Colorado’s constitutional convention adjourned 150 years ago this week

Key Takeaways:

• Colorado’s 1876 constitutional convention lasted nearly three months.
• Delegates tackled contentious issues like corporate regulation and women’s suffrage.
• The constitution was finalized at 21,000 words and read aloud before signing.
• Convention expenses totaled $29,945, chiefly for delegates’ per diems.
• A referendum set for July 1 would determine the territory’s future as a state.

Setting the Scene

Temperatures in Denver reached a mild 61 degrees on March 13, 1876, and rain briefly replaced the lingering winter snow that night, creating what newspapers praised as the first “centennial rain.” It was a rare slow news day in the territorial capital, with the Rocky Mountain News noting only a handful of updates from law enforcement or the courts.

Daily Life and Emerging Trends

As the weather warmed, tailors and milliners announced new fashions arriving from the East. Ecru-colored lace ties and chenille dot nets led the trends, while local advertisers debated whether last year’s clothes could suffice until official April fashion journals arrived. Meanwhile, signs of baseball mania popped up across Colorado. In Golden, the local nine launched practice games as early as February, and newspapers boasted that they could clean out any club in the territory.

Final Days of the Convention

During these calmer days of early spring, the 39 delegates to Colorado’s constitutional convention trudged through the final tasks of drafting the state’s founding document. Near midnight on March 14, they read aloud every word—totaling 21,000—spotting and correcting errors along the way. Thirty-one delegates signed that night; the remaining eight signed the next morning, some by proxy. By 4 p.m. on March 15, the delegates formally adjourned, concluding nearly three months of debate.

Financial Aspects

Money matters were not overlooked. After accounting for printing costs, the production of official documents, and the coal and firewood used to heat the chambers, the convention had spent $29,945. More than two-thirds of that sum went to the delegates themselves, via a $6 daily allowance and mileage reimbursements. Local newspapers—The News, the Denver Daily Times, and the Denver Tribune—also received printing budgets to publish the constitution, with the Rocky Mountain News devoting most of its next edition to print it in full.

Core Debates and Compromises

While the public eagerly awaited the final draft, delegates grappled with major issues such as the role of women in elections, corporate influence within the state, and the structures that would define Colorado’s judiciary and legislature. Progressive populists sought strict limits on railroad corporations, though many of their proposals faced defeat. In their official address, delegates touted “middle ground” measures that would both protect the public and avoid overreach.

Public Referendum and Statehood Aspirations

The constitution’s fate rested in the hands of Colorado’s voters, who were set to weigh in on July 1, 1876. In a formal appeal to the people, delegates urged unity, brushing aside lingering disagreements in favor of securing statehood. They refuted arguments that founding a state would mean burdensome expenses, instead framing sovereignty as a step away from federal control. “Who is there among us,” they wrote, “that would not rather be a citizen of an independent sovereign state…than a mere settler upon the public lands of the territory?”

Aftermath and Media Role

Colorado newspapers, long supportive of the territory’s ambitions, praised the new constitution as a model of its kind. The Rocky Mountain News showcased it in near entirety, endorsing its “many excellent provisions” and celebrating the viability of statehood at last. With the adjournment of the constitutional convention, Coloradans turned their eyes to July—a vote that would decide whether the Centennial State would be born.