The U.S. State of Colorado has many adopted symbols and emblems. Most of these symbols and emblems were adopted by acts of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Colorado, and after statehood, the General Assembly of the State of Colorado.[1] A few of these symbols were adopted by executive action of the Governor. Federal agencies designated some of these symbols in honor of the state. Each entry explains the manner and date of adoption.
The first insignia of Colorado, the territorial motto: Nil sine numine,[2] was adopted by the First Session of the Territorial Legislature on November 6, 1861. The seal and coat of arms of the Territory of Colorado were specified by the First Session of the Territorial Legislature but not created until November 11, 1861.[3]
Insignia
editType | Symbol | Image | Adopted |
---|---|---|---|
Coat of arms | Coat of Arms of the State of Colorado[a] | November 11, 1861 March 15, 1877 CRS 24-80-901[1] | |
Flag | Flag of the State of Colorado[4] | June 5, 1911 SB 118-1911 February 28, 1928 SB 152-1929 March 31, 1964 | |
Logo | Colorado state government logo[5] | See Colorado state logo. | March 26, 2019[5] |
Motto | Nil sine numine[2] (Latin: Nothing without providence) |
NIL SINE NVMINE | November 6, 1861 November 6, 1876 CRS 24-80-901[1] |
Nickname | Centennial State[6][b] | The Centennial State | Statehood on August 1, 1876[7] |
Seal | Great Seal of the State of Colorado[3] | November 11, 1861 March 15, 1877 CRS 24-80-901[1] | |
Slogan | Colorful Colorado[6] | 1950 unofficial |
Living symbols
editEarth symbols
editType | Symbol | Image | Adopted |
---|---|---|---|
Fossil | Stegosaurus[19] | April 28, 1982 Executive Order | |
Gemstone | Aquamarine[20] | April 30, 1971 HB 1104-1971 CRS 24-80-912[1] | |
Mineral | Rhodochrosite[21] | April 17, 2002 CRS 24-80-912.5[1] | |
Rock | Yule Marble[22] | March 9, 2004 HB04-1023 CRS 24-80-912.7[1] | |
Soil | Seitz soil[23] | United States Department of Agriculture |
Cultural symbols
editType | Symbol | Image | Adopted |
---|---|---|---|
Folk dance | Square dance[24] | March 16, 1992 HB 1058-1992 CRS 24-80-909.5[1] | |
Songs | "Where the Columbines Grow"[25] | May 8, 1915 SB 308-1915 CRS 24-80-909[1] | |
"Rocky Mountain High"[25] | March 12, 2007 SJR07-023 CRS 24-80-909[1] | ||
Summer sport | Pack burro racing[26] | May 8, 2012 HJR12-1021 | |
Tartan | Colorado state tartan[27] | March 3, 1997 HJR97-1016 | |
Winter sport | Skiing and snowboarding[28] | April 8, 2008 |
Highway route markers
editType | Symbol | Image | Adopted |
---|---|---|---|
State highways | Colorado state highway route marker[29] | 1967 Colorado Highway Commission | |
Scenic byways | Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway route marker[29] | 1989 Colorado Scenic and Historic Byways Commission |
Motor vehicle license plates
editType | Symbol | Image | Adopted |
---|---|---|---|
License plate | Colorado passenger automobile registration plate[30] | 1913 2018 Colorado Department of Revenue |
United States naval vessels
editType | Symbol | Image | Commissioned |
---|---|---|---|
Screw frigate | USS Colorado (1856)[31][d] | March 13, 1858 to June 8, 1875 United States Navy | |
Armored cruiser | USS Colorado (ACR-7)[36] | January 19, 1905 renamed USS Pueblo[e] November 9, 1916 to September 28, 1927 United States Navy | |
Battleship | USS Colorado (BB-45)[37] | August 30, 1923 to January 1947 United States Navy | |
Nuclear submarine | USS Colorado (SSN-788)[38] | Commissioned March 17, 2018 United States Navy |
United States stamp
editType | Symbol | Image | Issued |
---|---|---|---|
U.S. postage stamp | Colorado state centennial stamp[39] | May 21, 1977[f] United States Postal Service |
United States coin
editType | Symbol | Image | Released |
---|---|---|---|
U.S. quarter dollar | Colorado State Quarter[40] | June 14, 2006 United States Mint |
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ The Coat of Arms of the State of Colorado was implicitly defined by the legislation creating the Seal of the Territory of Colorado on November 11, 1861, and the Great Seal of the State of Colorado on March 15, 1877.
