Will Rodgers Shrine of the Sun: Colorado Springs, Colorado
by Michele Kadison
It is hard to imagine visiting the Colorado Springs area without a visit to the Will Rodgers Shrine of the Sun. The five story high tower is made from 5,000 cubic yards of granite taken from Cheyenne Mountain, along with 200,000 pounds of steel, and 20 wagonloads of cement used as fortification, with [...]
Categories: South Central
Seven Falls: Colorado Springs, CO
by Michele Kadison
Seven Falls, just outside of Colorado Springs, Colorado is an array of seven beautiful waterfalls that cascade over solid granite cliffs. Located in the South Cheyenne Canyon, you can watch the falls teem down through the gorge from atop the Eagle’s Nest Observation platform, which you will find by taking the elevator inside [...]
Categories: South Central
Royal Gorge Route Railroad: Cañon City, Colorado
by Michele Kadison
One of the best railway trips in the Colorado Rockies is along the bottom of the Royal Gorge in Cañon City, Colorado. Riding along the Arkansas River with its class V rapids, abundant wildlife, flowering cacti, and historic cabins makes for some truly amazing photos to bring to the folks back home. With [...]
Categories: South Central
Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame: Colorado Springs, Colorado
by Michele Kadison
What better way to get a flavor of the Wild West than to visit the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs. Here you will find all the cowboy regalia you could dream of. From chaps to boots to spurs and all the antique rodeo paraphernalia in between, you will enjoy this [...]
Categories: South Central
Pikes Peak Cog Railway: Colorado Springs, Colorado
by Michele Kadison
Hop aboard the Pikes Peak Cog Railway from Manitou Springs to see why Katherine Lee Bates wrote her famous “America the Beautiful” in 1893. Even though she took a mule-drawn wagon to see the view from the top of Pikes Peak, you can experience the same thrill she felt by ascending on the [...]
Categories: South Central
Manitou Springs, Colorado
by Michele Kadison
Just at the base of Pike’s Peak lies one of the most popular historic towns in the Colorado Rockies. Manitou Springs, Colorado’s first resort town, is one of the best destinations for experiencing the flavor of the Old West. Named after a Native American character in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, “Hiawatha”, Manitou Springs [...]
Categories: South Central
Zebulon Montgomery Pike
Zebulon Montgomery Pike was born in Somerset County, New Jersey in the villiage of Lamberton, on January 5, 1779. Born to a typical family, for the times, he was the second of eight children, and the only one to grow to healthy adulthood. Four of his siblings died in infancy, the other three contracted tuberculosis [...]
Categories: Colorado History
Stephen Harriman Long
Stephen Harriman Long, born December 30, 1784 – He died in Alton, Illinois on September, 4th 1864. Long was a U.S. engineer, explorer, and military officer. As an engineer he is remembered for his developments in the design of steam locomotives. As an Army officer, he led one of the early pioneering expeditions through a [...]
Categories: Colorado History
Tom’s Baby (Breckenridge, Colorado)
Breckenridge started as a small mining camp in 1859, and at the peak of the gold rush was named after then Vice-President John Cabell Breckinridge to guarantee a post office for the town. They later changed the spelling to Breckenridge after the politician joined the Southern Confederate Army in the Civil War.
In 1887, Breckenridge became [...]
Categories: Colorado History
The Richest Square Mile On Earth (Central City, Colorado)
Today’s Central City, Colorado is a popular tourist destination, especially rich in heritage & history from Colorado’s gold rush and mining days but also offering modern amenities and limited stakes gambling casinos.
Central City wasn’t always just a tourist destination. Central City used to be the most prominent city in the Colorado Territory, the center of [...]
Categories: Colorado History