Quebec is Canada’s largest province by area and its second-largest administrative division; only the territory of Nunavut is larger. It is bordered to the west by the province of Ontario, James Bay and Hudson Bay, to the north by Hudson Strait and Ungava Bay, to the east by the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick. It is bordered on the south by the U.S. states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York. It also shares maritime borders with Nunavut, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia.

Quebec is the second most populous province, after Ontario. Most inhabitants live in urban areas near the Saint Lawrence River between Montreal and Quebec City, the capital. English-speaking communities and English-language institutions are concentrated in Montreal but are also significantly present in the Outaouais, the Eastern Townships, and Gaspé regions. The Nord-du-Québec region, occupying the northern half of the province, is sparsely populated and inhabited primarily by Aboriginal peoples.

Nationalism plays a large role in the politics of Quebec, and all three major provincial political parties have sought greater autonomy for Quebec and recognition of its unique status. Sovereigntist governments have held referendums on independence in 1980 and 1995. In 2006, the Canadian House of Commons passed a symbolic motion recognizing the “Québécois as a nation within a united Canada.”

While the province’s substantial natural resources have long been the mainstay of its economy, sectors of the knowledge economy such as aerospace, information and communication technologies, biotechnology and the pharmaceutical industry also play leading roles. These many industries have all contributed to helping Quebec become the second most economically influential province, second only to Ontario.

The name “Quebec”, which comes from the Algonquin word kepék meaning “(it) narrows”, originally referred to the area around the Quebec City where the Saint Lawrence River narrows to a cliff-lined gap. Early variations in the spelling of the name included Québecq (Levasseur, 1601) and Kébec (Lescarbot 1609). French explorer Samuel de Champlain chose the name Québec in 1608 for the colonial outpost he would use as the administrative seat for the French colony of New France.

The Province of Quebec was founded in the Royal Proclamation of 1763 after the Treaty of Paris formally transferred the French colony of Canada to Britain after the Seven Years’ War. The proclamation restricted the province to an area along the banks of the Saint Lawrence River. The Quebec Act of 1774 restored the Great Lakes and the Ohio River Valley regions to the province. The Treaty of Versailles, 1783 ceded territories south of the Great Lakes to the United States. After the Constitutional Act of 1791, the territory was divided between Lower Canada (present day Quebec) and Upper Canada (present day Ontario), with each being granted an elected Legislative Assembly. In 1840, these become Canada East and Canada West after the British Parliament unified Upper and Lower Canada into the Province of Canada. This territory was re-divided into the Provinces of Quebec and Ontario at Confederation in 1867. Each became one of the first four provinces.

In 1870, Canada purchased Rupert’s Land from the Hudson’s Bay Company. Over the next few decades the Parliament of Canada transferred portions of this territory to Quebec that more than tripled the size of the province. In 1898, the Canadian Parliament passed the first Quebec Boundary Extension Act that expanded the provincial boundaries northward to include the lands of the Cree. This was followed by the addition of the District of Ungava through the Quebec Boundaries Extension Act of 1912 that added the northernmost lands of the aboriginal Inuit to create the modern Province of Quebec. In 1927, the border between Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador was established by the British Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. Quebec officially disputes this boundary.

First Nations
At the time of first European contact and later colonization, Algonquian, Iroquoian and Inuit groups were the people that inhabited what is now Quebec. Their lifestyles and cultures reflected the land on which they lived. Seven Algonquian groups lived nomadic lives based on hunting, gathering, and fishing in the rugged terrain of the Canadian Shield: (James Bay Cree, Innu, Algonquins) and Appalachian Mountains (Mi’kmaq, Abenaki). St. Lawrence Iroquoians lived more settled lives, planting squash and maize in the fertile soils of St. Lawrence Valley. The Inuit continue to fish and hunt whale and seal in the harsh Arctic climate along the coasts of Hudson and Ungava Bay. These people traded fur and food and sometimes warred with each other.

Early European exploration
Basque whalers and fishermen traded furs with Saguenay natives throughout the 16th century.

The first French explorer to reach Quebec was Jacques Cartier, who planted a cross in 1534 at either Gaspé or at Old Fort Bay on the Lower North Shore. He sailed into the St. Lawrence River in 1535 and established an ill-fated colony near present-day Quebec City at the site of Stadacona, an Iroquoian village.

New France
Samuel de Champlain was part of a 1603 expedition from France that travelled into the St. Lawrence River. In 1608, he returned as head of an exploration party and founded Quebec City with the intention of making the area part of the French colonial empire. Champlain’s Habitation de Quebec, built as a permanent fur trading outpost, was where he would forge a trading, and ultimately a military alliance, with the Algonquin and Huron nations. Natives traded their furs for many French goods such as metal objects, guns, alcohol, and clothing.

Hélène Desportes, born July 7, 1620, to the French habitants (settlers) Pierre Desportes and his wife Françoise Langlois, was the first child of European descent born in Quebec.

From Quebec, coureurs des bois, voyageurs and Catholic missionaries used river canoes to explore the interior of the North American continent, establishing fur trading forts on the Great Lakes (Étienne Brûlé 1615), Hudson Bay (Radisson and Groseilliers 1659–60), Ohio River and Mississippi River (La Salle 1682), as well as the Prairie River and Missouri River (de la Verendrye 1734–1738).

After 1627, King Louis XIII of France introduced the seigneurial system and forbade settlement in New France by anyone other than Roman Catholics. Sulpician and Jesuit clerics founded missions in Trois-Rivières (Laviolette) and Montréal or Ville-Marie (Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve and Jeanne Mance) to convert New France’s Huron and Algonkian allies to Catholicism. The seigneurial system of governing New France also encouraged immigration from the motherland.

New France became a Royal Province in 1663 under King Louis XIV of France with a Sovereign Council that included intendant Jean Talon. This ushered in a golden era of settlement and colonization in New France, including the arrival of les “Filles du Roi”. The population grew from about 3,000 to 60,000 people between 1666 and 1760. Colonists built farms on the banks of St. Lawrence River and called themselves “Canadiens” or “Habitants”. The colony’s total population was limited, however, by a winter climate significantly harsher than that found in France; by the spread of diseases; and by the refusal of the French crown to allow Huguenots, or French Protestants, to settle there. The population of New France lagged far behind that of the Thirteen Colonies to the south, leaving it vulnerable to attack.

