Seven Lakes is an abandoned, historically populated place in Teller County, Colorado, on the Pikes Peak mountain. [1] It was once the site of the Seven Lakes Hotel along a carriage road to the summit of Pikes Peak. Its waters flow from Beaver Creek to the Lake Moraine reservoir, a supplier of water to Colorado Springs.
Seven Lakes Park was a horseshoe basin nearly enclosed by Bald Mountain's (generally now called Almagre Mountain [2] ) walls. [3] In the late 1870s, a wagon road from Colorado City (now Old Colorado City) to Jones Park was extended to Seven Lakes. [lower-alpha 1] From there, it was about a five-mile hike to the top of Pikes Peak. In 1889, the carriage road was completed from Seven Lakes to the Pikes Peak summit. [5] Another route could be taken in 1904 on the Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek District Railway (Short Line) to the Clyde station. It was about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) via trails and the carriage road to Seven Lakes. [6]
A one-story log cabin built about 1877 in a ravine at 11,000 feet (3,400 m) in elevation served as hotel. [3] [7] In 1880, Mayo G. Smith bought the Seven Lakes Park property and ran the hotel from 1882 to 1883. [4] It was visited in 1887 by the Boyden Expedition of Harvard College, who took atmospheric measurements of Seven Lakes and Pikes Peak. [7] The hotel was expanded to several stories and fitted with a billiard room and bowling alley, [4] and burned down in the 1880s. [8] Visitors came to the area to camp and fish. [6] The Pike's Peak and Seven Lakes Toll Road Company was established by 1890. [9]
In 1896, the Colorado Springs & Cripple Creek Short Line Company planned to build a railway branch through Seven Lakes to Pikes Peak. [10] In 1909, the mode of transportation into Seven Lakes was via horses. [11]
The Seven Lakes-Pike's Peak Railway Company was formed in the fall of 1901 to build an 11 miles (18 km) electric trolley line from Clyde to Pikes Peak through Seven Lakes. [12] [13] [14] It was expected to be completed within a year at a cost of $250,000 (equivalent to $8,455,769in 2022). Henry C. Hall was one of the company's railroad directors. [12] [13] Hall made a proposal during a citizens meeting in the Colorado Springs council chambers in August 1901 regarding water at Seven Lakes. He asked for a review of the use of Seven Falls as a source of water for the city. He claimed it would be an expensive investment but might not provide as much water as anticipated. [15]
The Seven Lakes water supply of one hundred or more acres consists of small bodies of water at 10,500 feet (3,200 m) in altitude which flow south into Beaver Creek and then Lake Moraine, a source of water for the city of Colorado Springs by 1899. [16] [lower-alpha 2] The seven natural lakes formed by glaciers were: Isoetes Lake, Lake of the Rocks, Marsh Lake, Michigan Lake, Mirror Lake, Ramona Lake, and Ribbon Lake. [18] [20]
The city of Colorado Springs purchased Seven Lakes land for $70,000 in 1891. That year they built the Lake Moraine Dam. [19] An injunction to prevent the City of Colorado Springs from paying for and receiving title to the Seven Lakes property was refused in January 1902. [21]
In 1905, the Mason and McReynolds reservoirs were built [19] in the Seven Lakes area. [18] Marsh, Ribbon, and Mirror Lakes were used to make one of the reservoirs, and another reservoir was formed in the Seven Lakes area. [20] Water from the two reservoirs flows through the St. John tunnel to Lake Moraine. [22] [23] [lower-alpha 3] In 1909, the City of Colorado Springs restricted access to McReynolds and Mason Reservoirs (Seven Lakes), a source of the municipality's water, which closed off transportation opportunities through that area. [26]
Closed since the 1900s, the two South Slope Recreation Area reservoirs were opened for fishing in 2014, subject to a reservation with the City of Colorado Springs and a Colorado fishing license. [27]
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 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.
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.
Cascade is an unincorporated community and U.S. Post Office in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The ZIP Code of the Cascade Post Office is 80809.
