On August 1, 1876, President Ulysses S Grant proclaimed Colorado the 38th state in the union. The road to statehood was not a smooth one however, and there were many machinations and shenanigans behind the scenes that needed to be overcome before statehood was secured. The following recordings of newspaper articles from the time will give you a better idea of the trials and tribulations that the good folks of Colorado Territory faced on their quest.
Rocky Mountain News March 17 1875 – From Washington – The Long Hard Struggle Over the Colorado Bill
Rocky Mountain News Weekly March 10 1875 – The Centennial and the Centennial State
Rocky Mountain News Weekly March 10 1875 – The Centennial State
Silver World Aug 12 1876 – Colorado
There are more articles available on the subject – just enter a search within the CHNC database for words like Colorado, Statehood, bill,