July 29, 2026: Polis on Peters; A Colorado horoscope

Summary

Colorado Matters: July 29, 2026 – Polis on Peters, Wildfires & A Colorado Horoscope

Episode Overview

In this lively and multifaceted episode of Colorado Matters, hosts Ryan Warner and Chandra Thomas Whitfield navigate a rich set of Colorado-centric topics with their guests. The episode's core is an in-depth sit-down interview with Governor Jared Polis covering hot-button issues: his controversial decision to free Tina Peters, his critique of “socialism” both locally and nationally, wildfire response, and Colorado’s surprising new top ranking in education. The show then lightens up with a whimsical astrological reading of the state itself in celebration of Colorado’s 150th birthday, and a historical look back at the state’s winding path to statehood.

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Key Segments and Insights

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1. Governor Jared Polis: Clemency, Socialism, and Education ([01:03]–[26:40])

Polis on Wildfires, Federal Funding & Socialism Narratives

• Socialism Reframed:

  • Polis rejects the idea that state investment in education is “socialism.”

    “Socialism has a very specific definition ... government ownership of the means of production ... what Donald Trump has been doing buying 10% of Intel.”
    — Gov. Jared Polis [01:56]

  • He critiques the Trump administration for government acquisition of shares in major companies, calling it a “socialist agenda” threatening market impartiality.

    “There's no way that the US Government... can also be a shareholder in one of the largest steel producers. It's wrong. It's to the detriment of the fair and free market system.”
    — Gov. Jared Polis [03:16]

• Public Safety Net vs. Socialism:

  • Reiterates being a progressive Democrat—believes in universal health care and other social programs, but insists those are possible only via a free-market economy.

    “The only way to accomplish those (progressive goals) are through free market and capitalism. You look at every European country as an example.”
    — Gov. Jared Polis [04:28]

• Schisms Over Gaza and Party Dynamics:

  • Acknowledges Democratic party debates over Gaza but maintains it's unrelated to socialism; criticizes current war in Iran as unjustified.

    “We're in a war in Iran and ... I don't think the President's articulated ... the reason for putting the lives of American servicemen and women at risk...”
    — Gov. Jared Polis [07:34]

Clemency for Tina Peters: Conviction, Fallout & Free Speech

• Reasoning for Clemency:

  • Polis stands firm, citing excessive sentence and partisan motivations as key flaws.

    “The very fact that there seems to be a somewhat partisan reaction to this shows the underpinnings for why it needed to be done.”
    — Gov. Jared Polis [08:38]

  • Describes Peters’ crime as “a stupid crime,” but believes the sentence should be based on the act, not her speech or beliefs.

    “Sentencing should be based on the crime, not on the fact that separately, the person ... believes in the earth being flat, believes elections are rigged, believes that birds aren't real ... that is not a sentencing basis for the crime itself.”
    — Gov. Jared Polis [08:38]

• Free Speech, Clemency Board, and Party Backlash:

  • Defends firing clemency board members who breached confidentiality, but insists it didn’t violate their free speech.

    “Commenting on the deliberations of the board and applications is a violation of the executive order.”
    — Gov. Jared Polis [11:06]

  • Views party censure as proof that his decision protected fundamental liberties.

    “When members of a political party want someone in jail for their speech, that's a very dangerous precedent.”
    — Gov. Jared Polis [12:20]

• No Quid Pro Quo:

  • Responds to reporter queries: denies any link between clemency and subsequent federal funding increases.

    “From my perspective, it made it harder to do the right thing because ... President Trump ... makes it harder, not easier. So it would have been a lot easier ... had President Trump never mentioned her.”
    — Gov. Jared Polis [14:06]

Wildfire Response and Drought ([14:56]–[17:15])

• Fire Management:

  • Details federal and state coordination, new technologies (Firehawk helicopters), and the toll of recent fires: four firefighter deaths, over 300 structures lost.

    “We had crack teams from Alaska, New Jersey ... we significantly brought down absenteeism ... We are wide awake 24/7 looking out for what might come next.”
    — Gov. Jared Polis [15:13]

• Water Conservation:

  • Stresses state and local partnership, with agriculture as main water user, and outlines steps towards sustainable practices.

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2. Colorado: Number One in Education ([17:15]–[26:40])

The Ranking & What It Means

• Celebrating the Win:

  • Colorado named #1 in education by U.S. News & World Report—up from #17 to #1 during Polis’s tenure. Noted for achievements from early childhood through higher ed.

    “We are now the number one state for education ... It's exciting to be number one, but also a time to double down. No complacency here.”
    — Gov. Jared Polis [17:54]

• Context:

  • Polis and Warner both note that nationwide, being ‘number one’ in the US is “reaching a low bar”.

    “Compared to the rest of the world, being number one in the US is reaching a low bar.”
    — Ryan Warner [19:12]

  • Polis stresses the US ranks in the bottom third among OECD countries; calls for more global best practices.

• Education Reform Priorities:

  • Six pillars: resources, choice, afterschool, higher ed access, scientific reading instruction, language learning in early grades.

    “There's not a silver bullet ... there's a comprehensive approach ... six different categories.”
    — Gov. Jared Polis [21:44]

  • Example of early language immersion benefits over traditional high school language study.

• Teacher Pay & Student Outcomes:

  • Links teacher pay indirectly to student achievement, alongside teacher training, afterschool/summer programs, and investments.

    “You need to be able to pay competitively to attract the people you need ... but you also need to provide the training and the pedagogy that help those teachers succeed.”
    — Gov. Jared Polis [22:51]

School Choice ([24:23]–[26:36])

• Philosophy:

  • 40% of families choose a school outside their neighborhood. Polis claims choice boosts graduation rates and engagement.

    “There's something magical about the families sitting around the kitchen table and saying which of these three or four elementary schools make sense ... And it's really important to engage families with what works for them.”
    — Gov. Jared Polis [24:23]

• Potential Drawback Addressed:

  • Polis argues school culture is strengthened when families actively choose to be there.

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3. Birthday Feature: Colorado’s Astrological Birth Chart ([27:23]–[33:41])

“A Colorado Horoscope” with Aubrey Houdeschel

• Colorado is a Leo (birthday August 1, 1876)—characterized by warmth, magnetism, pride, uniqueness.

  “They like to stand out and be known or highlighted for all of their ... unique gifts and talents and characteristics and qualities.”
  — Aubrey Houdeschel [28:07]

  • Warner remarks this fits Colorado’s character.

• Astrological Details:

  • North Node in Pisces—fitting for a state pioneering in legal substances, e.g., marijuana, mushrooms.

    “Of course, Colorado was the first state to legalize marijuana. We have recently decriminalized mushrooms ... I was just like, of course.”
    — Aubrey Houdeschel [29:35]

  • Venus in Cancer—suggests a nurturing, welcoming energy; a “safe haven” for diverse people and ideas.

