History of Colorado Springs, Colorado | |
---|---|
Country | United States |
State | Colorado |
County | El Paso |
Municipality | City of Colorado Springs [2] |
Population history |
|
Before it was founded, the site of modern-day Colorado Springs, Colorado, was part of the American frontier. Old Colorado City, built in 1859 [12] during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush was the Colorado Territory capital. The town of Colorado Springs was founded by General William Jackson Palmer as a resort town. Old Colorado City was annexed into Colorado Springs. Railroads brought tourists and visitors to the area from other parts of the United States and abroad. The city was noted for junctions for seven railways: Denver and Rio Grande (1870), Denver and New Orleans Manitou Branch (1882), [13] Colorado Midland (1886–1918), Colorado Springs and Interurban (1887-1932 horse/electric tram), Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe (1889), Rock Island (1889), and Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek (1900-22 Short Line) Railways. It was also known for mining exchanges and brokers for the Cripple Creek Gold Rush. [9]
Palmer, Spencer Penrose, and Winfield Scott Stratton provided land and funding for parks, buildings, and non-profit organizations. It was a home to successful mine owners, artists, and writers. The climate and mountain setting made it a popular tourist destination and health resort. A dry climate supported resorts for people with weak lungs or tuberculosis, [9] including the 19th and 20th century Colorado Springs sanatoria.
The city supported three World War II and Cold War military installations. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) center was located within the city before relocating to Cheyenne Mountain.
Notable landforms, such as the Cheyenne Mountain on the city's southwest, were formed of Precambrian Pikes Peak granite uplifted in the Ancestral Rocky Mountains. [14] Formation of the city's hills—including the Mesa, Institute Heights, and Knob Hill—created valleys for the Camp, Cheyenne, and Fountain creeks which enter the city on the west; Monument Creek from the north; and Cottonwood & Sand creeks (east). Bluffs formed with American Lower Eocene coal deposits [15] of the Colorado Springs lignite field. Eponymic mineral springs, which flowed in 1912 from aquifers under the elevated landforms, included Horn's Mineral Springs at 1210 Lincoln, [1] Monument Springs [16] on Monument Creek's west bank in Monument Valley Park, [17] and Jimmy's Camp Springs. There were also other springs located at that time on Bijou, Kiowa, 7th, and Cucharra streets and West Cheyenne Road. [17]
Ute people have believed that the Pikes Peak region is their home. Their name for Pikes Peak is Tavakiev, meaning Sun Mountain. They lived a nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Summers were spent in the mountains, which was considered by other tribes to be the domain of the Utes. In the fall they would travel down Ute Pass [lower-alpha 1] and visit the springs where they "made offerings to the spirits of the springs for good health and good hunting". From there they began a journey eastward to hunt buffalo. They spent winters in mountain valleys where they were protected from the weather. Garden of the Gods artifacts from up to 3,500 years ago, such as grinding stones, "suggests the groups would gather together after their hunt to complete the tanning of hides and processing of meat." [19] [20] For instance, grinding stones found there from c. 1330 B.C. were used by the Ute people. [18]
Arapaho, Cheyenne, and other tribes also gathered in the Manitou Springs and Garden of the Gods areas. [21] Cheyenne Mountain, named after the Cheyenne people was considered a great source of timber for teepee poles. Waterfalls were believed by the Cheyenne and Arapaho to be a spiritual place where one might gain inspiration, which may have been why they visited the local Cañons. [20]
By 1882, Utes were forced to live on reservations in southwestern Colorado and eastern Utah. [19]
Part of the American frontier, Colorado Springs land was in New France (1682 treaty), New Spain (1762 treaty), and the United States' Louisiana Purchase beginning in 1803. [22] When the region was bought by the United States with the Louisiana Purchase, explorers entered the area. Zebulon Pike explored the region in November 1806. [21] The land including the current city was designated part of the 1854 Kansas Territory and on June 24, 1857, a team of Major John Sedgwick's Column camped at the mouth of Jimmy Camp Creek. [22] [lower-alpha 2] In 1858, a subsequent April US Army camp was near Soda Spring in Manitou Springs, [24] and the Lawrence Party camped at Garden of the Gods in July before establishing a town in or after September of that year at Montana City, which is now part of Denver, Colorado. [25]
Colorado City, now called Old Colorado City, was founded at the confluence of Fountain and Camp creeks on August 13, 1859, making it the first Pikes Peak region settlement. [21] [26] The Colorado City area became part of the Jefferson Territory on October 24 and of El Paso County on November 28, 1859. From November 5, 1861, until August 14, 1862 (including one legislative session), the city was the Colorado Territory capital. It then moved to Golden, before it was finally moved to Denver in 1867. [27]
