Prologue and Early Days

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Entry posted by c-doodlez-man · March 1, 2010

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Being a Falcon, Colorado resident, living just outside of Colorado Springs: I bring you the historical growth of Colorado Springs. I'm using historical facts, google maps, and my own knoledge of the town to construct this.

Colorado Springs: An early History

Colorado Springs was founded in 1871 by General William Palmer as a wealthy resort community. The town was soon nick-named "Litte London", because of all of the British toursits that visited. One of the early establishments, the Anters Hotel was opened, opening it's doors to national and international visitors alike; and also health-seeking people coming for the high altitude and dry climate. Within two years General Palmer was already recongnizing his dream of a wealthy resort town.

Very soon afterword, Palmer established the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, an important regional rail line. with continuing donations and grants to the town, Palmer was building one of the most widely visited locations in the United States, as of the late 1800's.

Gold Rush!

Colorado Springs was built near Colorado City; he stayed away from Colorado City to keep his town lacking of alcohol; Colorado City was a "rough and ready" city with saloons and such. His town remained dry until the ending of prohibition. Colorado City was a major town for sending mining supplies to South Park, where a gold was discovered and a local gold rush was starting. In 1873, the county seat of El Pas County moved from Colorado City to Colorado Springs.

Growth

Early benefactors to the growth and development of Colorado Springs include W.S. Stratton and Spencer Penrose. Both making their fortune from the newly found gold in the region, they made important funding to the town that would still be remembered until this day. Stratton donated land for the city hall, post office, and court house (which now houses the Pioneer Museum). Spencer Penrose, another prominant man in the Springs, funded the construction of the Broadmoor Hotel, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun, the Pike's Peak Highway, and the still major Penrose-St. Francis health system. He also founded El Pomar Foundation, which still oversees his various contributions today.

1950

Colorado Springs, a booming town, in the 1951.

Mid 20th-Century Military Boom

Colorado Springs is home to very many important military bases. As a result of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Camp Carson (Fort Carson) was established. Also established was Peterson Air Force base (origionally Peterson Field) for training heavy bombers, Ent Air Force base, and in 1954, Dwight D. Eisnehower selected Colorado Springs (out of 300 other locations) to be home to the United States Air Force Academy. Also, in 1963, NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) was built inside Cheyenne Mountain, permentently securing Colorado Springs Military future. And in 1983 Schriever Air Force base was also established.

Other Stuff:

Pikes Peak, as seen from anywhere in Colorado Springs that's not hindered by another building, is important to residents and has been a symbol of the Springs since it's founding.

Pikes Peak

Colorado Springs gets roughly 17 inches of annual precipitation.
The highest recorded temperature is 102 degrees, recorded on June 7, 1874. The lowest recorded temerature was -32, recorded on January 20, 1883. This shows the unpredictability of Colorado's climate.
The record for snowfall is 43 inches.
Colorado Spring's current population is 414,000 (2009) as compared to 45,00 in 1950.

Other Cool Pictures