About This Stamp
Colorado became the 38th state on August 1, 1876, and celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2026.
The Colorado Statehood stamp features a photograph of Jagged Mountain, located in the Weminuche Wilderness area of the San Juan National Forest.
Renowned for its breathtaking landscapes and the awe-inspiring beauty of the Rocky Mountains, Colorado got its name from the Spanish word for “red.” Nicknamed the Centennial State, it joined the Union 100 years after the United States declared independence from England. Colorado’s largest metropolitan areas include Denver, the state capital, as well as Colorado Springs, Aurora, Pueblo, Grand Junction, and Fort Collins. Colorado is the eighth largest state area-wise with around 104,000 square miles and has the highest average elevation of all 50 states, approximately 6,800 feet.
Colorado has four national parks including Rocky Mountain, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Great Sand Dunes, and Mesa Verde. Forest preserves, national monuments, and wildlife areas also provide endless opportunities for four-season adventures. Home to a thriving local food movement, Colorado has hundreds of ghost towns, numerous craft breweries, and many museums such as the Ute Indian Museum, the Cripple Creek Historic District, and the History Colorado Center. The United States Air Force Academy moved to its current location just north of Colorado Springs on August 29th, 1958, and is one of the most popular tourist sites in the state.
Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamp with an existing photograph by Colorado nature photographer John Fielder (1950–2023).
Colorado Statehood is being issued as a Forever® stamp. This Forever stamp will always be equal to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce price.
Stamp Art Director, Stamp Designer
Derry Noyes
For more than 40 years Derry Noyes has designed and provided art direction for close to 800 United States postage stamps and stamp products. She holds a bachelor of arts degree from Hampshire College and a master of fine arts degree from Yale University.
Noyes worked as a graphics designer at Beveridge and Associates, a Washington, D.C., firm, until 1979 when she established her own design firm, Derry Noyes Graphics. Her clients have included museums, corporations, foundations, and architectural and educational institutions. Her work has been honored by American Illustration, the Art Directors Club of Metropolitan Washington, Communication Arts, Critique magazine, Graphis, Creativity International, and the Society of Illustrators.
Before becoming an art director for the U.S. Postal Service, she served as a member of the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee from 1981 to 1983.
Noyes is a resident of Washington, D.C.
