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The Colorado Magazine

The Colorado Magazine gives voice to writers who share our passion for the past and the Centennial State.

  • A tipi at sunset. Over the tipi fly two flags: the flag of the United States, and the white flag of peace.

    The Sand Creek Massacre Syllabus

    The atrocities of the Sand Creek Massacre should be reminders to all of us that dehumanization and fear have led to some of the darkest moments in our history. But the Cheyenne and Arapaho people are not defined by the massacre, even though they live with the scars it left behind. They are modern people who have invited Coloradans to learn more about the massacre, and also about their rich Tribal histories and strong traditions that live on today. 

    This syllabus is meant to help all of us accept that invitation. It is a selection of resources that members of the three Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes have suggested and helped produce. It reflects years of work by Tribal oral historians and other experts who have kept the stories alive.

  • Image of a picture postcard of Downtown Denver around 1950-1960. The photograph has been taken from an intersection along Sixteenth Street. Signs on buildings read "Paramount (Theatre)" "Denver" "Skagg's" and "Swift's Ice Cream," among others. Cars are travelling in one direction along Sixteenth, toward the D&F Tower in the distance.

    Marveling at the Mile High City

    November 22, 2022 marks the 164th birthday of our beloved Mile High City. To honor the occasion, Jori Johnson and Cody Robinson, part of History Colorado’s research team in the Stephen H. Hart Research Center, uncovered some marvelous images of the Mile High City that you just may have missed.

  • Image of a hand-drawn map on white paper. The map indicates North at the top of the page and South at the bottom; in thin cursive handwriting, the Sand Creek snakes its way from the left of the map, down to the south. There are "X" marks alongside the creek, with names that suggest who was positioned in the area. "Chivington Trail" is legible along a path leading from the south up north to the area where others were situated along the creek.

    “All the Camp was Weeping”

    Scholars have long relied on George Bent’s eyewitness accounts of the Sand Creek Massacre from his position within the Cheyenne and Arapaho encampment that day to better understand how such a horrific atrocity could have happened here in Colorado.

  • Photo of a Doughboy helmet from World War One. It is a round metal helmet painted with green, brown and black camouflage pattern on the outer surface. A heraldic eagle painted on a yellow background is hand painted on the forehead.

    The Eleventh Hour

    On November 11 we celebrate Veterans Day, an annual recognition of our men and women who have served in uniform. Some will remember that this celebration used to have a different name—and purpose.

  • Photograph of a book with a worn white cover. The words on the cover are all in German, and in the center in large black letters the cover of the book reads, "Im Westen nichts Neues" which translates to "All Quiet on the Western Front." Red block letters across the top of the book spell out the author's name, Erich Maria Remarque.

    A German Lens on "All Quiet on the Western Front"

    From the original 1929 text to a new high-dollar remake, Dr. Chris Juergens takes a closer look at what is an anything-but-unremarkable anti-war story.

  • A black and white photos of a clipping of Columbine flowers and leaves.

    Collecting Colorado

    The work of a nineteenth-century botanist is helping us understand today’s rapidly changing landscape.

  • Photo of a doll, laying on a metal shelf lined with a thin sheet of plastic packing. The doll is dressed only in a cotton underdress with no sleeves. The doll has no hair and its eyes are closed, but because of the difference in color of eyelid and face, it appears as though the doll has blank eyes. Its orange-lipped mouth is open, and its arms are askew.

    Dolls: Precious or Creepy?

    This collection is a particular highlight in our Behind-the-Scenes museum tours; we open up the moveable storage to our visible doll collection stored on shelves and in drawers, and the first thing out of people’s mouths: “Creepy!”...often accompanied by shivers and a pervasive feeling of the willies.

  • A troupe of mountain troops marching through Camp Hale.

    Building Camp Hale: A Deeper History of America’s High-Altitude Army Training Ground

    The Pando Constructors built Camp Hale with extraordinary speed. Their unsung contributions to America’s war effort set the stage for the 10th Mountain Division’s heroism during World War II. 

  • Charlie Papazian posing on a group of kegs. He holds a mug of beer, and jugs of brewing beer are visible underneath a nearby table.

    Brewing the New West

    Colorado’s beer industry is one of the nation’s strongest. Its explosive growth illuminates the state’s most significant changes since the Gold Rush. 

Hindsight 20/20

How will 2020 go down in history? In the Hindsight 20/20 project from The Colorado Magazine, twenty of today's most insightful historians and thought leaders share their visions of how 2020 will go down in history. 

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