Colorado History Trivia

1. In November 1864 a band of peaceful Arapahoe and Cheyenne Indians was attacked by vigilantes from Denver, who killed perhaps as many as 150 men, women, and children. What is this event called?

From Quiz It Happened in Colorado

Answer: Sand Creek Massacre

On November 29, 1864, members of the Colorado Territory militia, numbering 700 strong, attacked and destroyed a village of Cheyenne and Arapaho camped along Sand Creek in southeastern Colorado. The band of Indians was under the leadership of Black Kettle, who had been assured that the American flag he flew over his lodge would protect his village from attack. Today, the National Park Service administers the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site to honor the victims of this atrocity, most of whom were women and children.

From Quiz Colorado History

Answer: manslaughter

Early in the winter of 1874, Alfred Packer became snowbound along with five others. His traveling companions either succumbed to the cold or were murdered by Alfred who claimed self-defense. For nearly two months, Alfred survived by eating their remains. Though he is often thought of as a convicted cannibal, it was killing his fellow travelers that landed him in prison. Originally, Alfred was convicted of murder but the charges were reduced to manslaughter on appeal and the death sentence was commuted.

From Quiz It Happened in Colorado

Answer: Ouray

The town of Ouray is located in southwestern Colorado in a box canyon filled with natural hot springs and was a favorite winter camp of the mountain branch of the Ute tribe. Mount Ouray stands at 13,961 feet along the western edge of the San Luis Valley.

From Quiz Colorado History

Answer: Colorado voters refused to foot the bill

From Quiz It Happened in Colorado

Answer: Alferd Packer

Warned not to venture into the high country late in the season, the prospectors nevertheless became completely lost and snowbound. When the party ran out of provisions they apparently began to eat their dead, eventually turning on each other. Packer was the only survivor and claimed he had acted in self-defense, though he later confessed to murdering and eating his companions. Sentenced to 40 years in jail for his crimes, he was eventually pardoned and settled in the suburbs of Denver, where he lived until his death at age 65. It is rumored that he spent the last years of his life as a vegetarian.

From Quiz It Happened in Colorado

Answer: Cherry Creek

The first gold discoveries in Colorado occurred in what is now Denver. These were placer deposits, gold "dust" eroded from mountain veins and washed downstream to be discovered in shallow gravel bars. Prospectors followed the streams west into the mountains in search of the source of this placer gold, leading to the widespread exploration and settlement of the interior of the state.

From Quiz Colorado History

Answer: for the Union during the Civil War

There were approximately 4,000 Union volunteers.

From Quiz It Happened in Colorado

Answer: Kit Carson

Following the war, Colonel Carson was appointed commandant of Ft. Garland in the San Luis Valley, an area controlled by the Ute Indian tribe. Many of the original fort's buildings, including the house occupied by Carson and his wife, have been restored and can be visited today.

From Quiz Colorado History

Answer: Kansas City

The Kansas City Scouts moved to Denver in the late 1970's and became the Colorado Rockies. In 1983, the Colorado Rockies moved to New Jersey to become the New Jersey Devils. The Quebec Nordiques moved to Denver in 1995 becoming the Colorado Avalanche - Denver's 2nd NHL franchise.

From Quiz It Happened in Colorado

Answer: John C. Fremont

In November 1848, Fremont led a party into the Sangre de Cristo mountains at the onset of winter, losing 10 of his party to exposure and starvation. He went on to become a US Senator from California and won the nomination of the newly formed, anti-slavery Republican Party in 1856, losing to James Buchanon in the general election.

From Quiz Colorado History

Answer: 1876

Colorado became a state as the U.S. celebrated its centennial year (Declaration of Independence signed in 1776).

From Quiz Colorado History

Answer: Mt. Elbert

At 14,433 feet.

From Quiz It Happened in Colorado

Answer: Vail

Camp Hale, at 9,300' elevation, was built to provide a training ground for an elite division of mountain soldiers. The 10 Mountain Division was schooled in skiing, mountain climbing, and cold weather survival, and the unit saw action in the mountains of Italy in 1945. Training exercises at Camp Hale exposed the men to the terrain of what is now Vail Mountain, revealing itself to be an ideal location for a commercial ski resort. Vail opened as a ski resort in 1962.

From Quiz Colorado History

Answer: Texas

Texas was its own republic beginning in 1836 and laid claim to a narrow strip of mountain territory extending northward to the 42nd parallel. The U.S. purchased this claim from Texas in 1850. Mexico also claimed parts of Colorado up to 1848 when Mexico ceded its claims to the U.S.

From Quiz Colorado History

Answer: The Sand Creek massacre

Neither the Battle of the Little Bighorn nor Wounded Knee occured in Colorado. The Ludlow incident (massacre) involved striking coal miners.

This is category 9563

= Top 5% Rated Quiz, Top 10% Rated Quiz, Top 20% Rated Quiz, A Well Rated Quiz
= added recently, = Editor's Pick = FunTrivia Editor = Gold Member
Teachers / educators: FunTrivia welcomes the use of our website and quizzes in the classroom as a teaching aid or for preparing and testing students. See our education section. Our quizzes are printable and may be used as question sheets by k-12 teachers, parents, and home schoolers.

 ·  All questions, answers, and quiz content on this website is copyright FunTrivia, Inc and may not be reproduced without permission. Any images from TV shows and movies are copyright their studios, and are being used under "fair use" for commentary and education.