    “Cancer really strives for this feeling of safety. And you're right. I think Colorado does strive to be a safe haven. ... for example, or trans rights.”
    — Aubrey Houdeschel [31:48]

• Reflections on Cost and Attraction:

  • Acknowledges Colorado’s rising expense as a factor prompting some to leave.

• Personal Note:

  • Houdeschel, a lifetime Coloradan:

    “It makes me feel that there are a lot of similarities ... that line up very well with who Colorado is.”
    — Aubrey Houdeschel [33:17]

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4. Colorado Statehood: The Winding Path ([34:31]–[48:13])

Interview with curator Kathryn Mercer at History Colorado Center

• The 17-Year Struggle:

  • Colorado’s journey to statehood took five attempts and nearly two decades. Early resistance stemmed from miners’ reluctance to pay state taxes and the complexity of gathering delegates with limited transportation.

    “We had to try very hard in many different ways over nearly 17 years to become a state. And even then, it almost didn't happen.”
    — Kathryn Mercer [35:14]

• Federal Approval:

  • Statehood required a rushed constitutional convention and federal ratification. The crucial proclamation was signed by President Ulysses S. Grant on August 1, 1876.

    “When Ulysses S. Grant started writing ... we were not a state. But by the time he wrote the six ... we were a state. This is the document that did it.”
    — Kathryn Mercer [35:44]

• Indigenous Displacement:

  • The 1861 Fort Wise Treaty (signed by Lincoln) drastically restricted Cheyenne and Arapaho lands, setting the stage for statehood but with a legacy of injustice.

    “This document and Abraham Lincoln's signature on it is complicit in removing their access ... to most of that land and restricting their movement.”
    — Kathryn Mercer [42:04]

• Barriers to Statehood:

  • Various factors caused delays, notably economic concerns, debate over black suffrage (notably the 1865 Constitution removing black men’s right to vote), and the oscillating will of Congress and the President.

    “Many black community leaders and businessmen in Denver say, wait a second, we just fought the Civil War over this; we deserve the right to vote.”
    — Kathryn Mercer [44:43]

• Final Celebration:

  • The news was prematurely celebrated on July 4, 1876, but statehood was official August 1.

    “That's actually why we celebrate Colorado Day on Aug. 1, because that's the day that he signed the proclamation.”
    — Kathryn Mercer [47:41]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Clemency Backlash:

  “When members of a political party want someone in jail for their speech, that's a very dangerous precedent.”
  — Gov. Jared Polis [12:20]

• On Education Reform:

  “There's not a silver bullet ... it's a comprehensive approach ... that's why you can't just do one thing and say, oh, we're now number one.”
  — Gov. Jared Polis [21:44]

• On Colorado’s Astrological Personality:

  “Colorado loves to kind of be known for the ways that it's different and special and unique. ... Leo is definitely very magnetic.”
  — Aubrey Houdeschel [29:00]

• On the Reality of Statehood:

  “By the time he wrote the six down here on the 1st of August, 1876, we were a state. This is the document that did it.”
  — Kathryn Mercer [35:44]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:03] — Introduction and Governor Polis sit-down
• [01:37] — Polis on socialism and education investments
• [08:38] — Governor’s discussion of Tina Peters’ clemency
• [14:06] — Denial of quid pro quo involving federal funds
• [15:13] — Wildfire response and collaboration with federal government
• [17:54] — Achievement: Colorado #1 in U.S. News education ranking
• [21:44] — Areas for education improvement, focus on reading and teacher pay
• [24:23] — Philosophy and impact of school choice
• [27:23] — Colorado’s astrological birth chart with Aubrey Houdeschel
• [34:31] — Kathryn Mercer on statehood struggle, indigenous displacement
• [42:04] — Fort Wise Treaty and shrinking of Indigenous lands
• [44:43] — Story of black suffrage and just-missed statehood attempts
• [47:41] — Grant’s signature, Colorado Day

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Episode Tone & Takeaways

The episode balances serious policy debate (with Polis challenging conventional partisan labels and bravely defending an unpopular clemency move) with offbeat segments like the “Colorado horoscope.” Under Warners’ thoughtful, sometimes wry questioning, the conversation never veers into dead air—even while dissecting historic injustices and the ongoing complexities of state identity. It offers both information for wonks and reflective, human moments about what makes Colorado distinct—on earth and, for the day, even in the stars.

Transcript

[Ryan Warner]

From CPR News, this is Colorado Matters. He's been censured by his own party, lambasted by Coloradans who voted for him. Yet Governor Jared Polis stands by his decision to free convicted clerk Tina Peters.

[Governor Jared Polis]

The very fact that there seems to be a somewhat partisan reaction to this shows the underpinnings for why it needed to be done.

[Ryan Warner]

We also discuss wildfires as socialism and a new analysis that deems us number one in education. Then we got Colorado a 150th birthday present. It's an astrological reading. Born August 1st. Our state is a LEO.

[Aubrey Houdeschel]

They like to stand out and be highlighted for all of their sort of unique gifts and talents and characteristics and qualities.

[Ryan Warner]

You are describing Colorado and Coloradans right now.

[Aubrey Houdeschel]

Right? And that's exactly what I thought.

[Ryan Warner]

This is Colorado Matters from CPR News and krcc. I'm Ryan Warner. Today, our first interview with Governor Jared Polis since he freed convicted clerk Tina Peters. Also the first time we've chatted since he's popped onto conservative talk shows to rail against socialism and since deadly wildfires broke out in the state and and after an outlet famous for its rankings put Colorado on top for education. Polis had just announced that news when we sat down in a kindergarten classroom Tuesday. Governor, welcome back to the program.

[Governor Jared Polis]

It's a pleasure to be with you, Ryan.

[Ryan Warner]

It's nice they provided adult sized chairs. Otherwise it was going to be an uncomfortable low sit. You spoke a lot about state investments in education today. Some might call this level of public investment socialism. Would you?

[Governor Jared Polis]

I don't think anybody would. Socialism has a very specific definition in the media, which is government ownership of the means of production, like what Donald Trump has been doing buying 10% of Intel. U.S. military now owns 15% of MP Materials. The U.S. government has a golden share in U.S. steel, where President Trump can appoint an apparatchik to the board of US Steel who gets a veto over major strategic decision. So the slow government takeover of the economy led by President Trump and his socialist agenda is really the main threat to American prosperity. But nothing to do with public education because we're not talking about ownership of companies. I mean, last I heard, no school district is buying shares of companies. I mean, para, the retirement system for teachers does. But that's a retirement account. That's different. They're not an active shareholder. They're just a pension.