- ^ The State of Colorado is nicknamed the Centennial State because to joined the Union on August 1, 1876, four weeks after the centennial of the Declaration of Independence.
- ^ The Colorado River did not officially flow through the State of Colorado until July 25, 1921, when President Warren G. Harding signed House Joint Resolution 32 – To change the name of the Grand River in Colorado and Utah to the Colorado River.[32][33][34][35] Prior to this date, the origin of the Colorado River was officially the confluence of the Grand and Green rivers at 38°11′21″N 109°53′09″W / 38.1892°N 109.8857°W in what is now Canyonlands National Park of Utah.
- ^ USS Colorado was named for the Colorado River,[c] and predated the creation of the Territory of Colorado in 1861.
- ^ USS Colorado was renamed USS Pueblo on November 9, 1916 to free up the name for a new battleship to be named USS Colorado.
- ^ The United States Postal Service delayed the issue of the Colorado state centennial stamp from the Colorado Centennial on August 1, 1976, until May 21, 1977. The Colorado Sesquicentennial will be observed on August 1, 2026, four weeks after the United States Semiquincentennial.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Colorado Revised Statutes". Colorado Legal Resources. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
- ^ a b "State Motto". Colorado State Archives. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ a b "State Seal". Colorado State Archives. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ "State Flag". Colorado State Archives. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ a b "Colorado State Brand Story". State of Colorado. March 26, 2019. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
- ^ a b "State Name and Nicknames". Colorado State Archives. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ^ President of the United States of America (1876-08-01). "Proclamation of the Admission of Colorado to the Union" (php). The American Presidency Project. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
- ^ "State Amphibian". Colorado State Archives. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ^ "State Bird". Colorado State Archives. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ^ "State Cactus". Colorado State Archives. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ^ "State Fish". Colorado State Archives. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ^ "State Flower". Colorado State Archives. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ^ "State Grass". Colorado State Archives. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ^ "State Insect". Colorado State Archives. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ^ "State Animal". Colorado State Archives. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ^ "State Pet". Colorado State Archives. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ^ "State Reptile". Colorado State Archives. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ^ "State Tree". Colorado State Archives. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ^ "State Fossil". Colorado State Archives. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ^ "State Gemstone". Colorado State Archives. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ^ "State Mineral". Colorado State Archives. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ^ "State Rock". Colorado State Archives. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ^ "Seitz -- Colorado State Soil". Natural Resources Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture. August 23, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
- ^ "State Folk Dance". Colorado State Archives. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ^ a b "State Songs". Colorado State Archives. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ^ "State Summer Sport". Colorado State Archives. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
- ^ "State Tartan". Colorado State Archives. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ^ "State Winter Sport". Colorado State Archive. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
- ^ a b Malek, Matthew E. (November 30, 2014). "Colorado Highways: Route Markers Through the Years". Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ^ "Regular License Plates". Colorado Department of Revenue, Division of Motor Vehicles. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ^ "Colorado I (Screw Frigate)". Naval History and Heritage Command, United States Navy. June 30, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
- ^ "Renaming the Grand River, Colo." (PDF), Hearing Before the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce of the House of Representatives, Sixty Sixth Congress, Third Session, on HJ 460, Government Printing Office, February 18, 1921, retrieved May 16, 2023
- ^ "House approves H. J. Res. 32-To change the name of the Grand River in Colorado and Utah to the Colorado River." (PDF), Congressional Record - Volume LXI-Part 3, Government Printing Office, p. 3057, June 27, 1921, retrieved May 16, 2023
- ^ "Senate approves H. J. Res. 32-To change the name of the Grand River in Colorado and Utah to the Colorado River." (PDF), Congressional Record - Volume LXI-Part 4, Government Printing Office, p. 3450, July 8, 1921, retrieved May 16, 2023
- ^ "President signs H. J. Res. 32-To change the name of the Grand River in Colorado and Utah to the Colorado River." (PDF), Congressional Record - Volume LXI-Part 5, Government Printing Office, p. 4274, July 25, 1921, retrieved May 16, 2023
- ^ "Colorado I (Screw Frigate)". Naval History and Heritage Command, United States Navy. June 30, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
- ^ "Colorado I (Screw Frigate)". Naval History and Heritage Command, United States Navy. June 30, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
- ^ "USS Colorado (SSN 788) Commissioning Committee". USS Colorado (SSN 788) Commissioning Committee. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ^ "Colorado Statehood Issue". National Postal Museum, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
- ^ "Colorado State Quarter". United States Mint. Retrieved May 12, 2023.