ï In 1859, John Gregory discovered ìThe Gregory Lodeî in a gulch near Central City. Within two weeks, the gold rush was on and within two months the population grew to 10,000 people in search of their fortune. It came to be known as ìThe Richest Square Mile on Earth.îï Colorado resident Bill Harmsen invented Jolly Ranchers in 1949. The Teddy Bear was invented at the Hotel Colorado in Glenwood Springs in honor of Teddy Roosevelt. Colorado also invented the car boot.ï Where the Columbines Grow” was adopted as the official state song on May 8, 1915. Traveling by horse and wagon to visit Indian tribes in the San Luis Valley in 1896, A.J. Flynn received inspiration to write the song after he came across a beautiful Colorado mountain meadow, covered with columbines. He dedicated the song to the Colorado pioneers. “Rocky Mountain High” by John Denver was adopted as another state song on March 12, 2007. John Denver’s real name was Henry John Deutschendorf Jr., but his stage name came from the capital city of Colorado.