The Seven Years’ War / Capitulation of New France
In 1753 France began building a series of forts in the British Ohio Country. They refused to leave after being notified by the British Governor, and in 1754 George Washington launched an attack on the French Fort Duquesne (now Pittsburgh) in the Ohio Valley in an attempt to enforce the British claim to the territory. This frontier battle set the stage for the French and Indian War in North America. By 1756, France and Britain were battling the Seven Years’ War worldwide. In 1758, the British mounted an attack on New France by sea and took the French fort at Louisbourg.

On September 13, 1759, General James Wolfe defeated General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm on the Plains of Abraham outside Quebec City. With the exception of the small islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, located off the coast of Newfoundland, France ceded its North American possessions to Great Britain through the Treaty of Paris (1763). By the British Royal Proclamation of 1763, Canada (part of New France) was renamed the Province of Quebec.

The Quebec Act
In 1774, fearful that the French-speaking population of Quebec (as the colony was called) would side with the rebels of the Thirteen Colonies to the south, the British Parliament passed the Quebec Act giving recognition to French law, Catholic religion and French language in the colony; before that Catholics had been excluded from public office and recruitment of priests and brothers forbidden, effectively shutting down Quebec’s schools and colleges. The first British policy of assimilation (1763–1774) was deemed a failure. Both the petitions and demands of the Canadiens’ élites, and Governor Guy Carleton, played an important role in convincing London to drop the assimilation scheme, but the looming American revolt was certainly a factor. Through the Quebec Act, the Quebec people obtained their first Charter of Rights, which paved the way to later official recognition of the French language and French culture. The act allowed Canadiens to maintain French civil law and sanctioned freedom of religion, allowing the Roman Catholic Church to remain. It also restored the Ohio Valley to Quebec, reserving the territory for the fur trade.

The act, designed to placate one North American colony, had the opposite effect among its neighbors to the south. The Quebec Act was among the Intolerable Acts that infuriated American colonists, who launched the American Revolution. A 1775 invasion by the American Continental Army met with early success but was later repelled at the battle at Quebec City.

Quebec during the American Revolutionary War
On June 27 1775, General George Washington decided to lead an American incursion in an attempt to wrest Quebec and the St. Lawrence River from the British. Arnold led 1,100 soldiers from Massachusetts to Maine, then up the Kennebec and Dead Rivers into the Province of Quebec by way of the Chaudiere River to Quebec City.

When the American army came to Quebec they found only a minority of supporters. The invasion failed.

At the end of the war, 50,000 Loyalists came to Canada and settled amongst a population of 90,000 French people. Many American loyalist refugees settled into the Eastern Townships of Quebec, in the area of Sherbrooke, Drummondville and Lennoxville.

The American Revolutionary War was ultimately successful in winning independence for the Thirteen Colonies. In the Treaty of Paris (1783), the British ceded their territory south of the Great Lakes to the newly formed United States of America.

Patriotes’ Rebellion in Lower and Upper Canada
Lower Canada Rebellion
Like their counterparts in Upper Canada, in 1837 English and French speaking residents of Lower Canada, led by Louis-Joseph Papineau and Robert Nelson, formed an armed resistance group to seek an end to British colonial rule. They made a Declaration of Rights with equality for all citizens without discrimination and a Declaration of Independence in 1838. Their actions resulted in rebellions in both Lower and Upper Canada. An unprepared British Army had to raise a local militia force, and the rebel forces were soon defeated after having scored a victory in Saint-Denis, Quebec, east of Montreal. The British army also burned the Church of St-Eustache, killing the rebels who were hiding within it. The bullet and cannonball marks on the walls of the church are still visible to this day.

Act of Union
After the rebellions, Lord Durham was asked to undertake a study and prepare a report on the matter and to offer a solution for the British Parliament to assess.

The final report recommended that the two provinces of Upper and Lower Canada be united, and that the French speaking population of Lower Canada be assimilated into British culture. Following Durham’s Report, the British government merged the two colonial provinces into one Province of Canada in 1840 with the Act of Union.

However, the political union proved contentious. Reformers in both Canada West (formerly Upper Canada) and Canada East (formerly Lower Canada) worked to repeal limitations on the use of the French language in the Legislature. The two colonies remained distinct in administration, election, and law.

In 1848, Baldwin and LaFontaine, allies and leaders of the Reformist party, were asked by Lord Elgin to form an administration together under the new policy of responsible government. The French language subsequently regained legal status in the Legislature.

Canadian Confederation
In the 1860s, the delegates from the colonies of British North America (Canada, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland) met in a series of conferences to discuss self-governing status for a new confederation.

The first Charlottetown Conference took place in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island followed by the Quebec Conference in Quebec City which led to a delegation going to London, Britain, to put forth a proposal for a national union.

As a result of those deliberations, in 1867 the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed the British North America Act, providing for the Confederation of most of these provinces.

The former Province of Canada was divided into its two previous parts as the provinces of Ontario (Upper Canada) and Quebec (Lower Canada).

New Brunswick and Nova Scotia joined Ontario and Quebec in the new Dominion of Canada.
Prince Edward Island joined in 1873 and the Dominion of Newfoundland entered the Confederation in 1949.

Quiet Revolution
The conservative government of Maurice Duplessis and his Union Nationale dominated Quebec politics from 1944 to 1960 with the support of the Roman Catholic church. Pierre Elliot Trudeau and other liberals formed an intellectual opposition to Duplessis’s regime, setting the groundwork for the Quiet Revolution under Jean Lesage’s Liberals. The Quiet Revolution was a period of dramatic social and political change that saw the decline of Anglo supremacy in the Quebec economy, the decline of the Roman Catholic Church’s influence, the nationalization of hydro-electric companies under Hydro-Québec and the emergence of a pro-sovereignty movement under former Liberal minister René Lévesque.

Front de libération du Québec
Beginning in 1963, a terrorist group that became known as the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) launched a decade of bombings, robberies and attacks directed primarily at English institutions, resulting in at least five deaths. In 1970, their activities culminated in events referred to as the October Crisis when James Cross, the British trade commissioner to Canada, was kidnapped along with Pierre Laporte, a provincial minister and Vice-Premier. Laporte was strangled with his own rosary beads a few days later. In their published Manifesto, the terrorists stated: “In the coming year Bourassa will have to face reality; 100,000 revolutionary workers, armed and organized.”