The Pikes Peak Highway is a 19-mile (31 km) toll road that runs from Cascade, Colorado to the summit of Pikes Peak in El Paso County, at an altitude of 14,115 feet (4,302 m). It is at least partially open year-round, up to the altitude where snow removal becomes excessively difficult.
Lake George is an unincorporated community and a U.S. Post Office in Park County, Colorado, United States. The Lake George Post Office has the ZIP Code 80827. It lies along U.S. Highway 24 northwest of Colorado Springs, and several miles north of Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument.
Before it was founded, the site of modern-day Colorado Springs, Colorado, was part of the American frontier. Old Colorado City, built in 1859 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), Colorado Midland (1886-1918), Colorado Springs and Interurban, Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe (1889), Rock Island (1889), and Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek Railways. It was also known for mining exchanges and brokers for the Cripple Creek Gold Rush.
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.
Ivywild, Colorado, is a subdivision of Colorado Springs south of the downtown, west of Cascade Avenue and along Cheyenne Creek. As of 2015, the United States Geological Survey defines Ivywild as a Populated Place. It is one of the city's oldest working-class neighborhoods.
Pikes Peak Greenway is a 16 mile trail in Colorado Springs, Colorado that parallels Monument and Fountain Creeks and winds through and alongside parks, like Monument Valley Park, and sports complexes. It connects with other trails, such as the Midland Trail, Bear Creek Trail and Templeton Gap Trail.
Iron Springs, a neighborhood in Manitou Springs, Colorado, was an area named for one of Manitou Mineral Springs. The Manitou area had been frequented by Native Americans who considered it a sacred and healing place before European Americans settled in Manitou.
Englemann Canyon is a valley along Ruxton Creek, in Manitou Springs, El Paso County, Colorado. It is one of three canyons in Manitou Springs, the others are Ute Pass and Williams Canyon.
Ruxton Park is a park in Manitou Springs, El Paso County, Colorado at 9,078 feet (2,767 m) in elevation. The Manitou and Pike's Peak Railway, which departs from the depot at 6,570 feet (2,000 m) in elevation, climbs into Englemann Canyon along Ruxton Creek. It passes by the site of the Halfway Hotel and then Ruxton Park at mile marker 3 on the 8.9 mile trip to Pikes Peak summit.
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.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA.
Ruxton Creek is a stream in Manitou Springs in El Paso County, Colorado. Named for British explorer and writer of the southwest, George Fredrick Augustus Ruxton, it is one of three main drainage basins in Manitou Springs. Ruxton Creek flows out of Englemann Canyon and into the town of Manitou Springs. Iron Springs geyser emanates from the creek and is one of the Manitou Mineral Springs.
St. Peter's Dome is a granite-topped peak on Pikes Peak massif in the Pike National Forest. The peak, at 9,528 feet (2,904 m) in elevation, is located in El Paso County, Colorado, above Colorado Springs. It is located about 8 miles (13 km) from Colorado Springs along Old Stage and Gold Camp Roads. Old Stage Road is picked up behind The Broadmoor and Gold Camp Road winds through Cheyenne Canyon.
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.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)(President John Campbell; Secretary, J. E. McIntyre; Treasurer, Ainsworth Brown)
Water from Lake Moraine can be diverted to Big Tooth Reservoir or delivered through the Ruxton Hydro Power Plant and Manitou Hydro Power Plant to the Mesa Water Treatment Plant.
Colorado Springs, Colo.—Surveys for locating the proposed reservoirs in the seven lakes vicinity have been completed by City Engineer Case.
Media from Commons
News from Wikinews
Quotations from Wikiquote
Travel information from Wikivoyage| External images | |
|---|---|
 1883 Railway map, that shows Seven Lakes and its hotel | |
| 1907 Seven Lakes | |
| Reservoirs 4 (Mason) & 5 (McReynolds) |
Municipalities and communities of Teller County, Colorado, United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Town | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated community | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |