In August of 1876, President Ulysses S. Grant signed a proclamation making Colorado the 38th state in America. By then, gold miners had rushed to Pikes Peak and other mountains beyond Denver in hopes of striking it rich.

Hopes and dreams would soon die inside the mining industry. But hopes and dreams are alive and well in Colorado today, 150 years after statehood.

This is the Centennial State, so named for Colorado joining the Union exactly 100 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. A land of opportunity was envisioned. And a land of opportunity Colorado remains.

Opportunities abound here for adventure, entertainment, luxury and so much more. In celebrating this anniversary year, allow us to count out 150.

Gold and silver were first to put Colorado on the map. But now the places that are chronicled on these pages do. They help define Colorful Colorado.

It is the red rocks that gave the state its name (“colored red”). It is the 14,000-foot mountain named for the blue sky. It is the many colors of wildflowers that bloom across Crested Butte. It is the pink building that features Mexican food and, better yet, cliff diving.

We make other dives around the state ー a bar for Rocky Mountain oysters comes to mind. It’s an acquired taste, they say. More widely enjoyed are the sweetness of a Palisade peach and the spice of a Pueblo chile.

Also widely enjoyed in Colorado: climbing a mountainside staircase, running with burros and skiing behind a horse. If you think that is weird, try going to the festival that honors a frozen dead guy. Or maybe you like your festivals with bluegrass or beer. Colorado delivers both.

Arguably no other state blends rugged adventure with luxury fit for royalty quite like this one. We cover plenty of that, too. We cover destinations well-known and lesser-known, in some cases returning to the mountains that called to prospectors more than 150 years ago.

Yes, it was gold and silver that brought many here. Keeping us here today are countless memories to be made ー priceless.