Palmer Lake Historical Society presents: "Anza vs. Cuerno Verde, The 1779 Comanche Campaign"

Palmer Lake Historical Society is Honored to Present: John Anderson “Anza vs. Cuerno Verde, The 1779 Comanche Campaign"

This event is part of the America 250 / Colorado 150 celebration in 2026. Commemorating Colorado’s shared history, honoring our unique people, cultures, and communities.

Comanche Campaign, is a story about two fearless men, Spanish Governor Juan Bautista de Anza and the Comanche Warchief Cuerno Verde (Green Horn), both determined to protect their people and preserve their cultural way of life. While the legacy of Juan Bautista de Anza is well established in much of the American Southwest, his influence during the 18th Century remains relatively unknown across today’s Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado. To punish the Comanche, Governor Anza left Santa Fe with a combined force of 600 mounted soldiers, who were joined enroute by 200 Ute and Jicarilla Apache. They traveled north around Sierra del Almagre (Pikes Peak), down the Ute Pass, and attacked the Comanche base camp on August 31, 1779, near present-day Colorado Springs, Colorado.

John Wesley Anderson, MBA, is a published author, storyteller and TEDx speaker. He is retired from a 30-year law enforcement career, including 22 years with the Colorado Springs Police Department and eight years serving as the elected Sheriff for El Paso County, Colorado. After being term-limited as Sheriff John worked for Lockheed Martin for ten years. In 2012, he retired from the corporate world to launch a small consulting business allowing him the freedom to pursue his love of history, writing and the arts. John has published eight books and was awarded the PPLD Golden Quill Award in 2021.

The Palmer Lake Historical Society is an educational 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization serving the Palmer Divide area since 1956. FREE Tri-Lakes Historical Calendars will be available. Help celebrate Colorado's 150 Anniversary.

This calendar listing is brought to you by Peak Radar, the Pikes Peak region's one-stop, online website for arts and entertainment events, powered by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.

This calendar listing is brought to you by Peak Radar, the Pikes Peak region's one-stop, online website for arts and entertainment events, powered by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.