Garden of the Gods 2019

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Living in Colorado means we enjoy very pleasant weather in September. Actually it’s still like summer this year, temperatures ranging in the high 80’s and 90’s. We took advantage of that summer weather to go visit one of God’s true miracles, the Garden of the Gods.

Garden of the Gods is one of those parks that just rise up all of a sudden. They are located off of 31st street in Manitou Springs. You are driving along a residential area and then an open area with these majestic red rock formations just rising up out of nowhere. They are truly magnificent!

We thought a Friday wouldn’t be that busy. Braxton, my little great-grandson doesn’t have school on Fridays so we thought it would be less busy than a weekend. But we were wrong! Mind you this was the last week of September, we thought people would be at work. The parking lots were all full, and you couldn’t pull off the side of the road to take pictures because that too was full. We did finally get lucky and find a parking place so we could get out and hike.

In the 1870’s the railroad had come west to the Colorado Springs area. General William Jackson Palmer founded Colorado Springs in 1871 when he extended his lines of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. In 1879 he urged his friend Charles Elliot Perkins, the head of the Burlington Railroad to buy a summer home here in the Garden of the Gods. General Palmer encouraged his friend to build his railroad from Chicago to Colorado Springs. The Burlington railway never did reach Colorado Springs from Chicago but Perkins did buy land here, however, he never did build on it. He chose to leave the land in its natural state for the enjoyment of the public. Perkins died in 1907 before he could make arrangements for this area to become a public park, even though it had be open to the public for years. In 1909, his children, knowing their father’s wishes donated the 480 acres to the City of Colorado Springs. It was to be known forever as “The Garden of the Gods”, where it was to remain “Free to the Public”, where there would be no manufacturing or sales of intoxicating liquors, no buildings erected except those needed to maintain the area as a public park.

How did the Garden of the Gods get its Name?

It was August of 1859 when two surveyors started out from Denver City to begin a townsite, soon to be called Colorado City. While exploring nearby locations, they came upon a beautiful area of sandstone formations. M. S. Beach, who related this incident, suggested that it would be a “capital place for a beer garden” when the country grew up. His companion, Rufus Cable, a “young and poetic man”, exclaimed, “Beer Garden! Why it is a fit place for the Gods to assemble. We will call it the Garden of the Gods.” It has been so called ever since. (Park History Garden of the Gods).

Garden of the Gods and the Indians

The human history of the Garden of the Gods goes back over 3,000 years, however, according to an article written by Kerry Sullivan, “Garden of the Gods : Sacred Ground and Native American Crossroads”, Nov. 2016, the Ute people claimed their ancestors always lived there. It served as a “peaceful” meeting meeting and gathering place, even rival tribes would gather there. According to local stories these magnificent sandstone formations were considered sacred grounds and even rival tribes laid down their weapons when entering the Garden of the Gods.

Years ago there were railings and you could climb up to the top of the Ship Rock. But over the years erosion made it unsafe, and now you can no longer climb up there.

Things to do in Garden of the Gods

• Rock climbing with a permit that you can get at the visitor’s center.
• Horseback riding, check at the visitor’s center there is a fee.
• Rent bicycles(fee)
• Take a hiking tour (fee)
• Hike the paths on your own, follow the signs
• Check out the Trading Post
• Food can be purchased at the Trading Post
• Just enjoy the beauty