[Ryan Warner]

It's fascinating because I've seen headline after headline about Colorado's Democratic governor going on Fox and Friends or Hannity or News Nation to condemn Socialism, presumably in the Democratic ranks. But I watch these videos, Governor, and you seem more to be talking indeed about the Trump administration. And I wonder if it's a Trojan horse operation on your part that perhaps these hosts expect you to rail against Mehlot Kiros and then you point out what you dislike.

[Governor Jared Polis]

Yeah, I think that worked. It might have got me on Hannity. I've worked with a couple, but they pro watch each other and they know where I'm going now. So the invitations have waned, Ryan, because I think that's probably what they do on but yeah, I do think it surprised them a little bit from the start, but I'm more concerned with who's in power and what they're doing. There's no question President Trump is socializing major sectors of the economy, particularly those related to the military, to materials. And here's a danger in that the government needs to be a neutral regulator of the economy. They need to be the referee. Right. They need to, of course, protect consumers, enforce antitrust. You can't be a player on the field and the referee at the same time. At the very best is it questions the appearance of your impartiality, but it actually does impinge upon your impartiality itself. There's no way that the US Government writing the rules for import and export of steel can also be a shareholder and one of the largest steel producers. It's wrong. It's to the detriment of the fair and free market system. And it concentrates political and economic power, in this case in the presidency under Donald Trump.

[Ryan Warner]

Inherent in this message, are you trying to reach Democratic socialists who have been rising within your party? Is this also a message for a Mailot Kiros?

[Governor Jared Polis]

Well, if I want to reach them, I'm probably not going on Fox News. I probably need to go on some other network because they're probably not watching that. I think that whether it comes from the, you know, Republicans or Democrats, there are elements of both parties that are supportive of government ownership of the economy. And I think that's more of a danger now because Republicans are in power, they're actually doing it. Yes, there's a few socialists on the Democratic side, too, that might agree with President Trump on what he's doing, but I think it's important to speak out against. It's important for the government to be an impartial referee of the economy. And then the other thing is I'm a Democrat, I'm progressive. I believe in a strong social safety net. I believe in universal healthcare. The only way to accomplish those are through free market and capitalism. You look at every European country as an example. And by the way, to be in the European Union, you cannot be socialist. When countries like Romania acceded to the European Union, they just sell off government owned companies. You have to be. The bylaws of the EU say you have to have a market economy. Every country there has universal healthcare in one form or fashion. Many of the countries do better in education. So the key is the free market in capitalism to achieve these progressive goals of universal health care and stronger social safety net.

[Ryan Warner]

Do you think that we are having too big a debate over the word socialism? That is, for some it means expanding the social safety net versus government control of a particular something. You know, I think that the word is charged. And is it helpful, do you think, in the discussion?

[Governor Jared Polis]

Well, I mean, look, I'm just here to look at what the dictionary says. You know, socialism is.

[Ryan Warner]

You're looking this up on your phone as we speak.

[Governor Jared Polis]

Well, that's right.

[Ryan Warner]

Researching in a classroom seems apropos.

[Governor Jared Polis]

So look, Merriam Webster socialism. Any of the various egalitarian economic and political theories or movements advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of, of the means of production and distribution of goods. So that's what the dictionary says. It says government ownership of, distributing or owning goods. So like I.

[Ryan Warner]

And what about health care? Let's, let's say healthcare.

[Governor Jared Polis]

I don't think the government should own or run hospitals. That is the UK model. Right. I think the government has a role in making sure that everybody is covered. But absolutely, I think that doctors, hospitals should be nonprofit, some are for profit. But no, I think that the government's role is to make sure everybody is covered, not to provide the services like

[Ryan Warner]

the VA model, but insurance. For instance, a Medicare for all. Would that fall under socialism to you?

[Governor Jared Polis]

Well, no, the government doesn't own the means of production. That's a strong social. The only way you can have Medicaid and Medicare is under capitalism and a free market. You simply can't afford them. Under a socialist system where the government owns companies and it leads to poverty, a lack of economic growth, a lack of opportunity. Again, it's not just saying that. Every country that in Europe and others that have achieved universal healthcare all have free market capitalism and that's the only way they've been able to achieve it. And the only way we can achieve it here is through free market capitalism, not the socialism that Donald Trump has launched. Buying shares of companies and then trying to get them to do his will in a centrally planned economy. Rather to compete in the global economy.

[Ryan Warner]

Do you see a schism, a fissure opening in the Democratic Party over Gaza?

[Governor Jared Polis]

You look, everybody. First of all, that's very different than debating economic theory, whether people believe in social safety, that capitalism, socialism has nothing to do with foreign policy. But sure, people should debate on all sides of the aisle American foreign policy. It's a healthy discussion to have. We're in a war in Iran and none of us, really none of us, but I certainly don't understand the reason we're at war in Iran. I don't think the President's articulated or even has it in his own mind the reason for putting the lives of American servicemen and women at risk are and of course, how Gaza can become part of whether it's Egypt or an independent Palestine free from the rule of Hamas and terrorists is an important and complicated discussion that should be had on

[Ryan Warner]

both sides of the People are still mad Governor Polis about the Tina Peters clemency In May you explained your reasoning on substack and at the end you wrote that your next post would be a reflection on the reaction and what you've learned. I don't think you've posted that yet, so I wonder if we might get a preview as to what you have learned and what you have taken from the reaction.

[Governor Jared Polis]

Yeah, I haven't had a chance to fully get that done yet. I mean, first of all, I don't think it's any surprise. The very fact that there seems to be a somewhat partisan reaction to this shows the underpinnings for why it needed to be done. Obviously, as you know, Tina Peters committed a crime and deserves to do the time consistent with what she did. Had she gotten a year or two years in prison or even four years in prison, which is what we commuted it to, I don't think anybody would have batted an eye. But when they gave her nine years, you know, seven year old woman probably seen the last of her days in prison over a crime that did not threaten any ballots. People misunderstand what the crime is. It was after a municipal election. It was facilitating illegal access to a vote room for the purposes of backing up software to show alleged fallacies prior to it being updated. Stupid crime. She made a huge mistake, served one or two or three years in prison. And again, we just need to move forward and recognize that you cannot use somebody's speech. And this was the problem with the sentence. The judge effectively said, and it was quoted in the appeals court decision, which agreed with me. I don't like what you said and that's why you're getting a harsher sentence. I'm paraphrasing. It was several sentences of that. And that is not a just basis for sentencing. Sentencing should be based on the crime, not on the fact that separately, the person being sentenced believes in the earth being flat, believes elections are rigged, believes that birds aren't real. Whatever various conspiracies they believe in, that is not a sentencing basis for the crime itself.

[Ryan Warner]

There are folks, I think, who see her freedom as a potential jeopardizing of ballots. You said she didn't jeopardize ballots. But her message certainly puts into jeopardy the system by inserting these questions that are based on fallacies. So let me push back on this idea that she didn't jeopardize it.

