There may have been anywhere from over 5,000 to over 7,500 people gathered in the Mesa Junction when Pueblo's Christopher Columbus Monument was unveiled on Oct. 12, 1905.

While there was not the same crowd at the Oct. 13 Columbus Day Ceremony 120 years later, celebrants and protestors alike made their presence known. Anti-Columbus Day chants like "No pride in genocide" have clashed with pro-Columbus Day speeches praising Italian-American contributions to society for decades in Pueblo.

The monument standing in the Mesa Junction may date back to 1905, but celebrations of the Italian explorer emerged in response to the March 14, 1891, lynching of 11 Italian immigrants in New Orleans. President Benjamin Harrison declared a one-time national celebration of Columbus's voyage in 1892 to ease te

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