At the request of Premier Robert Bourassa, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau invoked the War Measures Act. In addition, the Quebec Ombudsman Louis Marceau was instructed to hear complaints of detainees and the Quebec government agreed to pay damages to any person unjustly arrested (only in Quebec). On February 3, 1971, John Turner, the Minister of Justice of Canada, reported that 497 persons had been arrested throughout Canada under the War Measures Act of whom 435 had been released. The other 62 were charged, of which 32 were crimes of such seriousness that a Quebec Superior Court judge refused them bail. The crisis ended a few weeks after the death of Pierre Laporte at the hands of his captors. The fallout of the crisis marked the zenith and twilight of the FLQ which lost membership and public support.

Parti Québécois and constitutional crisis
In 1977, the newly elected Parti Québécois government of René Lévesque introduced the Charter of the French Language. Often known as Bill 101, it defined French as the only official language of Quebec in areas of provincial jurisdiction.

Lévesque and his party had run in the 1970 and 1973 Quebec elections under a platform of separating Quebec from the rest of Canada. The party failed to win control of Quebec’s National Assembly both times — though its share of the vote increased from 23% to 30% — and Lévesque was defeated both times in the riding he contested. In the 1976 election, he softened his message by promising a referendum (plebiscite) on sovereignty-association rather than outright separation, by which Quebec would have independence in most government functions but share some other ones, such as a common currency, with Canada. On November 15, 1976, Lévesque and the Parti Québécois won control of the provincial government for the first time. The question of sovereignty-association was placed before the voters in the 1980 Quebec referendum. During the campaign, Pierre Trudeau promised that a vote for the “no” side was a vote for reforming Canada. Trudeau advocated the patriation of Canada’s Constitution from the United Kingdom. The existing constitutional document, the British North America Act, could only be amended by the United Kingdom Parliament upon a request by the Canadian parliament.

Sixty percent of the Quebec electorate voted against the proposition. Polls showed that the overwhelming majority of English and immigrant Quebecers voted against, and that French Quebecers were almost equally divided, with older voters less in favour and younger voters more in favour. After his loss in the referendum, Lévesque went back to Ottawa to start negotiating a new constitution with Trudeau, his minister of Justice Jean Chrétien and the nine other provincial premiers. Lévesque insisted Quebec be able to veto any future constitutional amendments. The negotiations quickly reached a stand-still.

Then on the night of November 4, 1981 (widely known in Quebec as La nuit des longs couteaux and in the rest of Canada as the “Kitchen Accord”) Federal Justice Minister Jean Chrétien met with all of the provincial premiers except René Lévesque to sign the document that would eventually become the new Canadian constitution. The next morning, they presented the “fait accompli” to Lévesque. Lévesque refused to sign the document and returned to Quebec. In 1982, Trudeau had the new constitution approved by the British Parliament, with Quebec’s signature still missing (a situation that persists to this day). The Supreme Court of Canada confirmed Trudeau’s assertion that every province’s approval is not required to amend the constitution.

In subsequent years, two attempts were made to gain Quebec’s approval of the constitution. The first was the Meech Lake Accord of 1987, which was finally abandoned in 1990 when the province of Manitoba did not pass it within the established deadline. (Newfoundland premier Clyde Wells had expressed his opposition to the accord, but, with the failure in Manitoba, the vote for or against Meech never took place in his province.) This led to the formation of the sovereignist Bloc Québécois party in Ottawa under the leadership of Lucien Bouchard, who had resigned from the federal cabinet. The second attempt, the Charlottetown Accord of 1992, was rejected by 56.7% of all Canadians and 57% of Quebecers. This result caused a split in the Quebec Liberal Party that led to the formation of the new Action démocratique (Democratic Action) party led by Mario Dumont and Jean Allaire.

On October 30, 1995, with the Parti Québécois back in power since 1994, a second referendum on sovereignty took place. This time, it was rejected by a slim majority (50.6% NO to 49.4% YES); a clear majority of French-speaking Quebecers voted in favor of sovereignty.

The referendum was enshrouded in controversy. Federalists complained that an unusually high number of ballots had been rejected in pro-federalist areas, notably in the largely Jewish and Greek riding of Chomedey (11.7 % or 5,500 of its ballots were spoiled, compared to 750 or 1.7% in the general election of 1994) although Quebec’s chief electoral officer found no evidence of outright fraud. The federal government was accused of not respecting provincial laws with regard to spending during referendums (leading to a corruption scandal that would become public a decade later, greatly damaging the Liberal Party’s standing), and of having accelerated the naturalization of immigrants in Quebec before the referendum in order that they could vote, as naturalized citizens were believed more likely to vote no. (43,850 immigrants were naturalized in 1995, whereas the average number between 1988 and 1998 was 21,733.)

The same night of the referendum, an angry Jacques Parizeau, then premier and leader of the “Yes” side, declared that the loss was because of “Money and the ethnic vote”. Parizeau resigned over public outrage and as per his commitment to do so in case of a loss. Lucien Bouchard became Quebec’s new premier in his place.

Federalists accused the sovereignist side of asking a vague, overly complicated question on the ballot. Its English text read as follows:

Do you agree that Québec should become sovereign after having made a formal offer to Canada for a new economic and political partnership within the scope of the bill respecting the future of Québec and of the agreement signed on June 12, 1995?

After winning the next election in 1998, Bouchard retired from politics in 2001. Bernard Landry was then appointed leader of the Parti Québécois and premier of Quebec. In 2003, Landry lost the election to the Quebec Liberal Party and Jean Charest. Landry stepped down as PQ leader in 2005, and in a crowded race for the party leadership, André Boisclair was elected to succeed him. He also resigned after the renewal of the Quebec Liberal Party’s government in the 2007 general election and the Parti Québécois becoming the second opposition party, behind the Action Démocratique. The PQ has promised to hold another referendum should it return to government.

Statut particulier (“special status”)
Given the province’s heritage and the preponderance of French (unique among the Canadian provinces), there is an ongoing debate in Canada regarding the unique status (statut particulier) of Quebec and its people, wholly or partially. Prior attempts to amend the Canadian constitution to acknowledge Quebec as a ‘distinct society’ – referring to the province’s uniqueness within Canada regarding law, language, and culture – have been unsuccessful; however, the federal government under Prime Minister Jean Chrétien would later endorse recognition of Quebec as a “unique society”. On October 30, 2003, the National Assembly of Quebec voted unanimously to affirm “that the Quebecers form a nation”. On November 27, 2006, the House of Commons passed a symbolic motion moved by Prime Minister Stephen Harper declaring that “this House recognize[s] that the Québécois form a nation within a united Canada.” However, there is considerable debate and uncertainty over what this means.