[Governor Jared Polis]

Well, first of all, speech is free, right? We celebrate free speech. You absolutely can say in this country, and should not be jailed from saying, I don't like the way elections are conducted. And by the way, I don't. I like ranked choice voting. I supported that. Right. I wish we did it that way. I mean, there's. There's many different ideas on speech. The most dangerous thing you can do is say, I don't like your speech, and we're going to put you in jail longer because of it. Because that tomorrow, today that might be her, tomorrow that might be you or

[Ryan Warner]

I you let go. You fired members of the Clemency Board for exercising their free speech rights. Is there a contradiction there?

[Governor Jared Polis]

Well, not at all. We inform our applicants that this is a confidential process of review. I don't know if we'd even have the same applicants or they'd write their applications the same way if they thought they could get out there. So this is a legal process around the constitutional right of commutation. And of course, I'm advised on it by many people and includes an advisory board. You know, again, I have no issue with members of the board saying they like or don't like certain decisions. But commenting on the deliberations of the board and applications is a violation of the executive order.

[Ryan Warner]

An order you wrote.

[Governor Jared Polis]

Yes.

[Ryan Warner]

Have you spoken with Tina Peters since her release?

[Governor Jared Polis]

No, I haven't. I mean, I don't think I've spoken with any of the people I commuted that day, or occasionally I run into people I've commuted at events and they just say, oh, thank you for, you know, giving my life back. But I certainly haven't. I don't really operate in the same circles as her.

[Ryan Warner]

My sense, going back to this idea of what you've learned. Or what you take the reaction to mean. My. My sense is you do not see the reaction so vociferously from your own party, which included a censure from the state Democratic Party. You do not see that as evidence you made the wrong decision. It seems to have affirmed your decision.

[Governor Jared Polis]

Well, yes. I mean, when members of a political party want someone in jail for their speech, that's a very dangerous precedent. And obviously, and again, in this case, it was my own political party, it could just as easily be the other political party. And it's very important to make sure that speech is never the basis for sentencing decisions.

[Ryan Warner]

Governor, on May 22, the federal government unfroze $40 million for a water rights purchase in Colorado. On July 9, the feds released 15 million in infrastructure funding for us. The EPA since May 19 has sent Colorado around 80 million. Now, correlation does not equal causation. But. But it does strike me that so much money came in after you granted clemency to Tina Peters.

[Governor Jared Polis]

Well, I don't think you've also included the number of areas they've cut off money over the last few months. We are engaged in lawsuits all the time with regard to defending our rights. In fact, they just sued us the other day for in state tuition for undocumented Coloradans to attend schools of higher education. It's certainly been challenging to deal with this administration. We're in over 70 lawsuits with the Trump administration. Obviously, as governor, we work with our federal partners where we can, and that's harder to do than it was under previous administrations. But when you look at the fact that over 30% of Colorado is owned by the federal government, U.S. forest Service, Department of Interior, these are very important partnerships. And I try to get to know and work with members of the Cabinet. And we're engaged in complex discussions around the Colorado river even as we speak.

[Ryan Warner]

I just want to say the quiet part out loud. You are assuring Coloradans that there was not a quid pro quo with Tina Peters. Clemency and the freeing up of federal funds, that was never part of the equation.

[Governor Jared Polis]

Well, not from my perspective. You know, you're asking me to attest to whether the president is corrupt or not. He might very well be. I have no idea. From my perspective, it made it harder to do the right thing because, you know, the people of Colorado are arguing about who can push back effectively against President Trump. When he opens his mouth on something, it makes it harder, not easier. So it would have been a lot easier to do the right thing with Tina Peters. Had President Trump never mentioned her.

[Ryan Warner]

So to be clear, you did not grant clemency with any sort of expectation from the federal government, but you can't say what the president's motivations are?

[Governor Jared Polis]

I can't say a thing about the president. I have no idea what goes on in that guy's mind. My goodness. He attacks us for many things all the time. He doesn't like mail in voting. Right. I mean, he doesn't like. You'd have to ask him. Well, I'll recommend to him when I talk to him that he sit down with you sometime. I don't know if he'll accept, but it'll be a great interview for you.

[Ryan Warner]

We'll take it from political fires to actual fires. Wildland firefighting is the purview of the federal government. There's only so many levers you can pull. But are the feds doing their job this season? It's interesting.

[Governor Jared Polis]

The feds reorganized the way they deal with fires.

[Ryan Warner]

It's centralizing.

[Governor Jared Polis]

They centralized it. It's largely the same people, Ryan, so we don't. Slightly different reporting structure, different badges. They are good partners. For a period of about almost two weeks, we were the number one fire priority in the nation. A combination of Pueblo county and Mesa county and Lake County. We're now, I think, number three or four. We still have some federal resources here, but we did surge federal resources as needed. It was a critical part of saving lives. We had crack teams from Alaska, New Jersey that came in and helped manage response in some of our fires. We had a height of over 12,000 Coloradans evacuated from their homes. I think we're now down to 1000 or 2. Over 300 structures were lost and we are wide awake 247 looking out for what might come next. And so we've upped our own capability significantly over the last several years, Ryan, and you've talked about this. We've added the Firehawk helicopters, more fixed wing aircraft. But we still rely on that national pool and the feds when we're a hotspot. And yes, they effectively surged in our time and need to help us meet that need and minimize loss of property and life. Sadly, we've now lost four firefighters during this work. No civilians, but four firefighters.

[Ryan Warner]

Indeed, hand in hand, of course, with the fires is our state's drought. Denver water set out to reduce use by 20% and did a tenth of that. Have cities and towns been aggressive enough in curbing water use?

[Governor Jared Polis]

Well, we all need to lead by example, so I led by example at the state level. The state's footprint is small, but we I have an executive order around reducing water usage of state buildings. We're reducing the state use of office space. We're doing what we can and absolutely cities, water districts are a partner in this. Best practices in ag are a part of it. Remember, the urban population piece is only in the 20 some percent of the water usage size. It's more in the 70 to 80 range for ag. And so how we have better soil stewardship practices, better crops that fit the realistic weather of where we are today. These are important discussions that we have within our department of Ag about how we can better support our farmers and ranchers during a very difficult transition.

[Ryan Warner]

Governor Jarrett Bolas is our guest in a kindergarten classroom in north Denver. After a break. Why we're sitting at a tiny table surrounded by tiny chairs. This is Colorado Matters from CPR News. It's Colorado Matters from CPR News. I'm Ryan Warner. Governor Jared Polis is our guest. We spoke Tuesday at a grade school in north Denver. He'd just announced a win. Colorado's education system tops a high profile list. Why don't you take a victory lap with this new ranking from U.S. news World Report? What stands out to you about it? Beyond, I suppose, the number one.

