Organized in May 1871, the Colorado Springs Company was the brainchild of Civil War general and postwar railroad developer William Jackson Palmer. Bringing his Denver and Rio Grande Railroad line here, he and the company positioned the 2,000-acre townsite for a boom, making âFountain Colonyâ one of the more successful railroad colonies. Their town, Colorado Springs, would be their outpost of eastern civilization, while the spa-resort for health seekers would be nearby Manitou Springs. Palmer chose the backdropâGarden of the Gods and Pikes Peakâupon his first visit.
Living up to Palmerâs plans, on July 31, 1871, colony officials struck the first stake at the corner of Cascade and Pikes Peak avenues. Next day, August 1, they began selling lots. Each investor paid $100 for membership alone. Residential lots were $50, business lots $100. Exotically named were the âvilla sites.â Meanwhile, âcolony cabinsâ were the first housing available, made of raw timber, one room each. Early guestsâsuch as Rose Kingsley, daughter of British theologian Charles Kingsleyâstayed in tents, as howling âprairie wolvesâ (coyotes) scavenged through town at night. By first yearâs end, members had to pay their balances and show proof of improvements to receive their titles. For tourists and extended-stay visitors, Palmerâs Colorado Springs Hotel opened on New Yearâs Day 1872.
Town residents were to be of âgood moral character and strict temperance habits,â with deeds carrying liquor prohibition clauses. Irrigation being essential, the company designed, dug, and operated the El Paso Canal and irrigation ditches, augmented by wells, in 1872, gardens encouraged. General Palmer insisted on wide, tree-lined streets. It should be a âCity of Treesâ and the streets should have electric streetcars. Thus, the company advertised on February 1, 1873: âTrees wanted!â They must be â5,000 young, round-leafed cottonwoods with plenty of roots.â
Social cultivation was also essential. Palmerâs wife, Queen Mellen, opened the first school, hosted the first Christmas, and sang in concert. Palmer and company imagined a âCity of Churches,â the âgreatest university in the West,â and a womenâs college like Vassar. Thus, Presbyterians opened a church in 1872 and Colorado College in 1874. That year, Out West magazine was born to promote the area to easterners. In 1872, enthusiasts formed the âFountain Society of Natural Scienceâ with the first circulating library, while the town became the El Paso County Seat. General Palmerâs utopia was well on its way.
Generously Submitted by Katharine Scott Sturdevant, Professor of History, Pikes Peak Community College.