At present, nationalism plays a large role in the politics of Quebec, with all three major provincial political parties seeking greater autonomy and recognition of Quebec’s unique status. In recent years, much attention has been devoted to examining and defining the nature of Quebec’s association with the rest of Canada. Currently, the population is roughly divided between two political visions for the future of their province.[citation needed] About half of Quebecers support the idea of either full sovereignty (completely separating from Canada and forming an independent state) or of sovereignty-association with the rest of Canada, which would entail the sharing of some institutional and governmental responsibilities with the federal government in a manner similar to how the European Union shares a common currency and various other services. On the other hand, a roughly equal faction of Quebecers are satisfied with the status quo and wish their province to remain within a united Canadian federation.

Montreal is the largest city in the Canadian province of Quebec and the second-largest city in Canada. Montreal was the largest city in Canada up until the 1970s. Originally called Ville-Marie (‘City of Mary’), the city takes its present name from Mount Royal, the three-headed hill at the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the city is located.

The official language of Montreal is French as defined by the city’s charter. Montreal is the second-largest primarily French-speaking city in the world, after Paris. As of the 2006 Canadian Census, 1,620,693 people resided in the city of Montreal proper. The population of the Montreal Census Metropolitan Area (also known as Greater Montreal) was 3,635,571 at the same 2006 census. In the census metropolitan area, French is the language most spoken at home by 70.5% of the population (as of 2006 census). In 2007, Forbes Magazine ranked Montreal as the 10th cleanest city in the world. In the June 19th, 2008 edition of London based Monocle Magazine, Montreal was ranked 16th in a list of the world’s 25 most liveable cities. Contributing factors included a strong arts community, booming aerospace industry and a vast network of free wireless internet.

There is archaeological evidence of various nomadic native peoples occupying the island of Montréal for at least 2,000 years before the arrival of Europeans. The St. Lawrence Iroquoians established the village of Hochelaga at the foot of Mount Royal. The French explorer Jacques Cartier visited Hochelaga on October 2, 1535, claiming the St. Lawrence Valley for France. He estimated the population to be “over a thousand”.

Seventy years later, French explorer Samuel de Champlain reported that the St. Lawrence Iroquoians and their settlements had disappeared altogether from the St. Lawrence valley, likely due to inter-tribal wars, European diseases and out-migration. Champlain established in 1611 a fur trading post on the Island of Montreal, on a site initially named La Place Royale, at the confluence of Saint-Pierre river and St-Lawrence river, where present-day Pointe-à-Callière stands. In 1639, Jérôme Le Royer de La Dauversière obtained the Seigneurial title to the Island of Montreal in the name of the Société de Notre-Dame de Montréal to establish a Roman Catholic mission for evangelizing natives. Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve was the governor of the colony.

Ville-Marie became a centre for the fur trade and a base for further French exploration in North America. It remained a French colony until 1760, when it was surrendered to Great Britain.

Montreal was incorporated as a city in 1832. The opening of the Lachine Canal permitted ships to bypass the unnavigable Lachine Rapids, while the construction of the Victoria Bridge established Montreal as a major railway hub. By 1860, it was the largest city in British North America and the undisputed economic and cultural centre of Canada.

Montréal was the capital of the Province of Canada from 1844 to 1849, but lost its status when a Tory mob burnt down the Parliament building to protest passage of the Rebellion Losses Bill.

After World War I, the Prohibition movement in the United States turned Montreal into a haven for Americans looking for alcohol. Unemployment remained high in the city, and was exacerbated by the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression. Canada began to recover from the Great Depression in the mid-1930s, when skyscrapers such as the Sun Life Building began to appear.

During World War II, Mayor Camillien Houde protested against conscription and urged Montrealers to disobey the federal government’s registry of all men and women. Ottawa was furious over Houde’s insubordination and held him in a prison camp until 1944, when the government was forced to institute conscription (see Conscription Crisis of 1944).

Montreal’s population surpassed one million in the early 1950s. The Saint Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959, allowing vessels to bypass Montreal: a development that would in time help to spell the end of the city’s economic dominance. However, the 1960s saw continued growth, including Expo 67, the construction of Canada’s tallest skyscrapers, new expressways and the Montreal Metro system.

The 1970s ushered in a period of wide-ranging social and political changes, stemming in large part from the concerns of the French-Canadian majority about the conservation of their culture and language, given the traditional predominance of the English-Canadian minority in the business arena. The October Crisis and the election of the separatist political party, the Parti Québécois, resulted in major political and linguistic shifts. Many companies and people left the city. In 1976, Montreal was the host of the 1976 Summer Olympics.

During the 1980s and early 1990s, Montreal experienced a slower rate of economic growth than many other major Canadian cities. By the late 1990s, however, Montreal’s economic climate had improved, as new firms and institutions began to fill the traditional business and financial niches.

Montreal was merged with the 27 surrounding municipalities on the Island of Montreal on January 1, 2002. The merger created a unified city of Montreal which covered the entire island of Montreal. This move proved unpopular, and several former municipalities, totalling 13% of the population of the island, voted to leave the newly unified city in separate referendums in June 2004. The demerger took place on January 1, 2006, leaving 15 municipalities on the island, including Montreal.

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Durango, Colorado is located in one of the most beautiful areas in the Four Corners region. Surrounding areas plunge from 14,000 foot peaks to desert valley floors, supporting alpine forests and aspen groves, rolling mountains rich with ponderosa, piñon and juniper trees and lush green valleys. Sagebrush and yuccas are framed by dramatic cliffs of purple and crimson rock.

At an elevation of 6,512 feet above sea level, Durango enjoys an ideal four-season climate with 300 days of sunshine and moderate temperatures year-round. Winters are usually mild and sunny with temperatures ranging from 10 to 50 degrees. Despite Durango’s average snowfall of 71 inches, accumulations don’t stay long in town and snow removal is manageable. Spring brings warmer weather and rain. Summer temperatures seldom climb above the upper 80′s and rivers and reservoirs stay relatively full in summer, fed by melting snow in the San Juan Mountains. Autumn days are dry and cool, creating wonderful fall colors to view while hiking, biking or driving the area’s Scenic Byways.

Due to its ideal climate, beautiful landscapes and plentiful natural resources, Durango has enjoyed a long and rich history.

Founded in 1880 by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, historic Durango is perched at 6512 feet above sea level and is the county seat of La Plata County.

Best known for the Historic Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, as the home of Fort Lewis College, and for its proximity to Mesa Verde National Park, Durango is a popular year-round destination. From pristine snow and waterways, majestic mountains to superb shopping and dining, fascinating arts and culture, you’ll find an array of activities as relaxing or adventurous as you like.

