Colorado Springs

Colorado Springs was founded in 1871 by General William Jackson Palmer. The quaint Victorian spa town, earned the nickname "Little London" because of the many English tourists who visited the area. 

Palmer's flagship resort hotel, the Antler's, opened two years later, welcoming U.S. and international travelers as well as health-seekers looking for the high altitude and dry climate, and Palmer's visions of a thriving, quality resort town were coming true. Soon afterwards, he founded the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, a critical regional railroad. He maintained his presence in the city's early days by making many grants or sales of land to important civic institutions in the community. Palmer and his wife, Queen, saw Colorado Springs develop into one of the most popular travel destinations in the United States in the late 1800s.

Today, Colorado Springs, Colorado's second-largest city, has evolved into a sophisticated city, with a charming "small town" ambiance.

The town of Palmer Lake and a geographic feature called the Palmer Divide (and other more minor features) are named after General Palmer, and a bronze sculpture of Palmer on a horse is prominently displayed in the center of a busy intersection in downtown Colorado Springs.

Arts And Culture

Evidence of the Pikes Peak region's first artists, the Ute Indians, remains etched on the rocks at Garden of the Gods Park. The area continues to attract artists lured by the natural beauty of Pikes Peak and the brilliant sunshine abundant year-round. At the turn of the century, inspired by a trip to the summit of the Peak, Katharine Lee Bates penned what has become our country's most famous poem and song, "America the Beautiful." Today, from world-class contemporary art centers to historic artist colonies, Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak region overflows with cultural events and festivals celebrating heritage and the arts. These events attract thousands of visitors to our area every year.

With over 50 attractions, Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak region is the gateway to Southern Colorado's "Outdoor Adventure Play Land." Located 80 miles south of Denver's International Airport and 1 and 1/2 hours east of world-class skiing, Colorado Springs is a vacation mecca, drawing over 6 million visitors annually.

Cultural Crossroads
For centuries Pikes Peak served as a beacon attracting a rich and diverse set of cultures. These cultures left an indelible mark upon the region. The Ute, Cheyenne and Arapaho are a few of the many American Indian nations that lived here or traveled through the area. The Ute name for Pikes Peak, Ta-Wa-Ah-Gath, translates to "Sun Mountain," for the way its slopes collect and reflect the sun's rays. During their seasonal migration following vast herds of bison, the Ute would camp in our nearby red rock canyons and visit the bubbling springs that we enjoy today. American Indians still live here, their names are a part of our landscape, and they share their traditions during events and festivals throughout the year.

The Pikes Peak region lies along the extreme southwestern edge of what was the Louisiana Territory, which was purchased by President Thomas Jefferson in 1803. Prior to this purchase both French and Spanish flags flew over the region. In 1795, several hundred Spanish colonial soldiers from Santa Fe, NM under the command of Juan Bautiste de Anza, traveled down Ute Pass in search of Comanche raiders. The Spanish name for Pikes Peak was Almagre, a reference to the reddish color of the granite. This name is still used for the high, snow-capped ridge just south of Pikes Peak.

Following the Louisiana Purchase, the United States sent out expeditions to explore and map the new territory. While Lewis and Clark traveled through the Dakotas and Montana, Zebulon Montgomery Pike was sent to what is now Colorado. In November of 1806, he attempted to climb the mountain that now bears his name. His 1810, published journal was the first to describe this portion of the country and encouraged others to want to travel in his footsteps.

Mining In Colorado
Colorado's vast mineral wealth has drawn people to this region for hundreds of years. We do not know who first discovered gold and silver in what would become Colorado. It is known, however, that as early as the 1700s, the Spanish were prospecting and mining in the area. Throughout the early nineteenth century, explorers and mountain men reported finding gold in the region's streams and rivers. Little attention was paid to these reports until the severe economic depression of the late 1850s created renewed interest in the availability of easily-mined riches. In the summer of 1858, a group of prospectors discovered gold near the present site of downtown Denver. News of this discovery sparked the Pikes Peak Gold Rush. Named after the best known landmark in the region, it rivaled the rush to California ten years earlier.

Although gold was not immediately discovered near Pikes Peak, mining did have an instant impact on the region's development. In early 1859, Colorado City was established as a supply town. The residents of this boomtown "mined the miners" by selling food, tools and equipment to those traveling over Ute Pass to the mines in South Park. In 1890, the Colorado gold rush finally made it to the Pikes Peak Region. Bob Womack, a cattle rancher and part-time prospector, discovered gold while herding cattle on the Peak's western slope. In the following years the Cripple Creek-Victor Mining District would become Colorado's greatest gold camp attracting tens of thousands to the region. New cities came into being almost overnight, but older communities also benefited from Cripple Creek's gold.

The old supply town of Colorado City was revitalized by the construction of four major gold processing mills. While Cripple Creek got the glory, Colorado Springs got much of its gold. This quiet resort community also boomed as a number of new millionaires began erecting homes and businesses. To this day, gold is still being mined in Cripple Creek. The influence of our mining heritage can be seen all over, from the surviving structures in Cripple Creek to the mansions in Colorado Springs.