History Colorado is excited to host the first public appearance of Abraham Lincoln: Self-Made in America mobile exhibition, beginning April 30 at the Colorado History Museum.

The free exhibit, which immerses visitors in Lincoln's story through images, artifacts, and videos-all fully contained in a custom 53-foot-long, double-expandable trailer truck-will open to the public for five days only. The mobile exhibition, which was developed by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM) in Springfield, Illinois to commemorate the Lincoln Bicentennial, will be at the Colorado History Museum on Lincoln and 13 th Avenue until May 4. Denver is the first stop on the exhibit's two-year national tour.

"We look forward to serving as the first host site for the public debut of this important and fascinating exhibition," said Edward C. Nichols, Colorado Historical Society President and CEO. "This exhibition is a wonderful and creative example of how the Colorado History Museum can share national history with the people of Colorado."

Lincoln and Colorado

Lincoln never visited Colorado, but Colorado and the other western territories were constantly on Lincoln's mind, notes William Convery, Colorado Historical Society State Historian. Lincoln hand-picked some of Colorado's most notable names-Gilpin, Evans, Colfax, Weld and others-who helped establish and administrate the territory and laid the groundwork for it to become a state in the Union.

"Colorado was important to Lincoln because the West was important to the Civil War," Convery says. "It was vital that the West remain loyal to the Union and Lincoln firmly believed that Colorado's mineral wealth would save the United States from the debt accrued during the Civil War. As a result, Lincoln personally selected many of the individuals who would later create Colorado."

Lincoln had a conversation about the Colorado mining regions on April 14, 1865 with former Speaker of the House Schuyler Colfax only a few hours before he left for Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., where he was assassinated. Colfax was charged with inspecting the transcontinental railroad route that would transport Colorado's gold and silver to the East. Lincoln gave Colfax a personal address to deliver on his behalf to miners in Colorado. Colfax delivered the speech, among Lincoln's last public addresses, to a gathering of miners in Central City six weeks later. In gratitude for his efforts to bring statehood to Colorado, Denver city leaders named Colfax Avenue after the Indiana Congressman in 1868.

Abraham Lincoln: Self-Made in America

The mobile exhibition examines Lincoln's life from his poor beginnings to his ascension to the presidency and his assassination. Highlights include a visual recreation of Lincoln's 1861 Farewell Address from a train car in Springfield as he left for the White House, and the award-winning "The Civil War in Four Minutes" video presentation.

The only exhibit of its type in the country, the mobile museum uses an engaging mixture of interactive elements, graphics, facsimile documents and artifacts inside a 53-foot long, double expandable trailer to commemorate the Lincoln Bicentennial. Denver is its first stop and the exhibition will travel the United States over the next two years, inspiring visitors with the story of Lincoln's life and accomplishments.

The exhibition will be open April 30-May 4 during normal Colorado History Museum hours: Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. For more information, contact 303/866-3682 or visit www.coloradohistory.org.

Additional Facts

President Abraham Lincoln:

· Appointed the first territorial officials to govern Colorado, including first territorial Governor William Gilpin, second territorial Governor John Evans, and first territorial secretary Lewis L. Weld.

· Supported a number of national laws that helped settle and develop Colorado, including the Transcontinental Railroad Act 1862 and the Homestead Act in 1862

· Invited Colorado to apply for statehood in March 1864

· Negotiated personally with Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho representatives to secure peace on the plains during the Civil War

· Had strong connections with NY newspaper publisher Horace Greeley, which Greeley, Colo. was named in 1869. Greeley pressured the president to move more quickly on the issue of emancipation.

History Colorado

History Colorado is the public programs, services and 12 statewide museums and historic sites of the Colorado Historical Society. The Colorado Historical Society was established in 1879 and is headquartered at the ColoradoHistoryMuseum in Denver. The Colorado Historical Society aspires to engage people in our State's heritage through collecting, preserving, and discovering the past in order to educate and provide perspectives for the future. In addition to History Colorado, this educational institution contains the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, the Stephen H. Hart Research Library, and administers the State Historical Fund-a preservation-based grants program funded by limited stakes gaming tax revenues. For more information visit www.coloradohistory.org or call (303) 866-3682.