Summer in Colorado is special. We get plenty of sunny days for adventures outdoors and just as many cool nights to relax and stargaze. There are also several incredible historic places in or near our state for viewing starry night skies! From urban observatories to ancient archaeological sites, these places boast campfire stories that are as interesting as those inspired by the constellations.

Food is among the best of summer’s delights. As you consider the adventures you plan to have in Colorado this coming season, don’t forget the many ways food can connect you with our state’s unique heritage.

Even with its dry climate and short summer season, Colorado has a surprising legacy of culinary prowess. From the turkeys domesticated by ancient Puebloans to the wineries that have boosted tourism on the Western Slope, Colorado is full of delicious stories and destinations to savor!

Next week we observe the formal end of slavery in the United States on Juneteenth. Although President Lincoln gave his Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, it wasn’t until June 19, 1865 that Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas and announced that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free.

Colorado was just coming into its own at this time, and suffrage for African Americans was a central issue on the path to statehood, leading President Andrew Johnson to reject a bill in 1867.