[Governor Jared Polis]

Well, I like the number one. We're here at Howell elementary, by the way, and this is a school we designated as a bright spot school, meaning their achievement gains were above and beyond, well above and beyond most other schools in our state, showing really incredible achievements in math and reading. Here at hal, with challenging and at risk demographic as a state, according to U.S. news World Report, which is usually used as a definitive way to rank schools. And they just it's all based on data. We are now the number one state for education and this is all the way from early childhood through higher education. Reflecting on the work we've done in school, expanding choices in school, investing in schools, fully funding our schools, but also the work we've done to expand funding for after hours. We had kids from Boys and Girls Club here. They're an important partner. Many other community partners for after school and of course, summer activities for kids that are tied in to achievement in the curriculum. So, you know, we've come a long way. You know, when I became governor, I think we were number 17. And last year we were number three. It's exciting to be number one, but also a time to double down. No complacency here. There are still kids falling through the gaps even here in Colorado and of course, America as A whole is no model on the international stage. We can and we must do better. And I'm really trying to lay out the six ways that we can do that.

[Ryan Warner]

I was pleasantly surprised, I think, maybe as a skeptical journalist, at your acknowledgement in remarks today that compared to the rest of the world being number one in the US Is reaching a low bar. Those were your words. And, you know, that's a sobering reality.

[Governor Jared Polis]

It is. Our country as a whole is slightly below the middle of the pack on what we call OCD nations, the wealthier, industrialized nations, Europe, Japan, et cetera. We're close to the bottom third. We need to do better, and we need to look at models that work. And I'll just give one example, Ryan, and I think you've been to Europe and you've interacted with people there. And almost every European in most countries speaks a second or third language. Usually it's English, and usually it's very fluent. If they're in their 20s or 30s, some of the grandparents don't. And they do that because they do foreign language instruction in the elementary years, the early years. And we do that when some schools in Colorado that work great, and I cited them today. We have many Spanish English immersion schools. We have German English, Mandarin English, French English. You can do that. And every kid is fluent in both languages by the time they're in fifth grade. But the conventional way we do it is we still do foreign language in high school. And there are too many Coloradans that quote, unquote, study. And I don't deny that they study a foreign language for two or three years in high school, and five years later, they barely speak a word of it. And that's simply not acceptable in today's global economy. And other countries do this, of course, kids should be fluent in two or three languages. And it's relatively easy to achieve if you do it in the early years

[Ryan Warner]

because their brains are like little sponges. This is how I wound up learning French, was that I was exposed to it as a little kid, and it put me leagues ahead.

[Governor Jared Polis]

And that's just science and data. And we draw on science and data for the best way to learn reading through phonetics, all of these things. But foreign language? Absolutely. When you're 4, 5, 6, 7 years old, it's just physically and neurologically better able to learn language than when you're 15 or 16. Just a fact demonstrated by study after study after study. And we should act on that information.

[Ryan Warner]

Two other areas of weakness that you pointed out. Sorry to rain on the parade, by the way, but, well, that's what you

[Governor Jared Polis]

and the media love to do. We wouldn't, you know, we can't just be patting ourselves on our back all day. We need you.

[Ryan Warner]

I appreciate you acknowledging my role, but you called out reading that there are schools where, you know, just a third of kids are at grade level in terms of reading. And you also mentioned teacher and paraprofessional pay. Why don't you talk about the road ahead, especially with the new administration coming in.

[Governor Jared Polis]

First of all, one thing, there's not a silver bullet. I hope that was clear today. It's like, oh, you do this one thing in education and everything's great. There's a comprehensive approach and I put things into six different categories of areas we need to move forward on. Absolute reading is one of them. You have schools like HAL where the reading is far above the state average. And you do that by again, scientific data driven curriculum, having literacy coaches after school if needed, three to five to get kids up to speed that might be behind speed on reading. And of course, paraprofessional teacher pay is part of that. Teachers have additional opportunities to work after school in many after school programs. That's one example. It's optional for the teacher, but a good way to earn more money, but also very meaningful whether it happens to be a classroom professional or somebody from the outside, a retired teacher that might come in for those after school activities, absolutely critical, as well as summer activities. Again, taking that summer off often leads to a loss of learning. And how do you engage students over summer in meaningful ways that are connected to their academic success?

[Ryan Warner]

Do you think there's a direct link between teacher pay and kids outcomes and reading outcomes?

[Governor Jared Polis]

Well, I would say it's indirect link. I mean, you need to be able to pay competitively to attract the people you need to do the work that's so important for our future. You also need to provide the training and the pedagogy that help those teachers succeed. And of course, teachers have embraced many of the reforms we brought, like preschool and kindergarten. Those fourth and fifth grade teachers are deeply appreciative of their kids are more likely to be up to grade level if they have that quality start. They appreciate people helping their kids after school hours and of course smaller class sizes. All of these things are important. That's why you can't just do one thing and say, oh, we're now number one. It really took all these things working together, including the record investments in education, the elimination of the budget stabilization factor, the full funding of Our public schools, which many if not most districts teacher pay increase over 40% during my time as governor. Of course, that's one of the things you need to do to be able to attract the high quality professionals to the classroom to deliver on being number

[Ryan Warner]

one, the budget stabilization factor, a kind of IOU that had been written to schools. This address that you gave at Howell sounded to me like a stump speech for school choice. While you acknowledged neighborhood schools, it really was a focus on there being inherent benefit to kids when they can choose their schools over perhaps the single one closest to their home. Could you share just a few words about why you believe that's the case?

[Governor Jared Polis]

Sure. Well, first of all, that was a co equal one of the six things we talked about. So it was really just a portion of my remarks. But they're all important, right? I mean, you can't have choice without resources, without after school activities, without access to higher ed and resources. So they all go together. But yeah, 40% of Colorado public school families choose a public school that might not be their neighborhood school. And neighborhood schools are a great option, but when you use that word, they're a great option. It obviously insinuates correctly so that there are other options. And that's because kids learn in different ways. And for some it might be an arts focused public school. For others it might be a science, technology, engineering and math focused school. For some it might be, we talked about the dual immersion schools or Spanish, English or Russian, English or German English. We have all these kinds of public schools in our state. How do you keep students engaged? I really think this is one of the ways we've been able to increase the graduation rate during my time as governor from 80 to 85% is more students are able to choose programs and schools that work for them, engaging those families. And Denver Public Schools does this. They no longer have you're assigned a school, they have attendance zones. And there's something magical about the families sitting around the kitchen table and saying which of these three or four elementary schools make sense for little Johnny and little Jane? It may be the same, it may be different because every school has something to offer the school leadership, the teachers, the specialization. And it's really important to engage families with what works for them.

[Ryan Warner]

Do you have any concerns that you weaken the fabric of a neighborhood or a community when the neighborhood school isn't the locus?