Fun History Fact: The narrow gauge rails are 36 inches apart, whereas standard gauge rails are 56 inches!

Durango History

During the period beginning 2,500 years ago until the 1300s, Ancestral Puebloans called this area home. By the time the Ute Indians settled here, centuries later, these ancient people had mysteriously disappeared from their last homeland – the area now called Mesa Verde National Park. The Ute Indians sheltered in the abandoned dwellings and enjoyed ample fishing and hunting opportunities the area offered.

In 1860, a lucky prospector discovered gold. Within the year, miners, farmers and families flocked to the area.

Twenty years later, railroad officials created plans for the railroad, Main Avenue, Second and Third Avenues, and by 1881 the City of Durango was incorporated and became the county seat.

By the turn of the century, Durango had become a vacation destination, with the creation of the San Juan National Forest in 1905 and Mesa Verde National Park in 1906.

The 1900s brought many of the modern-day amenities that residents still enjoy today, including the Durango Municipal Airport in 1929, the expansion of Fort Lewis College to a four year college in 1957 and Purgatory ski resort in 1965.

Present-day Durango sees multitudes of visitors each year who embrace the many opportunities to fish, hike, mountain bike and ski, and welcomes history buffs taking in Durango’s historic downtown and nearby archaeological wonders.

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General Information, Facts & Symbols

The United States of America accepted Colorado as the 38th state to enter the union on August 1, 1876.

Abbreviation:
CO

Capital of Colorado State:
Denver

Primary Agriculture:
The farm industry, which is primarily concentrated in livestock, is also an important element of the state’s economy. The primary crops in Colorado are corn, hay, and wheat.

Primary Industry:
The primary factors of Colorado’s manufacturing industry are food and kindred products, and printing/publishing. The mining industry includes oil and gas, coal, and metal mining. Denver is home to companies that control half of the gold production of the nation.

Colorado State Nickname:
The Centennial State

Colorado State Motto:
Nil Sine Numine (Nothing Without the Deity)

Colorado State Flower:
Rocky Mountain Columbine (Aquilegia caerulea)
(Legislation of 1925)

Colorado State Tree:
Colorado Blue Spruce (Legislation of 1939)

Colorado State Bird:
Lark Bunting (Calamospiza melanocorys)
(Legislation of 1931)

The Lark Bunting (Calamospiza melanocorys) is a medium-sized sparrow and the only member of the genus Calamospiza. It breeds in the prairie regions of central Canada and the mid-western United States. Their nest is an open cup on the ground in a grassy area.

These Lark Bunting has a large pale bill and a pale wing patch. The plumage of the adult males in breeding is black except for their white wing patch. Females of the species and immature males appear more sparrow-like, having dark brown upperparts and white underparts, with streaking on the back, breast and flanks. The wings are dark with brown edges.

Colorado State Fish:
Greenback Cutthroat Trout (Legislation of 1994)

Colorado State Insect:
Colorado Hairstreak Butterfly (Legislation of 1996)

Colorado State Gemstone:
Aquamarine (Legislation of 1971)

Official State Seal:
Depicted to the right is the state seal of Colorado. The seal of the state of Colorado is a symbol of the authority and sovereignty of the state and is a valuable asset of its people. It is the intent of the state government to ensure that appropriate uses are made of the state seal and to assist the secretary of state in the performance of the secretary’s constitutional duty as custodian of the seal.

The Official Colorado State Flag:
Depicted to the left is the state flag of Colorado. The flag of the state of Colorado is a symbol of the authority and sovereignty of the state and is a valuable asset of its people. The Colorado flag is flown over all state buildings just below the country flag of the United States of America.

State Commemorative Quarter:
From the 1999-2008 United States Mint 50 State Quarters® Program
The third commemorative quarter-dollar coin released in 2006 honors Colorado, and is the 38th coin in the United States Mint’s 50 State Quarters® Program. The Colorado quarter depicts a sweeping view of the state’s rugged Rocky Mountains with evergreen trees and a banner carrying the inscription “Colorful Colorado.” The coin also bears the inscriptions “Colorado” and “1876″.

Colorado’s Rocky Mountains are home to some of the Nation’s most majestic natural wonders. Among these, rising approximately 10,000 feet from the valley floor in Northwest Colorado, Grand Mesa is the largest flat-top mountain in the world, and is home to more than 200 lakes and many miles of scenic hiking trails.

Colorado was admitted into the Union on August 1, 1876, becoming our Nation’s 38th state. With statehood gained less than one month after the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Colorado is nicknamed the “Centennial State”.

Quarter Specifications
Release Date: June 14, 2006
Reverse (tails) Side: Colorful Colorado
Engraver: Norm Nemeth
Standard Weight: 5.670g
Standard Diameter: 24.26mm (0.955 in)
Thickness: 1.75 mm
Edge Detail: Reeded
Composition: Cupro-Nickel Clad
(8.33% Nickel / 91.67% Copper)

Important Historical Figures of Colorado

Chipeta, “White Singing Bird”
1844-1924: In 1859, she became the second wife of Ouray of the Uncompaghres, chief of the Ute Indian Nation. Her diplomatic tenacity strove to achieve a bloodless peace with white settlers.

Kit Carson
1809-68: Known best as a mountain man, Kit Carson also was an Indian agent and had a long military service record. He accompanied three of the Fremont expeditions as a guide.

Nathaniel P. Hill
1832-1900: Known as a famous chemist who built the first large mining smelter in Colorado in 1868. The building of the smelter is said to have initiated the era of hard rock mining in our state. The company was called the Boston and Colorado Smelting Company.

William J. Palmer
1836-1907: Known best as a builder of railroads, but also as a successful businessman, military man and philanthropist. William J. Palmer was a Union Cavalry General during the Civil War, and later founded the town of Colorado Springs and subsequently founded the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company in Pueblo, Colorado. Palmer was instrumental in bringing the Denver and the Kansas Pacific railroad lines to Denver. Palmer is perhaps best known as the builder of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad which was the first narrow gauge railroad in the United States. The Denver – Colorado Springs line started service in 1871.

Barney Ford
1822-1902: Known as a successful businessman in early Colorado, Barney Ford was instrumental in ensuring that equal voting rights for all citizens became a part of our state’s constitution in 1876. Ford, who was once a runaway slave, is best known for his work in support of civil rights in early Colorado history.

