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Colorado Springs, Colorado
City History
Historic People
City History
Colorado Springs was founded in August 1871 by General William Palmer, with the intention of creating a high quality resort community, and was soon nicknamed "Little London" because of the many English tourists who came. Nearby Pikes Peak and the Garden of the Gods made the city's location a natural choice, welcoming U.S. and international travelers as well as health-savvy individuals seeking the high altitude and dry climate, and Palmer's visions of a thriving, quality resort town were coming true. Soon after, he founded the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, a critical regional railroad. Palmer and his wife saw Colorado Springs develop into one of the most popular travel destinations in the late 1800s.
Colorado Springs' present downtown location was partly due to Palmer's dislike of nearby rough-and-ready Colorado City and its many saloons. Palmer ensured his new planned city stayed alcohol free ,and in fact, Colorado Springs stayed dry until the end of Prohibition in 1933.
In its earliest days of 1859-1860, Colorado City was a major hub for sending mining supplies to South Park, where a major strike in the Pike's Peak Gold Rush was found. Eventually Colorado City was processing much of the gold ore at the Golden Cycle Mill using Palmer's railroads. The affluent did not stay in Colorado City but built their large houses in the undeveloped downtown area of Colorado Springs. Colorado City remained the county seat of El Paso County until 1873, when the courthouse moved to Colorado Springs.
The flow of gold and silver ebbed as the decades passed, and Colorado City's economic fortunes faded with it; the miners and those who processed the ore left or retired. Because of the healthy natural scenic beauty, mineral waters, and extremely dry climate, Colorado Springs became a tourist attraction and popular recuperation destination for medical patients.
In 1954 a new and growing Army post, an Air Force Base, and the Air Force's military academy together jump-started Colorado Springs' growth. The military boom continued and in 1963, NORAD's main facility was built in Cheyenne Mountain. This placed NORAD directly next to Colorado Springs and permanently secured the city's military presence. Military presence was further increased in 1983 with the founding of Schriever Air Force Base, a base primarily tasked with missile defense and satellite control. Fort Carson and Peterson are still growing and continue to contribute to the city's growth.
Today, Colorado Springs has many features of a modern urban area, such as parks, bike trails, urban open-area spaces, business and commerce, theatres and other entertainment. It was first established as a posh resort community and the tourist industry has remained strong and offers many activities and attractions. In July 2006, Money magazine ranked Colorado Springs the best place to live in the big city category. |
Historic Figures
Nikola Tesla (1856 –1943)
Nikola Tesla (1856 –1943) |
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Nikola Tesla was an inventor, physicist, mechanical engineer and electrical engineer. Born in Smiljan, Croatian Krajina, Military Frontier, he was an ethnic Serb subject of the Austrian Empire and later became Colorado Springs American citizen. Tesla is best known for his many revolutionary contributions to electricity and magnetism in the 19th & 20th century. Tesla's work formed the basis of modern AC systems with which he helped usher in the Second Industrial Revolution. After his demonstration of wireless communication (radio) in 1893 and winning the "War of Currents", he was widely respected as one of America's greatest electrical engineer.
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October 10, 2024
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