Trails |
---|
Roads into the area included a toll road that connected to the northeast with the Overland's 1865 "Despatch Express Route". [28] Southward out of Colorado City a stage road (now Old Stage Road) traversed through South Cheyenne Creek's canyon to Cripple Creek, [29] and a carriage road through North and South Cheyenne Canyons [30] and westward was the Ute Pass Wagon Road. [28] Another route into the area was the north–south Cherokee Trail / Jimmy Camp Trail, [31] which was near the Goodnight–Loving Trail. [28] The Jimmy Camp Trail was one branch of the Trapper's Trail, a trail used by trappers and explorers from 1820 and during the gold rush. Trapper's Trail ran north–south from Fort Laramie to the El Pueblo trading post in the present Pueblo County, and from there branched off to Bent's Old Fort or Taos, New Mexico. [32]
Civil War General William Jackson Palmer came to the Colorado Territory as a surveyor with the Kansas Pacific Railway in search of possible railroad routes. [33] Dr. William Abraham Bell from England was also part of the survey party. [34] Having viewed the valley in the shadow of Pikes Peak as an ideal town site in July 1869, [35] Palmer and Bell founded Fountain Colony, downstream of Colorado City, on July 31, 1871, and it was laid out by the Colorado Springs Company that year. [34] [35] [lower-alpha 3] The town was named Colorado Springs by 1879. [11] It was named for springs found along Monument Creek as early as 1871. [38] Four chalybeate mineral springs were later discovered along Monument Creek in October 1880. [39]
The El Paso County seat transferred from Colorado City in 1873 to the Town of Colorado Springs. [40] Early infrastructure included 60 mi (97 km) of irrigation canals along streets and a drinking water supply from Manitou's Ruxton Creek by 1879. [11] Water was diverted to the Ruxton Creek Basin from the Middle Beaver Creek basin in 1889. [41]
The town was "Little London" for the many English tourists and settlers actively recruited by Palmer's English associate Dr. William Abraham Bell and Palmer's English financial backers who provided the capital for his railroad, [33] [42] Denver and Rio Grande Railroad served the city beginning October 1871. [43] In 1873 Colorado Springs became the county seat for the county; Previously, Old Colorado City was the county seat. [44]
The Pikes Peak region was one of the most popular travel destinations in the late 19th century United States. [45] The town saw an influx of writers, artists and people from England in the late 1870s, some of whom made their home in the town. [44] Some of the key attractions were Garden of the Gods, Glen Eyrie, Pikes Peak, and Cheyenne Canyon. [46] [47] [lower-alpha 4]
Domestic and international travelers were drawn to the high altitude, sunshine, mineral waters, and dry climate. The town was described as "a veritable Eden for consumptive invalids". [46] [47] At the peak of its period as a health resort for tuberculosis treatment in Colorado Springs, there were 17 tuberculosis hospitals in the area. The permanent residents fear of catching the highly contagious disease nearly resulted in a state bill that would have required tubercular patients to wear bells to announce their presence. [49]
The Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind and Colorado College were founded in 1874. [50] Palmer opened the Antlers Hotel in 1882. [44] Colorado Springs incorporated on June 19, 1886, [51]
Colorado Midland Railroad began service in the town in 1885. Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad service began in 1889. Trolleys ran to Manitou Springs the following year. [50] Colorado Springs grew by 164% when 11,140 people settled in the town between 1880 and 1890. [52]
After the Cripple Creek gold discovery in 1891, the people who made a fortune from the gold rush and industry built large houses on Wood Avenue, then in the undeveloped downtown area of Colorado Springs. Several large stone buildings like Colorado College, St. Mary's Church, the first Antlers Hotel, the library, and the county courthouse were built on wide streets, in anticipation of significant population growth. [52] [53] [54] By 1898, the city that had grown through annexations [55] of Old Colorado City, Ivywild, Roswell and other towns [56] was designated into quadrants by the north–south Cascade Avenue and the east–west Washington/Pike's Peak avenues, along with voting precincts 27-41 and five wards with the fire alarm zones. [57] : 10
Inventor Nikola Tesla built and operated his wireless power experimental station in 1899 on Knob Hill, near the current intersection of Foote and Kiowa Streets. [58] Governor James Hamilton Peabody sent troops to Colorado City in 1903 to settle a miner's strike. They set up Camp Peabody at what became the 1903 Colorado Labor War. [59] [lower-alpha 5] According to Mrs. Gilbert McClurg, reported in the Colorado Springs Gazette, General Palmer visited the west bank of Monument Creek and located a lost mineral spring so that it was included in his plans for Monument Valley Park. [61] By 1905, the lake at Monument Valley Park was built at a cost of US$750,000 (equivalent to $25,433,000in 2023), the YMCA building was built for $100,000 (equivalent to $3,391,000in 2023), and Broadmoor Country Club built one of the city's two polo fields. [62]