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General Information, Facts & Symbols

The United States of America accepted California as the 31st state to enter the union on September 9, 1850.

Abbreviation:
CA

Capital of California State:
Sacramento

Primary Agriculture:
California grows more food than any other state in the country. among these crops are almonds, artichokes, dates, figs, kiwi, raisins, strawberries, walnuts and wine.

Primary Industry:
California industries include manufacturing (transportation equipment, machinery, and electronic equipment), agriculture, biotechnology and tourism. Principal natural resources include timber, petroleum, cement and natural gas.

California State Nickname:
The Golden State

California State Tree:
California Redwood (Legislation of 1937)

California State Flower:
California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica)
(Legislation of 1903)
California State Bird:
California Quail (Callipepla californica)
(Legislation of 1931)

The California Quail (Callipepla californica, is a small ground-dwelling bird in the quail family that breeds in shrubby areas and open woodlands in western North America.

The California Quail have a curving crest that droops forward (black in males and brown for females), their flanks are brown with white streaks. Males of the species have a dark brown cap, a black face with a brown back, a grey-blue chest and light brown belly. Females of the species and immature birds are mainly grey-brown with a light colored belly.

California State Fish:
Golden Trout (Legislation of 1947)

California State Insect:
California Dogface Butterfly (Legislation of 1972)

California State Gemstone:
Benitoite (Legislation of 1985)

Official State Seal:
Depicted is the state seal of California. The seal of the state of California is a symbol of the authority and sovereignty of the state and is a valuable asset of its people. It is the intent of the state government to ensure that appropriate uses are made of the state seal and to assist the secretary of state in the performance of the secretary’s constitutional duty as custodian of the seal.

The Official California State Flag

Depicted to the left is the state flag of California. The flag of the state of California is a symbol of the authority and sovereignty of the state and is a valuable asset of its people. The California flag is flown over all state buildings just below the country flag of the United States of America.

State Commemorative Quarter:
From the 1999-2008 United States Mint

The first quarter released in 2005 honors California, and is the 31st in the United States Mint’s 50 State Quarters® Program. California was admitted into the Union on September 9, 1850, becoming our Nation’s 31st State. Nicknamed the “Golden State,” California’s quarter depicts naturalist and conservationist John Muir admiring Yosemite Valley’s monolithic granite headwall known as “Half Dome” and also contains a soaring California condor. The coin bears the inscriptions “California,” “John Muir,” “Yosemite Valley” and “1850″.In 1849, the year before California gained statehood, the family of 11-year-old John Muir emigrated from Scotland to the United States, settling in Wisconsin. In 1868, at the age of 30, Muir sailed up the West Coast and landed in San Francisco. He made his home in the Yosemite Valley, describing the Sierra Nevada Mountains as “the Range of Light” the most divinely beautiful of all the mountain chains I have seen.” He devoted the rest of his life to the conservation of natural beauty, publishing more than 300 articles and 10 books that expanded his naturalist philosophy.In 1890, Congress established Yosemite National Park, and in 1892 John Muir helped form the Sierra Club to protect it, serving as that organization’s President until his death in 1914.

Important Historical Figures of California

John Sutter
1803-80: In the 1840′s, businessman Sutter ran a trading empire from a fort he built (with Native american help) in what is now mid-town Sacramento. He also was owner of Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, where gold was first discovered in 1848 by James Marshall.

Jedediah Smith
1798-1831: This early 19-th century trapper and explorer is believed to have been the first non-Native american to cross the Sierra Nevada mountains. He was also among the first white men to explore the state’s far northern coast. A beautiful redwood state park and the scenic Smith River are named after him.

John Muir
1838-1914: an explorer, naturalist, and writer, Muir helped preserve many of California’s greatest scenic wonders, such as Yosemite Valley and Kings Canyon, now both national parks. He also founded the Sierra Club, a well-known San Francisco-based conservation group. Muir Woods National Monument, a redwood grove north of San Francisco, is named for him.

Leland Stanford
1824-93: This tycoon helped map out a route for the first transcontinental railroad, which linked California to the East Coast in 1869. He also started Stanford University in Palo alto.

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The Town of Bayfield is a statutory Town located in La Plata County, southwest Colorado, not far from the Four Corners of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. We sit at an elevation of about 6900 feet, in the beautiful Pine River Valley, with spectacular vistas in all directions.

Bayfield is home to over 1800 residents and acts as the commercial and cultural center for eastern La Plata County. Bayfield prides itself on our small town atmosphere and long-standing sense of community. Our Bayfield School District has long been recognized as one of Colorado’s finest and was awarded “Colorado School Board of the Year” in 2007.

The Town of Bayfield was incorporated in 1906 when the Bay family and the Schiller family each donated land to create a supply Town near the Pine River. Bayfield was named after Mr. William Bay when he won a coin toss between himself and Mr. Schiller. Had the toss gone the other way, it is said the Town would have been named “Schillerville”.

Modern-day Bayfield residents enjoy an ideal four-season climate that averages some 300 days of sunshine every year, together with moderate temperatures and low humidity, year-round. This ideal recreational climate promotes all sorts of outdoor family activities while any type of enthusiast can find what they’re looking for. Whether hiking or biking, hunting or fishing, winter skiing or summer water sports, or exploring the cultural histories of Native American ruins and early Pioneer life, all are available within a short drive, and in almost any direction.

The historic steam train town of Durango is 20 short miles to the west, the world-class hot springs of Pagosa Springs are just 40 miles to the east, and our very own Pine River flows out of the majestic San Juan Mountains, through gorgeous Vallecito Lake (Vi – a – cito), 15 scenic miles to our north. The high deserts of northern New Mexico fall away immediately to our south, while the red-rock beauty of Arizona and Utah are little more than an hour to our west. All come together in the heart of the Pine River Valley, Bayfield, Colorado.

History of Bayfield

The original settlement in the Pine River Valley was named Los Pinos. It consisted of approximately fifteen families.
The first early settler who had claimed to be in the Pine River Valley was John Taylor, who arrived between 1871
and 1873.

Bayfield, a ranching community, was homesteaded by George Morrison and later sold to R.C. and Clarence Hensley.
In 1894 it was sold to William A. and Laura E. Bay, whom in April of 1898, donated eighty acres of land to be laid out for the Town, which was later incorporated. It was started as a trading and social center for the farmers and ranchers of the Pine River Valley. The Schiller family also donated land in April of 1898. The Town received its name after a flip of a coin between Mr. Bay and Mr. Schiller. Mr. Bay won the honor of naming the community. If Mr. Schiller would have won the coin toss, the Town of Bayfield would have been name Schillerville.