[Governor Jared Polis]

Well, I mean, in many cases the kids might even be going to a school that's closer to them than their so called neighborhood school. I mean, obviously, you know, the geographic boundaries are. And I think Denver schools was right in largely abolishing those. I mean, going to zones is fine. That's for a big district. You're not going to have a smaller district, have attendance zones. But for a big district like Denver, I think that makes a lot of sense. But you know what, the school culture benefits when every kid wants to be there. It's to the school culture's detriment when some of the kids don't even want to be there. So helping to improve the graduation rate, we significantly brought down absenteeism. That's another way schools more engaging, different learning styles, different kids, ultimately strengthening neighborhood schools because we know that the families that choose them want to be there and the kids are thriving there.

[Ryan Warner]

Governor, thanks for being with us at this north Denver school.

[Governor Jared Polis]

Thank you. It's a great pleasure to be here at Howell elementary celebrating that Colorado is number one in education, but also doubling down on how we can do even better for every child in our state.

[Ryan Warner]

Governor Jared Paul is recorded Tuesday in a kindergarten classroom in north Denver. There's a transcript of our conversation at And Colorado Matters continues in this next half hour with a sesquicentennial horoscope. I'm Ryan Warner. You're with CPR News and krcc. It's Colorado Matters from CPR News and krcc. I'm Ryan Warner. A random thought entered my head as Colorado turns 150. Our state is a LEO born August 1st.

[Governor Jared Polis]

What does that mean?

[Ryan Warner]

I asked astrologer and author Aubrey Houdeschel. I figure if newspapers have horoscopes, there's no reason we can't for a special occasion.

[Aubrey Houdeschel]

So a birth chart points to the time of birth. Usually we're looking at this for people and not states. It shows a snapshot of where all of the planets were in the sky at the moment of somebody's birth.

[Ryan Warner]

And so we know that Colorado was born August 1st. And that makes Colorado a Leo.

[Aubrey Houdeschel]

Yes, it does.

[Ryan Warner]

Aubrey, I'm not the kind of person who, if someone says I'm a Sagittarius, I can be like, oh, that means blank, blank, blank, blank, blank. What are property's characteristics generally associated with LEOs?

[Aubrey Houdeschel]

LEOs, typically, they like to stand out and be known or highlighted for all of their sort of unique gifts and talents and characteristics and qualities.

[Ryan Warner]

You are describing Colorado and Colorado, Right.

[Aubrey Houdeschel]

And that's exactly what I thought as soon as I learned that Colorado is a Leo. I was like, of course. And it's funny because in the chart there's actually quite a Few planets that are in Leo. So there's this really strong focus for Colorado around these sort of leonine qualities and. Absolutely. Colorado loves to kind of be known for the ways that it's different and special and unique. I think that's what draws people in, of course, to Colorado. Leo is definitely very magnetic. Oh, yes, they're very warm and magnetic and shine like the sun. Right. And people are drawn to that and

[Ryan Warner]

drawn to the sunshine in particular here.

[Aubrey Houdeschel]

Right. We're not the Sunshine State, but we do have over 300 days of sunshine a year here.

[Ryan Warner]

So as the Chamber of Commerce likes to tell us. Yes. Okay, so you have pulled this birth chart that is the orientation of the cosmos at the time of Colorado's birth, Colorado Day. So August 1, 1876, making us the Centennial State 100 years after the formation of the country. What stands out, Aubrey haddishel.

[Aubrey Houdeschel]

Besides all of the prominent Leo energy in the chart, the other thing that I noticed is that the North Node, which is sort of like the purpose right in the chart, is for almost your North Star. Exactly. That's a great way to describe it. It is what we are ultimately growing and sort of like moving towards the course of time. And Colorado's is in Pisces and Pisces rules over substances, so we look towards drugs, alcohol, pharmaceuticals, things like that. And of course, Colorado was the first state to legalize marijuana. We have recently decriminalized mushrooms. And so that also sort of made me laugh when I pulled the chart because I was just like, of course it's funny.

[Ryan Warner]

If you had pulled my chart, I'd be asking you about career and whether I'm going to meet a husband. Do there seem to be any attractions or relationships or ties that you find?

[Aubrey Houdeschel]

Venus, which is the planet of love, romance, beauty, all of those things is in cancer, which is the. This very sweet emotional position of Venus to have. And so I was thinking about that actually in relation to the state. I'm like, well, what do I think this means? You know, like for Colorado.

[Ryan Warner]

I appreciate you doing this level of extrapolation for us. You are a trooper.

[Aubrey Houdeschel]

But cancer is actually. It's a very like self protective sign before it is anything else. And it's also a very like, nurturing. Some people like to think of it as like mom energy. Right. Like a very nurturing energy. You know, I do think that Colorado tries to have that sort of like nurturing, open energy towards the people that live here, towards, you know, other states and things that we have to interact with. So I was like, okay, you know, like, that's sort of interesting.

[Ryan Warner]

Yeah. So this is a state that tries to get along. It's certainly one that welcomes people from elsewhere.

[Aubrey Houdeschel]

Exactly.

[Ryan Warner]

And I think maybe it makes them feel safer than they might feel in other places.

[Aubrey Houdeschel]

Yes. Actually, that's a great way to put it, because cancer really strives for this feeling of safety. And you're right. I think Colorado does strive to be a safe haven. Right. If you think about some of the things that have happened recently around abortion, for example, or trans rights. Exactly.

[Ryan Warner]

And yet there are people leaving Colorado because she's pretty expensive.

[Aubrey Houdeschel]

Yep. Yes.

[Ryan Warner]

You know.

[Aubrey Houdeschel]

Yes. I actually read an article the other day that Colorado is currently the fourth most expensive state in the country.

[Governor Jared Polis]

So.

[Aubrey Houdeschel]

Yeah. Not sure how I feel like that one applies to Venus. But you're right, there's lots of people who are leaving.

[Ryan Warner]

How did this request, strange as it was for me, change your sense of where you live as a Colorado?

[Aubrey Houdeschel]

I love that question. You know, I have lived in Colorado my entire life, so I also loved

[Governor Jared Polis]

that you had high school.

[Aubrey Houdeschel]

I went to Eagle Cross. Eagle Cross in Aurora. Just some Cherry Creek schools. Shout out. I think it was interesting to see all of the LEO energy and how that relates to my own chart. I'm a LEO south node, so that's sort of like where I'm coming from and the energy that I'm the most comfortable in.

[Ryan Warner]

Like, literally where you're coming from.

[Aubrey Houdeschel]

Right. And so it was very interesting to see how that sort of lined up with Colorado. I was like, oh, well. Sort of makes some astrological sense, actually, that I would.

[Ryan Warner]

Oh, so it's maybe increased your sense of belonging.

