The name "Colorado" comes from the Spanish word colorado, meaning “colored red” or “ruddy,” and it originally referred to the Colorado River, which was named for the reddish silt it carried from the Rocky Mountains. But here’s where it gets interesting: when the Colorado Territory was established in 1861, the river we now call the Colorado wasn’t even named that in the region—it was known as the Grand River. The name “Colorado River” originally applied only to the portion downstream from the confluence with the Green River in Utah. It wasn’t until 1921 that the entire stretch through Colorado was officially renamed the Colorado River to match the state’s name. So where did the name “Colorado” for the territory come from? It was likely inspired by Colorado City, a settlement founded in 1859 near today’s Colorado Springs. The town’s founders chose the name because of the red sandstone formations in the area—like those in Red Rock Canyon and Garden of the Gods. When Congress was considering names for the new territory, local representatives lobbied for “Colorado” to promote their town, and it stuck.
But here’s where it gets interesting: when the Colorado Territory was established in 1861, the river we now call the Colorado wasn’t even named that in the region—it was known as the Grand River. The name “Colorado River” originally applied only to the portion downstream from the confluence with the Green River in Utah. It wasn’t until 1921 that the entire stretch through Colorado was officially renamed the Colorado River to match the state’s name.
So where did the name “Colorado” for the territory come from? It was likely inspired by Colorado City, a settlement founded in 1859 near today’s Colorado Springs. The town’s founders chose the name because of the red sandstone formations in the area—like those in Red Rock Canyon and Garden of the Gods. When Congress was considering names for the new territory, local representatives lobbied for “Colorado” to promote their town, and it stuck.