KUSA — August 1 is Colorado Day.
The Centennial State first joined the union on Aug. 1, 1876 thanks to Proclamation 230, which was signed by President Ulysses S. Grant.
As settlers from the eastern United States ventured westward, forts were created throughout the American West including Fort Collins, Fort Garland, Fort Lupton and Fort Vasquez in Colorado.
9NEWS Photojournalist Matt Bell dives into Colorado's rich history and shows us four forts in Colorado:
Fort Collins began as a temporary military camp to protect mail carrying stagecoaches. Fort Collins' growth might have come down to all the right circumstances at just the right time.
Fort Vasquez, the site of an 1835 adobe fur trading post, is located in Platteville along Highway 85.
The adobe trading post was first established in 1836 by Lancaster P. Lupton in Weld County.
The primary purpose of these forts was to keep the peace between the settlers and the indigenous people, according to the Museums of the San Luis Valley.
