Colorado

**Colorado** is a large state in the western united states bordered by Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Trimeda, Chaster, and Nebraska. Notable for having the highest average elevation of any state in the union, most of the population is concentrated in the "front range" region, extending from Pueblo in the south to Fort Collins in the North. The state has an area of 104,094 sq mi, a population of 15,839,926, and its largest city and capital is Denver.

Following the Mexican-American war, Colorado was created as a territory. The region was beset by a great deal of conflict as large numbers of eastern colonists began settling the wild region. Without a solid rail-road connection, the Federal Government only loosely held dominion over the area. For many of the citizens, they were still under the impression that the Mexican Empire was the ruling nation. The first telegraphs sent across the continent were constructed in 1901, finally giving the federal government the means to cement its control over the chaotic region. Followed shortly after by a great amount of rail infrastructure, Colorado was admitted as the 58th state in 1905. During the Mormon Ski Wars, the Coloradan State Guard collaborated with federal troops in subduing rebel elements across the west. In its neighboring states, and Colorado itself, various rebel cells operating under Prophet-President Brigham Young caused a great deal of damage to the early state.

After the end of the war, Colorado's population exploded as the Eastern United States was bombarded by ships from the German Empire, with even troops briefly occupying some of southern Florida. Its rich gold resources prompted the federal government to create a series of fortified structures including Cheyenne Mountain, Fort Collins, and Fort Carson. The air force in particular took a great interest in the state. After the allies repelled the Germans in 1921, the roaring twenties boomed Colorado's economy. It became increasingly important as the American-Japanese war broke out. Large factories beyond the mountains were impossible for Japanese planes to reach, causing Colorado to become an industrial powerhouse. After Japan fell into civil disorder, the factories were sold off and privatized while the state's economy became heavily based on defense spending. The cold war and subsequent wars in the middle east fueled Colorado's economy.

With a large service sector, tourism sector, and faltering but major industrial sector, Colorado's economy is one of the largest in the union, just shy of 500 billion dollars. The state remains one of the most educated and wealthiest but has since fallen behind as industry has shifted towards other states and countries altogether. The state retains a large indigenous presence with tribal councils and leagues ruling over a quarter of the state. The Cheyenne are the official ruling tribe and control much of the mountains from which the state retains its wealth.

## History

Colorado had been settled for thousands of years by a myriad of natives. With a natural beauty surpassed by few places on earth, the various tribes and peoples of the region formed various nations throughout history. The arrival of the Spanish saw a great deal of conflict as mountain-dwelling guerilla forces kept them mostly at bay. On the plains, however, the Spanish dominated the land. Towns such as Pueblo were established, but many were burned down and raided as Cheyenne forces adapted to the Spanish system. In 1703, the Kingdom of the Red Mountains was founded, stretching across much of the South West. After developing the means to create their own guns, the small population was used to great effect to resist the Spanish for decades.

However, in 1763, the Spanish released a new super weapon onto the land, a cannon capable of firing from miles away. So powerful were its slugs that entire villages were destroyed upon impact. The large weapon, based on an ancient Greek design uncovered several decades earlier, burned much of the mighty forests. The King surrendered in 1765 and was immediately executed. The colonization of the kingdom was brutal, with millions of deaths. While nature was able to restore due to the utter depopulation of the mountains, the Spanish began importing a large number of slaves to mine the resource-rich mountains. Literal tons of gold were extracted before the Mexican revolution which caused northern Mexico to become more or less independent from the rest. While Mexico City attempted to assert control over its expansive territory, the United States put an end to that in 1847.

Now under the banner of the Colorado Territory, the region was still mostly native with a large number of slaves still serving them. Rising tension before the civil war caused the governor of Colorado to officially ban slavery, creating several mostly black cities across the front range such as Monument and Castle Rock. The Colorado Militia was firmly on the side of the Union despite protest from a good portion of the native tribes in the mountains. The majority of the Natives, white settlers, and, of course, freed slaves were sympathetic to the Union.