There was a plan in 1911 plan to build a Colorado Springs Union Depot to consolidate the two railroad passenger depots, but it was never completed. [63] A zoological park was built along Cheyenne Creek, near Bear Creek Road (now Eighth Street), by 1916 [64] and the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was built in 1925 above The Broadmoor resort on the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Road. [65] [66] In 1919, William Kennon Jewett deeded the Colorado Springs Golf Club's golf course to the City of Colorado Springs. [67] Aircraft flights to the Broadmoor neighborhood fields began in 1919, [68] the Alexander Airport (later called Nichols Field) north of the city opened in 1925 and land was purchased in 1927 for the first Colorado Springs Municipal Airport. [68]
People |
---|
Coal mining areas |
Other mining topics |
Successful mine owner Winfield Scott Stratton funded the Myron Stratton Home for housing itinerant children and the elderly, donated land for City Hall, the main post office, the Courthouse, and a park; he also greatly expanded the city's trolley car system and built the Mining Exchange building. [69] [70] [71] Spencer Penrose and his wife, over the course of their lives, financed construction of The Broadmoor resort (1918), Pikes Peak Highway, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (1921), Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun (1937), made a significant donation to what is now known as Penrose-St Francis Health Services, and established the El Pomar Foundation, which still oversees many of his contributions in Colorado Springs today. [50] [72] [73] [74] A bronze sculpture of Palmer on a horse was unveiled in 1929. [50] To many residents who lived in Colorado Springs in the years since, Palmer became known as "the man on the iron horse". [75]
Many of the large homes in Colorado Springs were made into apartment houses or became boarding houses during the Depression of the 1930s and when there was a housing shortage during World War II. Some homes were also converted into office space. [52]
City-owned properties that are, or were originally, outside of the city limits include:
- Colorado Springs Airport (annexed 1964) [76]
- North Cheyenne Cañon Park
- Evergreen Cemetery (1.5 mi SE in 1898)
- Manitou Hydroelectric Plant (bought 1905) [77]
- Pikes Peak Highway
- Pikes Peak Meadows (annexed c. 1985)
- Original Colorado Springs Municipal Airport
- Tesla Hydroelectric Plant (at USAFA); torn down in 1964 [78]
Colorado Springs annexed Roswell in 1880. [55] The city purchased 640 acres in North Cheyenne Cañon after citizens of Colorado Springs voted for the measure in 1885. [20]
Between 1889 and 1890 Seavey's Addition, West Colorado Springs, East End, and another North End addition were annexed to the city. [76] In 1891, the Broadmoor Land Company began developing the Broadmoor suburb and built the Broadmoor Casino. By December 12, 1895, the city had "four Mining Exchanges and 275 mining brokers." [79] Silver Cascade Falls, Helen Hunt Falls, N. Cheyenne Canyon Road and other land in North Cheyenne were purchased and donated to the city in 1907 by William Jackson Palmer. The cañon was considered by the Park Commission to be "by far the grandest and most popular of all the beautiful cañons near the city." [20] Several areas near downtown, such as North End and Wood Avenue were annexed by 1912 [55] and Colorado City (now called Old Colorado City) was annexed in 1917. [50] After a lull between 1917 and 1946, annexation began in earnest. Some examples of annexed areas are: Pleasant Valley (1950), Knob Hill (1952), Austin Bluffs (1958–1965), Pike View (1962), Papeton (1968), Woodmen Valley (1969), and Stratton Additions (1966–1971). [55]
Between 1960 and 1970 divisions of Cheyenne Mountain, Elmere, Black Forest-Peyton, Fountain, Pikes Peak and Monument were annexed into Colorado Springs, resulting in an increased population of 37,500 by 1970. [80] Broadmoor and Skyway were annexed, without a vote of its residents, before the state's Poundstone Amendment (1974) was enacted. [81] Briargate was annexed in 1982. [82]
The first city park in Colorado Springs, included in the initial town plans in 1871, is Acacia Park. It was initially called Acacia Square or North Park. General William Jackson Palmer donated land to establish Acacia and additional parks, including: Antlers Park, Monument Valley Park, North Cheyenne Cañon, Palmer Park, Pioneer Square (South) Park, Prospect Lake and Bear Creek Cañon Park. He donated a total of 1,270 acres of land, some of which was also used for scenic drives, tree-lined roadways and foot and bridle paths. The Perkins heirs donated Garden of the Gods to the city in 1909. [83]
Military units/operations were also posted in other buildings within the city limits:
- 1942: ATSF Depot
- 1942: Alamo Garage (20th Combat Mapping Sq)