[Aubrey Houdeschel]

Yeah, yeah. It makes me feel that there are a lot of similarities around sort of where I come from and who I am that line up very well with who Colorado is.

[Ryan Warner]

I love you. Taught me an adjective today. Aubrey. Leah9.

[Aubrey Houdeschel]

Perfect.

[Ryan Warner]

Leah9.

[Governor Jared Polis]

Hey.

[Ryan Warner]

Thank you so much for being with us.

[Aubrey Houdeschel]

Thank you so much for having me. This was a joy.

[Ryan Warner]

Happy birthday to your home state.

[Aubrey Houdeschel]

Yes. Happy birthday, Colorado. Love you.

[Ryan Warner]

Aubrey Houdeschel on Colorado's astrological sign. Leo Houdeschel is the author of Stellar Sex and the Cosmic Symposium. So what events led up to statehood? We have the answer from a historian, not an astrologer, after the break. This is Colorado Matters from CPR News. You're with Colorado Matters from CPR News. I'm Ryan Warner. Colorado had to try hard to become a state. It took five attempts over two decade in time for this year's sesquicentennial history Colorado lays out this saga. I met curator Kathryn Mercer back in January. She put together 38th Colorado becomes the Centennial State. Catherine, thanks for meeting us here.

[Kathryn Mercer]

Thank you for coming.

[Ryan Warner]

I wondered before I arrived if you would have what we're looking at on display, which is a flag with 38 stars. 38 stars. This flag would have been created shortly after our statehood. This is the flag.

[Kathryn Mercer]

Yes. This is one of the flags that would have been created either shortly before or shortly after we became a state, although it could have been created up until 1889, which is when the 39th state joined.

[Ryan Warner]

The story of Colorado becoming the 38th state is about as winding as it gets. Colorado kind of had to try hard, didn't it?

[Kathryn Mercer]

We had to try very hard in many different ways over nearly 17 years to become a state. And even then, it almost didn't happen. It was like an 11th hour thing.

[Ryan Warner]

Why don't we jump to the end? What's the 11th hour part of this story?

[Kathryn Mercer]

Yes, if you follow me over this way. This is a proclamation that was signed by President Ulysses s. Grant on August 1, 1876.

[Ryan Warner]

Oh, my goodness. Look at his ornate signature. This is an awfully good shape for something that old. Well done on the preservation.

[Kathryn Mercer]

Yes. It has been in our archives for a while now. And something really neat about this exhibition was a chance for us to dig into our archives and collections and see these really amazing things that we could pull out. But this is the document that did the thing. It made us a state. I like to point out when Ulysses S. Grant started writing my. Right here it says my proclamation. We were not a state. But by the time he wrote the six down here on the 1st of August, 1876, we were a state. This is the document that did it.

[Ryan Warner]

Oh, what a lovely way to think about it, that at the start of the first bit of cursive, we are a territory, the Colorado Territory. Prior to that, Kansas Territory. And then by the time he finishes the top loop of the six, you can add a star to the flag.

[Kathryn Mercer]

We are the state of Colorado.

[Ryan Warner]

The 11th hour nature of this. Do we know what time he signed this?

[Kathryn Mercer]

I don't know exactly what time he signed it, but the 11th hour nature comes into play, actually, with things happening in Colorado Territory in 1876, we were essentially given an ultimatum by Congress that if we wanted to become a state, we had to produce a constitution and vote on it. And we'd have to vote it through by a certain time, which was the middle of 1876. And it took a really long Time to convene a constitutional convention. If you can imagine all of these men traveling from different parts of the territory, it took a very long time to gather everyone together. And we don't have really good roads at this point. We do have some train lines at this point, but not across the entire territory. And so. So it took people a while to get to Denver for this constitutional convention. And then there's all this concern over we have to craft a constitution that people will actually want to vote on. And people have tried this before. This is one of the reasons why statehood has failed in the past here in Colorado is because people don't think we should be a state for various reasons. So we have to vote. The people of Colorado have to vote. To be a state, the federal government has to agree. The federal government has finally agreed after 17 years of not agreeing and then agreeing and not agreeing. But now it goes back to the people of Colorado.

[Ryan Warner]

It's a function in part of the distance, the schlepping to Denver. But there are folks who don't want us to be a state. It seems like there's such cachet to that. Why wouldn't you want statehood?

[Kathryn Mercer]

There are many reasons why you would not want statehood. And they change over the years. Our very first attempt at Statehood is in 1859. We have Native people living here. We have people, Hispano people in southern Colorado. We have gold miners, almost 100,000 gold miners who have traveled west to search for this new opportunity of gold in what was then Kansas Territory. And there's some people who have power and they want more power. And they also want laws, because we have no laws. People can just go do whatever. There's no rule of law. There's no judges, there's no court systems. And so people get together. Some people get together in Denver and say, we should be a state. But the miners, many of them are struggling. A lot of the early gold strikes played out really quickly. There's not a lot of money, and they don't want to pay state taxes. And so statehood just gets immediately voted down in favor of becoming a territory. Because Congress will pay for your territorial government. You don't have to.

[Ryan Warner]

So the idea is that there's some subsidy that comes with. With being a territory, and then there's some, not only self determination, but some financial responsibility once statehood arrives.

[Kathryn Mercer]

There's financial responsibility for statehood, but there's also the ability to vote in your own governor, which you didn't have. It was appointed by the president. And so that becomes an issue in this story, too, of the president at the time just appoints these very interesting people who come in and try to put their mark on the territory in different ways, for good or ill. Why

[Ryan Warner]

don't we talk about the Constitution that they had to scramble to get together something that they'd attempted, as you said before, did it recognize the people who were here first, their rights, their land? I think it's really important to acknowledge the ties that aren't always reflected in legal documents.

[Kathryn Mercer]

Yeah. The constitutional convention in 1876, and actually not a single one of the constitutional conventions ever considered or included the indigenous people who were living on the land long before we became Colorado. This is a large part of the story of the exhibition interwoven through. And I'd love to show you one of the documents that we have on display that illustrates this story.

[Ryan Warner]

Yes. And I'll just say the wall in this exhibition are in and of themselves, photographs. I'm just trying to take it all in as we walk from one end to the other.

[Kathryn Mercer]

Yeah. We tried to put as many photos on display as possible to try to bring the story to life. Especially the story of the over 51 indigenous nations who called Colorado home.

[Governor Jared Polis]

51.

[Kathryn Mercer]

51. Yes. So we're standing here in front of this document, and this document has to do with two of the indigenous people who call Colorado home. The Cheyenne people and the Arapaho people.

[Ryan Warner]

This is the Fort Wise Treaty document of 1861.

