The Colorado Gold Rush of 1858–59—also known as the Pikes Peak Gold Rush—was the genesis of modern Colorado, leading to its formation as a US Territory and state. Thousands of Americans traveled to the Rockies to dig for gold or set up businesses and farms to provision the miners. Front Range towns such as Denver, Boulder, and Colorado Springs got their start during the gold rush, and mining activity came with an array of political, social, and environmental consequences that have left their mark on Colorado through the present.