- 1942: City Auditorium
- 1942: Kaufman Building
- 1963: Chidlaw Building
- 1985: Temporary Military Facility
- 1990: Federal Building
- 1999: Atrium II (GPS Support Center)
- 2002: Atrium II (Space Analysis Center)
- 2003: Space Operations School
The city purchased land at the southern border of the city and donated it to the War Department. After the Pearl Harbor attack, the U.S. Army established Camp Carson, named for General Kit Carson, near the southern borders of the city as a training facility in preparation for World War II. [84] Colorado Springs Municipal Airport was used by the Colorado Springs Army Air Base and was assigned to the Air Force in 1942 for photo reconnaissance training. It was renamed Peterson Field for Lt. Edward J. Peterson who died during a takeoff from the field. [85]
After World War II there was little military presence in the city. Camp Carson had only 600 soldiers. When the Korean War began there was an influx of military personnel. [84] Over time, Camp Carson grew and became a significant industry within the city. [86] In 1951, the United States Air Defense Command moved to Colorado Springs and opened Ent Air Force Base. [85]
In 1954 Camp Carson became Fort Carson. [84] That year the United States Air Force Academy was established. [50]
NORAD's main facility was built in Cheyenne Mountain, which permanently secured the city's military presence and as a result increased the city's revenue, and opened in 1966. [87] Ent Air Force Base was shut down and in 1977 was converted into the United States Olympic Training Center. [88] Peterson Field was renamed Peterson Air Force Base and was permanently activated. [85]
In 1983 Falcon Air Force Base, (later Schriever Air Force Base), was founded as a missile defense and satellite control center. [89] Air Force Space Command is located on Peterson AFB. [85]
Between 1965 and 1968 the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak Community College and the Colorado Technical University were established in the city. [50]
In 1972, the city's first National Register of Historic Places designation was the 1903 El Paso County Courthouse. The first designated historic district was the 1979 Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site. In 1977, most of the former Ent Air Force Base became the first US Olympic Training Center, and the US Olympic Committee moved there in 1978.
In 2012, the Waldo Canyon fire destroyed 346 homes and killed two people in the city.
Colorado Springs is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the most populous city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010. Colorado Springs is the second-most populous city and the most extensive city in the state of Colorado, and the 40th-most-populous city in the United States. It is the principal city of the Colorado Springs metropolitan area, which had 755,105 residents in 2020, and the second-most prominent city of the Front Range Urban Corridor. It is located in east-central Colorado on Fountain Creek, 70 miles (113 km) south of Denver.
Manitou Springs is a home rule municipality located at the foot of Pikes Peak in western El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The town was founded for its natural mineral springs. The downtown area continues to be of interest to travelers, particularly in the summer, with many shops and restaurants, as well as a creekside city park. The main road through the center of town was one of the direct paths to the base of Pikes Peak. Barr Trail, which winds its way up Pikes Peak, is accessible from town. The subdivision Crystal Hills was added to the municipality in the 1960s.
Garden of the Gods is a 1,341.3 acre public park located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. 862 acres of the park was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1971.
The Broadmoor is a hotel and resort in the Broadmoor neighborhood of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Broadmoor is a member of Historic Hotels of America of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Its visitors have included heads of state, celebrities, and professional sports stars. It is owned by The Anschutz Corporation through its subsidiary, The Broadmoor-Sea Island Company.
The Ute Pass is a mountain pass west of Colorado Springs that ranges from a peak elevation at Divide of 9,165 to 6,165 feet at its lowest point.
Old Colorado City, formerly Colorado City, was once a town, but it is now a neighborhood within the city of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Its commercial district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It was founded during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush of 1859 and was involved in the mining industry, both as a supply hub and as a gold ore processing center beginning in the 1890s. Residents of Colorado City worked at some of the 50 coal mines of the Colorado Springs area. It was briefly the capital of the Colorado Territory. For many years, Colorado Springs prohibited the use of alcohol within its border due to the lifestyle of Colorado City's opium dens, bordellos, and saloons. It is now a tourist area, with boutiques, art galleries, and restaurants.