[Kathryn Mercer]

Yeah. And in this exhibition, we track where the Cheyenne and Arapaho people are living on the land both before, kind of this gold mining rush in 1859, and then as treaties are signed, as more and more settlers are taking over the land that the native people are living on and are killing the bison, which is the main, you know, source of food and survival for these people. All of a sudden, it's like, you know, someone's camping on this ground that we need the grass for our horses, and they've taken over our water source and they've killed our food supply. And so many of the native people who are living in what's then Colorado Territory find themselves without food. It's a very difficult situation. And some indigenous leaders begin signing treaties with the U.S. government. And to the U.S. government, treaties are a way to remove these native people from the land, to open it up for settlement. This document here before us is one of the documents that opened up the land that would enable Colorado to become a state later on in 1876. So the Treaty of Fort Wise is signed in 1861. Weeks before Congress makes Colorado a territory.

[Ryan Warner]

Oh, this is signed by one Abraham Lincoln.

[Kathryn Mercer]

It is signed by Abraham Lincoln, so that is his signature on the document. When I talk about this document, though, I like to talk about the tribes first and the effect that this document had on them. Essentially, what this document did is it ignores an earlier treaty signed in 1851 with the Cheyenne and Arapahoe people that gave them the ability to still travel over all of their traditional homelands, hunt and fish on it, and gave them also a large part of what would become Colorado Territory. This document and Abraham Lincoln's signature on it is complicit in removing their access. Cheyenne and Arapaho access to most of that land and restricting their movement. You can see that on this map. That's here on the wall in front of us. There's this big land mass here. From The Treaty of 1850, the Treaty of 1861, Fort Wise Treaty shrinks Cheyenne, Arapahoe land down to this very small, kind of triangular shape in southeastern Colorado.

[Ryan Warner]

Why don't you throw out one more reason that Colorado missed the opportunity to become a state before it had to try a few more times. Let's get one more story in.

[Kathryn Mercer]

Yeah. So a fascinating story that's very unique to Colorado that happens is the. The story of black suffrage. So in 1865, finally, miners have realized, oh, if we get a railroad, maybe we'll get more money. And so they actually vote to become a state. The people of Colorado vote to become a State in 1865.

[Ryan Warner]

They think of it's financially worth it at this point.

[Kathryn Mercer]

Yes, it's financially worth it. It makes more sense. In 1865, the Civil War is over. And so the people of Colorado, some of them, the men who are over 21, who are citizens, who can vote, agree that Colorado should be a state.

[Ryan Warner]

This is before women's suffrage.

[Kathryn Mercer]

This is before women's suffrage, for sure. But they develop a constitution, and they put a word in the constitution. So previous to this constitution, in Colorado Territory, the line said that anyone who was over 21 and who was a citizen and who was a man could vote. But what the 1865 Constitution did is it said that anyone who was over 21 and who was a citizen and who was a white man could vote. And so, technically, before 1865, black men living in Colorado territory had the ability to vote. And now this 1865 constitution that's been voted through removes their ability to vote. And many black community leaders and businessmen in Denver say, wait a second, we just fought the Civil War. Over this we deserve the right to vote. And, and so here on the wall we have pulled out some portraits of some of the men who are involved in this initiative to remove this word white from the Constitution. We've got William Jefferson Hardin, Henry Wagoner, Edward Sanderlin and Barney Ford.

[Ryan Warner]

Barney Ford, I recognize that name, yes.

[Kathryn Mercer]

So Barney Ford was a gold miner who came to Denver and became a very successful businessman. And these men along with many other men in Denver got to together and formed a petition. They collected 137 signatures from Black men living in the Denver area or different parts of Colorado territory. And you can see that petition and the signatures on the wall here. So we have all 137 signatures on display. And this is one of my favorite things that we have on display in the exhibition because you can just picture these men signing this petition in the hope that they will get the right to vote.

[Ryan Warner]

It strikes me that this process is so stop and start towards statehood. It's herky jerky. It's a little whiplashy frankly for some of the people living here.

[Kathryn Mercer]

It really is. And the newspapers publish, wow, Colorado's a state at least three or four times before we actually become a state. So this is very much an 11th hour thing where this petition gets sent to Congress and many of the of the people in Congress say, okay, we're not okay with black men not being able to vote in this state. And they have debates and they delay the vote on statehood and they delay the vote on statehood. And eventually they do pass it because they're arguing with President Andrew Johnson who wants to veto their Civil Rights act and they want more votes from Colorado. So they do eventually pass Colorado statehood, but at that point Andrew Johnson vetoes it. And so it's again another whiplash of like, okay, Congress has passed it, but now Johnson vetoes it. So we were going to be and now we're not. And so actually after this 1850, 65, 1866 attempt, there's a brief attempt in 67 that is immediately vetoed by Johnson again. And then the leaders in Colorado are like, we're done. We're just, we're going to take a pause here. And then there's several things that happened between then and 1875 that create the conditions for statehood.

[Ryan Warner]

What is before we go, what is the daylight when Colorado does become a state? Are there ticker tape? Well, there's not ticker tape at the time, but are there parades? Is it a to do? Are there balls?

[Kathryn Mercer]

Yeah, it's actually kind of funny. So we or the Constitutional Convention is convened. They create a constitution. The vote for the Constitution is held on July 1, 1876. They tally those votes real quick because they want to know. And on July 4, 18, 1876, exactly 100 years after, you know, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, it's announced in the papers. Colorado's a state. Of course, we're not actually a state yet because Ulysses S. Grant has not signed the proclamation. But in the minds of Coloradans, we finally made it. We're a state now. There's huge parades across all of Denver.

[Ryan Warner]

So does Grant sign it on the 4th?

[Kathryn Mercer]

He signs it on August 1st, 1876. So. So it takes a couple weeks for the news to get out to Washington, and then he signs it. And that's actually why we celebrate Colorado Day on Aug. 1, because that's the day that he signed the proclamation.

[Ryan Warner]

I knew that we were the Centennial State because we came along 100 years after the country did. I did not realize how close to the 4th of July some of this happened. I'm going to tell you, Catherine, I'm never going to look at a signature quite the same way again. The notion that when it begins versus when it ends, an entire chapter of history can open and close. Thanks for meeting me here.

[Kathryn Mercer]

Yeah. Thank you so much for coming and experiencing the story of statehood.

[Ryan Warner]

Kathryn Mercer walked us through 38th star at history Colorado center in Denver. Thanks for spending time with us. I'm Ryan Warner alongside producer Tom Hess and audio engineer Shane Rumsey. This is Colorado Matters from CPR News and krcc.

[Tom Hess]

The shadow from the starlight Is softer than a lot of fire High buggy mountain high Colorado Buggy mountain high Colorado he climbed cathedral mountains he saw silver clouds below he saw everything as far as you can see and they say that he got crazy once and he tried to touch the sun and he lost the friend kept his memory.