

It is called colorful for a reason. From the colorful history, to the stunning vistas, and the amazing sunrises and sunsets, Colorado is a feast for the eyes and the heart. It is the place that inspired early women authors Helen (Hunt) Jackson author of “Ramona”, Isabella Bird author of “A Ladies life in the Rocky Mountains”, and the essays of Grace Greenwood, to immortalize its beauty in words.

For those who look at a map they will see that the state is divided East and West by Interstate 25 running along the front Range. Interstate 70 and US Highway 50 are the main east-west West thoroughfares that bisect the state North and South. But Colorado is more than just bisecting interstate roads. It is a state that, to paraphrase the states first film Commissioner Karol W Smith, a place where filmmakers can literally re-create anyplace on earth.

So what makes this state both unique and colorful? You could start with this colorful history, beginning with the volcanoes which created much of present-day Colorado, the dinosaurs, the native peoples, the early pathfinders/mountain men, prospectors, to present day technology.

In the northwest corner of the state you have the Dinosaur National Monument, and the southeast part of the state with its petroglyphs and dinosaur tracks in the Comanche National Grasslands. The southeast corner has the Pawnee National Grasslands with the Pawnee Buttes, while the southwest corner of the state has many early native peoples sites, including Mesa Verde. In between is areas full of so many possibilities for a writer to tap into.

Colorado in elevation is the highest state in the lower forty-eight The highest mountain peak is mount Elbert at 14,439 feet, to the lowest spot in the southeast portion of the state which is at an elevation of 3,315 feet. (Which is higher than eighteen states highest points.) Those same mountains brought the mountain men into the area in the 1820s. Those mountain men and the businesses they generated created many of the early fur trading forts, the most famous of which is Bent’s Fort along the Arkansas River.

Of course we cannot forget the ‘Fifty-Niners’, who braved the high elevation in search of the elusive gold, silver and other minerals. Those same gold seekers ended up creating the ‘World’s Greatest Gold Camp’ in 1891 when gold was found in the cripple Creek mining district. (As a side note there is still an active gold mine in that region, still extracting gold from that region.) It is probably because of all that early volcanic activity that Colorado has been such a rich area for the extraction of gold and silver. But one must not forget the gemstones that are also mind in the state of Colorado. For those who wonder, the area north and west of Pike's Peak, including Mount Antero are a treasure trove for those who wish to extract those precious colors from the mountains. And yes there are even those who find gemstones on Pike's Peak itself.

Even today Colorado is an exciting and colorful state. From the many wonderful places to visit such as the Royal Gorge Park and Bridge, Pike's Peak, Mount Evans, along with all of the preserved history sites to include Mesa Verde and Bent's Fort, Colorado offers so much. The eastern plains with its ranches and early railroad history, to the Western's slope with the towns like Fruita and Palisades and the amazing wines that are created from the orchards there, to the cattle ranches and farming communities on both the eastern and western slopes, a person will always find something to inspire their eyes and imaginations.

It is this rich history that I mine for the historical fiction I write. From the imaginary town of Agate Gulch in the mountains, which in this has inspired the Agate Gulch novellas, to the eastern plains and the fictional town of Kiowa Wells and the novels from that town, Colorado, ‘Colorful Colorado’, has been an inspiration.

Recently, the state looked at the uniqueness of the various areas across the state and created a colorful map to help people visualize how rich and beautiful state is. If you ever visit the state, just know not only will you be walking in the steps of those adventurous people who came before, but your eyes can feast on the beauty that is ‘Colorful Colorado’.

From those who comment here, I will be offering either the e-books set of my Agate Gulch stories or an e-book of choice from the two Kiowa Wells novels that are out, or if you wish to wait and e-book copy of the upcoming Kiowa Wells novel "The Outlaw's Letter" due this coming April.

You’re comment also enters you into the monthly grand prize contest so, leave a comment and an avenue of contact so we can find you if you’re the winner!

About Angela Raines

Angela Raines is the pen name for Doris McCraw. Doris is an author, historian, performer, speaker and poet. She moved from the historically rich region of West Central Illinois to the equally history rich Colorado. Many of her works focus on the history that has surrounded her all her life. An avid reader Doris also loves to spend time in history archives, either online, in history centers, or local libraries, looking for small, unknown pieces of history. Usually these found gems are in her books, short stories, blogs and non-fiction papers written for publications. She also has a continuing project of documenting the women doctors who lived, studied and worked in Colorado prior to 1900.

Doris writes in both the Medieval and Western Romance, along with the Western genre. All have a extraordinary histories that just beg to be told. Sometimes Doris thinks the 'muse' may be asking too much, but then smiles and digs right in.

Visit Dori McCraw writing as Angela Raines here https://www.amazon.com/Angela-Raines/e/B00N0HJOVG