42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
From inventions to unique residents to the downright wacky and wild, here are a few of our favorite fun facts about the state of Colorado. Enjoy!
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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1. The term “cheeseburger” was originally trademarked by Louis Ballast of Denver’s ‘Humpty Dumpty Drive-In’ in 1935. Photo credit: bhofack2
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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2. The first license plate was issued in 1908 in Denver, Colorado. Photo Credit: woody1778a (flickr)
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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3. Nederland, Colorado is home to a body that has been frozen cryogenically for decades. It’s the namesake behind their annual “Frozen Dead Guy Days” festival. Photo Credit: 4Neus.
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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4. Don’t think about tossing some snowballs around in Aspen, Colorado. It’s illegal to throw them at a person or building. Photo Credit: MIKI Yoshihito. (#mikiyoshihito) (flickr)
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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5. No U.S. President or Vice-President has been born in Colorado. Photo Credit: Christian Collins (flickr)
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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6. Colorado is home to one of the largest preserved sets of dinosaur tracks in the world at Picketwire Canyon. You can find more than 1,300 steps across roughly one quarter (or 0.25 miles) mile.
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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8. The first Teddy Bear was invented in Colorado when the maids at The Hotel Colorado in Glenwood Springs crafted it to give to a famous visitor – Theodore Roosevelt. Photo Credit: USFWS:Southeast (flickr)
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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9. It’s against the law to pick Colorado’s state flower, the Colorado Blue Columbine, on public land or without prior consent of a private landowner. Photo Credit: @mrspenceproductions (Instagram)
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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10. Ever get your car tire clamped for parking in the wrong place? That device was invented by concert violinist Frank Marugg in 1944 in Denver, Colorado. Photo Credit: ecastro (flickr)
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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11. Jolly Ranchers were invented by a Colorado resident by the name of Bill Harmsen in 1949. Photo Credit: JeepersMedia (flickr)
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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13. Denver’s Colfax Avenue is the longest continuous street in the United States. Photo Credit: Jeffrey Beall (flickr)
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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14. Mesa Verde National Park is one of the richest archaeological sites in the world with more than 4,000 protected areas, many of which originate from 600-1,300 A.D.
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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15. A prison located in Florence, Colorado called the SuperMax is the highest-security level of federal prison in the country. The long list of inmates includes many international and domestic terrorists, along with double agents. Photo Credit: the enigmatic traveler (flickr)
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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17. Dove Creek, Colorado in Dolores County is self-proclaimed to be the “pinto bean capital of the world” thanks to the many beans grown in the area. Photo Credit: dominik18s (flickr)
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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18. Two men set the record for the longest session of billiards ever in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Their final time? 100 hours straight...that’s more than 4 days. Photo Credit: Franck_Michel (flickr)
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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19. Katherine Lee Bates claims that her timeless classic “America the Beautiful” was inspired by a climb up Pikes Peak.
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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20. The Pikes Peak Cog Railway is the highest operating train track in the country, reaching the summit of Pikes Peak at 14,110 feet. Note: The Cog is closed for the 2018 season, possibly forever.
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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21. In 2006, five men in Colorado set the record for most distance covered on an inflatable craft in 24 hours. Setting off on the Colorado River, they had traveled 194 miles when all was said and done. That’s an average speed of eight miles per hour. Photo Credit: Raftrek Adventure Travel (flickr)
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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22. Frank J. Wisner invented a treat once called “the Black Cow” in Colorado in 1893. It’s now known as the “root beer float”. Photo Credit: stu_spivack (flickr)
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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23. While Colorado currently has 271 incorporated municipalities, it’s estimated that there was once more than 1,500 ghost towns in the state leftover from the mining era. Today, a little over 600 still remain. Photo Credit: Rob Lee.
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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24. Glenwood Springs, Colorado is home to the world’s largest hot springs pool, found at Glenwood Hot Springs. Photo Credit: Glenwood Hot Springs
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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25. Colorado is home to the Four Corners Monument, the only place where the corners of four states meet...or do they? Recent reports have suggested that the monument is actually located a couple miles away from the official spot.
Photo Credit: Rita Quinn Live ROAMING RITA (Flickr)
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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27. The 13th step of the State Capitol Building in Denver is exactly one mile above sea level, lending the city its nickname of “the Mile High City”. Photo Credit: Ken Lund (flickr)
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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28. Herding pigs in public in Boulder is illegal. Photo Credit: KSRE Photo (flickr)
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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29. Texas might be cowboy central, but many experts agree that the first United States rodeo exhibition was held in 1869 in a town called Deer Trail, Colorado. Photo Credit: Emil Kepko (Flickr).
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
30. While Buckhorn Exchange in Denver is known best for the many animal heads stuck on its walls (there are 100s), this restaurant was also the first establishment to receive a liquor license following Prohibition. Photo Credit: eamathe (Flickr)
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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31. The highest suspension bridge in the country can be found in Cañon City above the Royal Gorge. It’s height is 955 feet!
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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32. In Vail, it’s illegal to hit obstacles while on skis or a snowboard making most accidents a crime! Photo Credit: Vail Mountain Resorts.
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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33. Roughly 75% of all U.S. land over 10,000 feet can be found in Colorado.
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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34. Some claim that outdoor holiday lights were actually invented by merchants along Denver’s 16th Street Mall during the early 20th-century. Photo Credit: MartialArtsNomad.com (flickr)
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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37. The first Stegosaurus fossil was found near Morrison, Colorado in 1876.
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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38. Thanks to a geothermal well on the property that provides consistent warmth, Colorado is able to house one of the world’s largest alligator farms. If you visit, plan ahead and you might be able to try your hand at gator wrestling. Photo Credit: Larry1732.
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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39. Big fan of the burrito-giant Chipotle? The first one opened in Denver in 1993. Photo Credit: JeepersMedia (flickr)
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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40. The tallest sand dunes in the country can be found at the Great Sand Dunes National Park, with the Star Dune reaching the highest height at over 750 feet.
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
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42. There was a diamond found at Kelsey Lake mine that was 5.39-carats and sold for $87,000. It’s the 5th largest diamond ever found in the United States.
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
35. Bishop Castle near Pueblo is the largest self-built castle in the country, and it’s open for tours.Photo credit: Chris Waits (flickr)
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
36. The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado was the inspiration behind Stephen King’s infamous horror novel, The Shining. Try not to think of that during your stay.
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
41. The world’s largest flat-top mountain is Grand Mesa found in Western Colorado. Photo Credit: Stewart M Green.
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
16. Pagosa Springs is home to the deepest-geothermal hot spring in the world. Granted, it’s so deep that any attempt to get an official number on its depth has failed. We do know that it’s at least 1,002 feet deep.
Photo Credit: Pagosa Hot Springs
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
26. The road to the top of Mount Evans is the highest paved route in America. It reaches a height of 14,238 feet!
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
12. Colorado Springs, Colorado is home to more than 300 days of sunshine a year, making it one of the sunniest places in the country.
42 Weird, Wacky, and Wild Colorado Facts
7. The highest ski lift in North America can be found at Breckenridge Ski Resort, dropping skiers off at a very high 13,000 feet.
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