Colorado Springs geography describes geographical topics regarding the city of Colorado Springs, Colorado in El Paso County, Colorado. With 194.87 sq mi (504.7 km2) of land, it is the state's largest-sized city. Denver is the most populated city.
The Uncompahgre Ute or ꞌAkaꞌ-páa-gharʉrʉ Núuchi is a band of the Ute, a Native American tribe located in the US states of Colorado and Utah. In the Ute language, uncompahgre means "rocks that make water red." The band was formerly called the Tabeguache.
Ivywild, Colorado, is a subdivision of Colorado Springs south of the downtown, west of Cascade Avenue and along Cheyenne Creek.
The Cheyenne Mountain Highway, also called Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Road, is a road in Colorado Springs, Colorado that begins at the intersection of Penrose Boulevard, Old Stage Road, and West Cheyenne Mountain Boulevard. It is a paved road to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun. Thereafter, it is an unpaved private road to one of the peaks of the mountain, known as The Horns.
Manitou Springs Historic District in Manitou Springs, Colorado is roughly bounded by US 24, Ruxton Avenue, El Paso Boulevard and Iron Mountain Avenue. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, it is one of the country's largest National Historic Districts.
Manitou Mineral Springs are natural mineral springs in Manitou Springs, Colorado and Cheyenne Spring House is on the National Register of Historic Places. The springs are located in one of the country's largest National Historic Districts.
Bear Creek Cañon Park is a high-country park located in Colorado Springs, Colorado with steep trails for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding.
North Cheyenne Cañon Park or North Cheyenne Canyon Park is a regional park located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is a National Register of Historic Places listing.
There are a wide range of recreational areas and facilities in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Broadmoor is a neighborhood in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The Colorado Springs and Interurban Railway was an electric trolley system in the Colorado Springs, Colorado area that operated from 1902 to 1932. The company was formed when Winfield Scott Stratton purchased Colorado Springs Rapid Transit Railway in 1901 and consolidated it in 1902 with the Colorado Springs & Suburban Railway Company. It operated in Colorado Springs, its suburbs, and Manitou Springs. One of the street cars from Stratton's first order is listed on the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties.
South Cheyenne Cañon, or South Cheyenne Canyon, is a canyon in Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado. The South Cheyenne Cañon road to Seven Falls is called "The Grandest Mile of Scenery" in Colorado. Seven Falls has been a tourist attraction since it was opened in the early 1880s. Trails from the top of the falls lead to Midnight Falls, near the headwaters of South Cheyenne Creek, and Inspiration Point. The area has been a center for parks, such as the Stratton Park and Colorado College Park. Now, part of South Cheyenne Cañon, including the Starsmore Discovery Center, is in the North Cheyenne Cañon Park. The area sustained a significant flood in September 2013, which closed Seven Falls until Spring 2015. Presently the falls are open again.
Cheyenne Creek is a stream in Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado at 5,920 feet (1,800 m) in elevation. The stream is fed by the North Cheyenne Creek and South Cheyenne Creek and flows into Fountain Creek near Nevada Avenue, between Interstate 25 and the Pikes Peak Greenway trail. North Cheyenne Creek and South Cheyenne Creek flow through Teller and El Paso Counties. The source of South Cheyenne Creek is Mount Big Chief, near St. Peter's Dome, and it flows to Seven Falls.
Cheyenne Mountain is a triple-peaked mountain in El Paso County, Colorado, southwest of downtown Colorado Springs. The mountain serves as a host for military, communications, recreational, and residential functions. The underground operations center for the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) was built during the Cold War to monitor North American airspace for missile launches and Soviet military aircraft. Built deep within granite, it was designed to withstand the impact and fallout from a nuclear bomb. Its function broadened with the end of the Cold War, and then many of its functions were transferred to Peterson Air Force Base in 2006.
"...a city of less than 20,000 people
El Paso county...now stands at the head of the wool producing counties of the State.
in central Colorado where the mineral belt abruptly widens from a width of about 15 to 60 km to about 140 km.
Fort Union or Great Lignite group
I passed the month of April, 1858, in camp near the Manitou Springs in Colorado (then called[ sic ] "Soda Spring" [which was 1 of the mineral springs])... I was awakened one morning about daylight by my orderly telling me that there was a herd of elk across the [creek] "Fontaine qui boulle," upon a bluff only about 200 yards from our camp.(transcript available from the LA84 Foundation)
...a city of less than 20,000 people... Colorado Springs is a resort for consumptives or persons having weak lungs.
External image | |
---|---|
1905 magazine images |