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Native Americans, explorers, trappers and settlers all traveled through the area of Colorado south of the Arkansas River. This area including our valley has been included as the territory of five different nations.

Originally the French laid claim to all land drained by the Mississippi and its tributaries. At the time of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the United States believed it had purchased all of the area in a relative straight line west across the country from the Gulf of Mexico. In 1819, the United States and Spain signed a treaty making the boundary between them the Arkansas River. By 1821, Mexico had claimed its independence from Spain and all of the Spanish territory.

In 1836, the Texans started their own revolution, declaring themselves independent from Mexico and the United States. Our valley became disputed territory, with the Republic of Texas claiming their border with Mexico as the Rio Grande River; and the Mexicans claiming it was the Arkansas River. By 1856, all this was settled and the area became part of the United States again, eventually becoming part of the State of Colorado.

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