1881 Colorado state capital referendum facts for kids

The choice of the permanent capital for the U.S. state of Colorado was decided by a public vote in 1881. Before this vote, Denver had been the temporary capital since Colorado became a state in 1876. Several cities wanted to be the capital, including Denver, Del Norte, Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Canon City, and Salida. In the end, Denver won with 66 percent of the votes.

The Colorado State Capitol in Denver was finished in 1908.

The Capital Question: A Look Back

Even though Denver City was the biggest town in the Colorado Territory since 1861, and then the state after 1876, some people did not want it to be the capital. The first meeting of the Colorado territorial lawmakers in 1861 picked Old Colorado City (now part of Colorado Springs) as the capital.

However, when the lawmakers met in Colorado City in 1862, the buildings were not good enough. After only five days, they decided to move to Denver. But they did not stay in Denver either. They chose Golden as the official territorial capital. Even so, the lawmakers often met in Denver because it was more of a city. In 1867, they voted to move the government to Denver for good.

After 1867, there was a long disagreement. Denver had enough power to stay the acting capital. But there was also enough opposition to stop it from becoming the permanent capital. When Colorado wrote its constitution to become a state in 1876, the people writing it were worried. They thought if the constitution named any city as the permanent capital, voters might not approve the constitution. To solve this, the constitution said that the permanent capital would be chosen by a statewide public vote five years later, in 1881.

Cities That Wanted to Be Capital

Denver was a major transportation center. It also had more than twice the population of the next biggest city in Colorado. Still, four other cities tried to become the capital. Denver's rivals hoped that people who disliked Denver would vote for them instead.

Some of Colorado's larger towns did not try to become the capital. Leadville, which was the second-largest town in 1880, did not show interest. Neither did Silver Cliff, the third-largest. Golden, which had been the territorial capital earlier, did not try to win it back in 1881.

Denver's Bid

Denver had grown a lot since it became the temporary capital. Its population went from 2,360 people in 1870 to 35,629 in 1880. This growth was helped by a railroad connection built in 1870 by the Kansas Pacific Railway. This early train link made Denver a central point for people and supplies moving around Colorado.

Denver was much larger than any other city trying to be the capital. It had enjoyed the economic boost of hosting the government. It really wanted to make this permanent. Denver supporters visited other parts of the state. They promoted Denver as the capital. They also promised that Denver would support other important places, like the university, being built outside Denver.

A businessman named Henry Brown offered to give ten acres of land near downtown Denver. This land would be for a new state capitol building if Denver was chosen. Denver supporters said it was a perfect spot with great views of the mountains. Others pointed out that Brown owned more land nearby. This land would become much more valuable if the capitol was built there.

Colorado Springs' Bid

Colorado Springs was the fourth most populated town in Colorado at the time. It had 4,226 people. It was founded in 1871 and was growing quickly. Its supporters said it had a more refined atmosphere than Denver. They also noted that many older states wisely put their capitals away from big business cities. People became very hopeful about the land market. Months before the vote, land near the proposed capitol site in Colorado Springs sold for "remarkably large prices."

Pueblo's Bid

In 1880, Pueblo had 3,217 people. This was not enough to be among the top five largest towns in Colorado. But Pueblo had almost become the territorial capital before. In 1874, the Colorado territorial house had voted to make Pueblo the capital. However, the territorial senate did not pass the measure. The Pueblo Chieftain newspaper said that Pueblo was the nicest city for the capital. It also said Pueblo had many good hotels and restaurants for lawmakers.

Canon City's Bid

Canon City had 1,501 people in 1880. It was mainly a place to get supplies for mines and oil fields along the Arkansas River. It promoted itself as having the best climate in the state. After losing the capital contest, it was given the territorial prison.

Salida's Bid

Salida was founded just the year before and missed the 1880 census. Its campaign for state capital was mostly newspaper articles in Salida's weekly paper, the Mountain Mail. The Mail even printed a map of Colorado that made Salida look like it was exactly in the center of the state.

The Election Results

The public vote happened on November 8, 1881. A total of 45,497 votes were counted. In each city that wanted to be the capital, most people voted for their own hometown. For example, in Pueblo County, 2,039 people voted for Pueblo, and only 44 for other towns. Arapahoe County, where Denver was located, waited to release its count until almost all other counties had reported. It counted 8,839 votes for Denver, which was 99.8 percent of its 8,857 votes. Denver won on the first vote, so there was no need for a second round of voting.

What People Said After the Vote

Many people accused Denver of trying to buy votes. They also said Denver bribed newspaper editors to support it as the state capital.

The Colorado Springs Gazette newspaper said the election was a "terrible political contest." It claimed that dishonesty and bad behavior played a big part.

The editor of the Salida Mountain Mail congratulated Denver on its win. He said Denver was a beautiful city that deserved the capital. The editor admitted that Salida's campaign was just a way to get attention for the town. He said it had worked. He wrote that Denver had spent "thousands of dollars" bribing newspaper editors and hiring people to vote for Denver. But he also said this money helped newspapers and people in need across the state.

The Pueblo Chieftain newspaper decided that Pueblo was better off without the capital. It wrote that Pueblo had "missed the corrupting influences of a legislative lobby." It also said that their wives and young women would not be exposed to the "insidious wiles" of lawmakers from rural areas. This meant they thought the capital would bring bad influences.

Common Myths About the Capital Vote

Since 1881, some local stories have claimed that other towns were serious contenders for the state capital. These towns include Central City, Cripple Creek, Fountain, Golden, Laporte, and Silver Cliff. However, the town of Cripple Creek did not even exist until 1892. This was eleven years after the vote.

Some websites about Central City, Laporte, and Silver Cliff say that these towns were close to becoming the capital. They even claim that each of these towns lost to Denver by just one vote.

For example, some sources say:

• "Did you know Central City lost the vote to be Colorado's state capital by one vote? Yep"
• "In 1881, in a state election held to determine the location of the state capital, Denver won over Laporte by a single vote."
• "When Silver Cliff was a booming mining town (if only one vote had been cast the other way, Silver Cliff would now be the state capitol and not Denver), ...."

However, the official results show that Denver won by a very large margin. No other city came close to winning by just one vote. These stories are simply myths.