The first business was a trading post and general store. The first bank was the Farmers and Merchants Bank. The
safe from the bank can be found at Mill Street Drug Store. The first doctor opened an office in 1904 and the first State of Colorado Approved Standard School in Bayfield was founded in 1923. It was a two-story building with two classrooms
on each floor. The high school was located at the top with the lower level being used for elementary grades. This area
is now included in the Bayfield School District 10JT-R. The first post office was named Los Pinos and later became the Bayfield post office. The mail was delivered by the Pony Express.

The Town was incorporated August 18, 1906 with George Wheeler as the first mayor. The first newspaper, the Bayfield Blade was published by Dan Eggar.

After more than 100 years, Bayfield still has at its heart a traditional neighborhood with a strong sense of community. Today, Bayfield is a growing community with a current population of around 1,800 residents. As the Town continues
to grow the citizens and the Town officials are committed to maintaining the close-knit feel of a small town.

Bayfield Today

The Town of Bayfield has experienced a huge population increase since the beginning of 2000. In 2001, the Town agreed to form a special improvement district to build a business park which has 38 commercial parcels on 56 acres. There are a number of substantial businesses located in this Business Park. Lewis True Value, First National Bank of Durango, Alert Signs, Autocrafters, the Lavenia McCoy Public Library. Steamworks Brewing Company , Radio Shack, Babo’s Bar & Grill, Hongs Garden Grill & many other businesses are all located in this area of Town.

Since 2000, the Town has also added several new residential subdivisions. There is the Dove Ranch Subdivision which is located on the north end of Town off of County Road 501. This subdivision offers an array of different sized lots ranging from 4,000 square feet near County Road 501 to larger three acre lots farther up in the development. The final build out of this subdivision will be approximately 231 lots according to the Master Plan submitted by the developer.

The Mesa Meadows Subdivision is located across the street from the Bayfield Elementary School. It is comprised of 138 Single Family Residential Lots that are all approximately 10,000 square feet.

Fox Farm Village is a Planned Unit Development located off of Mars Avenue near the Bayfield Elementary School. It is an affordable housing subdivision and is platted for 50 Multi-Family Dwelling Units & 8 Fair Market Lots.

The Sunrise Estates Subdivision is located on the east end of Town. It is comprised of 52 lots and has both Single Family & Multi Family zoning.

The Cinnamon Heights Subdivision is a Planned Unit Development which is also located on the east end of Town behind the Shell Gas Station. This subdivision is platted for 49 Multi-Family Dwelling Units.

The Town’s population is approximately 1800 residents with 900 rooftops currently being served by Town Utilities.

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Garden Grove is a vibrantly progressive and growing city located just south of Los Angeles in Orange County, California. Our motto, “The City of Youth and Ambition,” accurately reflects this culturally diverse community of over 170,000 people. Garden Grove is home to four annual cultural festivals that celebrate the Vietnamese, Korean, Arabic, and American heritage. Garden Grove’s Strawberry Festival, nearing 50 years old, is the largest community-based Memorial Day event in the western United States.

Garden Grove is conveniently located less than one mile from Disneyland, seven miles from Knott’s Berry Farm, nine miles from local beaches, and 10 miles from John Wayne Airport.

Schools in the Garden Grove Unified School District have been rated as some of the best and safest in the County. With 45 elementary schools, nine junior high schools, eight high schools, and five community colleges, Garden Grove can meet all of your family’s educational needs.

The City of Garden Grove has many services to offer its community, including employment assistance, educational programs, recreational programs, and family entertainment. Garden Grove has seven fire stations and 13 police stations/substations helping to make our city one of the safest places to live in California. The City’s staff of over 600 full-time employees is supported by more than 100 community-minded volunteers.

Our community has a proud reputation for its outstanding commitment to volunteerism. Garden Grove is home to the highest number of churches and places of worship per capita in California, including the world-famous Crystal Cathedral. With safe streets, warm, sunny weather year-round, and religious and cultural diversity, it’s no wonder that residents consider Garden Grove a great place to call home.

Located in Orange County, California, the City of Garden Grove (17.8 sq.miles) is a friendly, spirited and balanced community rich in diversity — a city with a view to the future. Incorporated on June 18, 1956, the City celebrated 50 years of cityhood in 2006 and 133 years since the founding of Garden Grove in 1874 by Dr. Alonzo Cook. The city flower is the Orange Tropicana Rose, and the city tree is the Flame Coral.

The History of the City of Garden Grove
Spanish Roots
Spanish soldiers commanded by Gaspar de Portola first discovered Orange County as they made their way north across California in 1769. During their journey, the soldiers camped on a wide grassy plain east of present day Garden Grove. They named the area the Santa Ana Valley and claimed the state of California as a possession of Spain. The Santa Ana Valley was divided into ranchos as some of the soldiers settled in the area.

In 1822, Mexico gained independence from Spain, and California became a province of Mexico. It was the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, at the end of the Mexican-American War, that made all of California a territory of the United States of America. In 1850, California became the 31st state in the union.

A businessman named Abel Stearns bought large tracts of land in Southern California in 1868 and divided some of it into smaller lots to sell to settlers. In 1874, Alonzo Cook purchased 160 acres of land in the area for about $15 an acre. Recognized as Garden Grove’s Founding Father, he later donated land north of Main Street and Garden Grove Boulevard for use as the site of the first schoolhouse and post office. Cook suggested the name “Garden Grove” for the school and surrounding village. Some countered that the name did not fit the open terrain. Cook responded, “We’ll make it appropriate by planting trees and making it beautiful.”

From Community to Town
By the time Orange County incorporated in 1889, the Garden Grove area had a population of about 200. It continued as a quiet farming community into the 20th Century, when in 1905, the Pacific Electric Railroad came through Garden Grove. The railroad brought tourists, visitors, and before long, more settlers. Soon after came the first telephone, gas and electric services for the residents near Main Street.

During the next 40 years, agriculture continued as the town’s main economy. Although ideally located in the center of the county, Garden Grove’s growth was slowed by two disasters during those years. The first was in 1916, when the center of town was flooded and came under about four feet of water after days of heavy rains. Then, in 1933, another disaster damaged the old town section of Garden Grove when an earthquake struck. Following each of these catastrophes, however, the residents joined in spirit and labor to repair the damage and continue the progress of Garden Grove.

