In 2026, the United States will mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence—our nation’s semiquincentennial. At the same time, Colorado will mark the 150th anniversary of our entrance into the Union—our state’s sesquicentennial. As the Centennial State, Colorado is the only one who will observe twin anniversaries—our Sesquisemiquincentennial.
As we celebrate this uniquely Colorado commemoration, we invite you to pause, reflect upon, and honor Colorado’s shared history as we imagine our future together through community events, educational opportunities, statewide celebrations, and more.
The America 250 – Colorado 150 Commission (http://www.am250co150.org/) was established to guide Colorado’s twin commemorations in ways that enable all Coloradans to participate. We encourage Coloradans from all corners of our state to undertake diverse, imaginative efforts to remember our shared past and imagine a unified future. As we create opportunities to commemorate and celebrate Colorado’s stories, the Commission is committed to recognizing that our shared history includes the experiences of all who have called Colorado home. We celebrate Colorado by acknowledging our complete shared history, honor what makes Colorado unique, and recognize our shared destiny as we strive toward a more perfect union.
But what does that mean to you and I? Well, the 250/150 Commission has given us a number of ideas to get us started. They started with 12 initiatives. You can find them on the History Colorado website. The first of them being Historic Preservation – Heritage for All. In this initiative, History Colorado is taking action to increase representation of Black, Indigenous, Latino/a, Chicano/a, Asian American, and other under-represented communities on the Colorado Register of Historic Properties. Having your property registered increases access to preservation funding and capacity building for at-risk sites, enhances community pride and ownership, develops a sustainable, community-led and upheld heritage preservation model, reduces barriers to accessing critical funding, and demonstrates replicability in historically marginalized areas. Today less than 4% of sites on Colorado’s Register represent historically marginalized stories of Colorado communities. The State Register is the official listing of the places and buildings that are the living representations of communities and cultural practices.
Being listed is the key requirement to access State Historic Fund grant dollars, and apply for the state historic tax credits, among other sources. For 2026, History Colorado aims to list 150 new and revised historic sites to the State Register. At the time of this article, Historians have been working to engage with communities to identify, research, nominate, and plan for preservation of eligible sites. But more sites are needed to meet the goal of 150. If you own a historic property, now is a great time to register it. It doesn’t cost anything but time and a little research. Please reach out to History Colorado, your local historic preservation board or the Rio Blanco County Historical Society. Let’s make this a year of memories.
By TERESIA REED
Much of the information in this article was found on the History Colorado website. Teresia Reed, of the Rio Blanco County Historical Society, serves as an Advisor to the Commission for the Great West Region of Colorado.