Population Explosion
World War II had an important impact on city growth. Servicemen who had visited California during their training for war came back to settle and raise their families. Available land and low prices caused a sudden building boom, making Garden Grove the fastest growing city in the nation in the 1950s. As the area grew, its rural nature changed to a more modern society and the need for city government was evident.

Garden Grove Becomes a City
Residents formally decided to incorporate their town on June 18, 1956, to become the City of Garden Grove. Since incorporation, the pioneer spirit has continued to be part of life for Garden Grove. At the time of the 1960 census, Garden Grove had a population of nearly 44,000. Today, the population is over 170,000. That makes Garden Grove the fifth largest city in Orange County and the 18th largest in the State. The community is a dynamic and thriving city with a strong sense of its roots based on its colorful history.

The Crystal Cathedral
No mention of Garden Grove would be complete without mentioning its best known building, the Crystal Cathedral. The Crystal Cathedral is a Protestant Christian megachurch in the city of Garden Grove, in Orange County, California.  World-famous architect Philip Johnson designed the main sanctuary building, which was constructed using over 10,000 rectangular panes of glass and can hold 2,900 worshippers. The church is also known for its 320 rank, five manual pipe organ constructed by Fratelli Ruffatti. Designed by Virgil Fox and expanded by Frederick Swann, the instrument incorporates the large Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ built in 1962 for New York’s Avery Fisher Hall, and the Ruffatti organ which had been installed in the church’s previous sancutary. The rectangular panes of glass are not bolted to the structure; instead they are glued to it using a silicone based glue. This and other measures allow the building to withstand an earthquake of magnitude 8.0.
Affiliated with the Reformed Church in America, the church then known as Garden Grove Community Church was founded in 1955 by the Reverend Dr. Robert H. Schuller and his wife, Arvella, and is considered the world’s first “seeker sensitive” church. The first church services were held in space rented from the Orange Drive In Theatre. In 1961, the congregation moved to a new sanctuary designed by famed architect, Richard Neutra . Construction on the Cathedral began in 1977 and ended in 1980. The initial estimated cost of the church was $6 million, but the final cost was over $17 million (about $55 million in 2007 dollars). One way Dr. Schuller found to help finance the construction of the Crystal Cathedral was to invite donors to give $500 for each of the 10,000 rectangular panes of glass, which raised over US$5 million by its completion. Upon moving from the old Neutra sanctuary to the new Johnson sanctuary, the congregation changed its name to the Crystal Cathedral Congregation.

One of the church’s mission statements is, “Find a need and fill it; find a hurt and heal it.”

The Crystal Cathedral broadcasts its church services around the world on a television show called The Hour of Power and provides facilities for those of a similar faith to congregate. The campus services include support groups, Sunday school classes and daily Christian gatherings.
Early on December 16, 2004, 57-year old Johnnie Carl, the cathedral’s orchestral conductor, fired several bullets in his office at the cathedral, shortly before the annual Glory of Christmas program was about to begin. The shots were fired in the vacant concourse area and no one was injured. Carl, who suffered from bipolar disorder, ended up committing suicide. In his 29 years as Orchestra Director at the cathedral, Carl wrote more than 3,500 arrangements, including several selections on tenor Daniel Rodriguez’s newest inspirational album. Rodriguez, a frequent musical guest at the Sunday services, dedicated his album titled “In The Presence” to Johnnie Carl. Schuller praised Carl’s work as conductor and told his congregation that “We can be reassured that he is in heaven.”

On Sunday, January 22, 2006, founder Robert H. Schuller retired as Senior Pastor of the Crystal Cathedral. His son, Robert Anthony Schuller, was installed as the second Senior Pastor of the church and head of the Hour of Power TV program. On October 25, 2008, Robert H. Schuller removed his son Robert Anthony from his pastoral role at the Crystal Cathedral, citing “a lack of shared vision”. In a prepared statement, founder Robert H. Schuller stated that “different ideas as to the direction and the vision for this ministry” with his son “made it necessary … to part ways in the Hour of Power television ministry.”

The name “Crystal Cathedral” describes the building’s size and beauty and does not mean it is a cathedral in the Roman Catholic, Anglican or Lutheran sense of the word: the Reformed Church in America is governed by elders, while a cathedral is usually the term for a church where one finds a bishop’s official seat, or cathedra, nor is the sanctuary constructed of crystal. The name reflects Schuller’s frequent use of alliteration within his sermon titles, points and book titles.

The Cathedral is renowned for featuring famous celebrities during the Hour of Power services on a regular basis. Notable guests have included musician John Tesh, former USSR president Mikhail Gorbachev, former president of India Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, former Vice President Al Gore, former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, Christian singer Jaci Velasquez, pianist Roger Williams, internationally acclaimed flautist Sir James Galway, Christian singer Joy Williams, Backstreet Boys member and Christian singer Brian Littrell, Christian singer Natalie Grant, former tennis star Michael Chang, Irish tenor Ronan Tynan, actor Noah Gray-Cabey, American tenor Daniel Rodriguez, musical group The Oak Ridge Boys, Christian singer Sara Groves, radio talk-show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger, MLB baseball player Kirk Gibson and actor Denzel Washington.

Trivia

• The Crystal Cathedral and its former senior pastor, Dr. Robert H. Schuller, were depicted in Natural Born Kissers, the final episode in the ninth season of The Simpsons. Homer Simpson is dragged nude across the glass roof of the cathedral by a hot air balloon, while Dr. Schuller and the congregation sit aghast below, inside the sanctuary. Dr. Schuller exhorts his congregation to keep their eyes focused on “God’s floor” during the ordeal.
• The Crystal Cathedral was featured on the History Channel program entitled, Building in the Name of God, which profiled the world’s great cathedrals.
• The Hour of Power broadcast is the most-watched Christian program in the world, with an estimated average of 20 million viewers tuning in each week.
• The Cathedral was featured on the MTV television series Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County during Season 1.  The Reverend Robert A. Schuller is the father of a former cast member on the show, Christina. She sang a duet with her sister during the church service on the show.
• The gold cross behind the center of the stage was donated by a Titanic survivor.

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1. LK Gardner-Griffie – Garden Grove, CA
   • Go to information about Garden Grove, CA
2. Pam S. – Bayfield, CO
3. Keely S. – Bayfield, CO
   • Go to information about Bayfield, CO
4. Madeleine L. – Durango, CO
5. Emily V. – Durango, CO
   • Go to information about Durango, CO
6. Lester B. Pearson High School – Montreal, QC
   • Go to information about Montreal, QC