Exit78 » Colorado

Eyes of the Great Depression 055.

Mike Goad — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:34:00 +0000

Winner at the Delta County Fair, Colorado

This photograph by Russell Lee, photographer for the Farm Security Administration, was shot in October 1940.

Part of Farm Security Administration – Office of War Information Photograph Collection at the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Color Photographs .

More information about this item (Library of Congress)

Friday Faire–Six Miscellaneous Travel Photos.

Mike Goad — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 12:00:00 +0000

The six photographs below are from two different trips – one in 2007 and the other in 2011 – from five different states.

Fence at Cliff Edge

Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming, 2007

Leaving Colorado…

Mike Goad — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

After 2 weeks in Colorado, we left Grand Junction on a short drive to our next destination, Arches National Park. It was 131 miles (211 km), mostly on Interstate 70, though the actual straight line distance was 60 miles (96.5 km).

As we traveled west in Colorado several days earlier, the landscape had gradually changed from high mountain forest and tundra to high desert country, with quite a bit of farming in the Grand Valley of the Colorado River (once called the Grand River). Driving west into Utah, the landscape became more and more desolate with a stark and fascinating beauty.

This was our third visit to Arches National Park. The previous two were brief, but this time we had three nights reserved in the park at Devils Garden Campground.

Arches National Park is in eastern Utah. It has over 2000 natural sandstone arches and many other interesting geological formations, such as spires, balanced rocks and sandstone fins. It was designated a national monument in 1929 and became a national park in 1970.

Selected Information Resources:

Arches National Park.

Colorado National Monument.

Mike Goad — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:50:00 +0000

Over the years, we’d been through Grand Junction at least 4 times, but had never stopped there or visited any of the local attractions. After this trip, Colorado National Monument will certainly be a place we would like to visit again.

Colorado National Monument, established May 24, 1911, is located just to the west of Grand Junction. Part of the larger Colorado Plateau, the monument features canyons that cut deep into sandstone and even granite formation. It is high desert country, with elevation in the park ranging from 4000 feet to nearly 7000 feet above sea level. Summer temperatures are usually very hot, while nighttime winter temperatures can be extremely cold. Precipitation is limited, with an annual average of just over 10 inches..

The monument has a lot of hiking trails, with varying length and difficulty – we took two moderately long hikes during our visit, managing to wander off of the Devil’s Kitchen trail into and unmarked area. We also took the Monument Canyon Trail from the upper trailhead to the Coke Ovens overlook and back. The lower portion of the train from the lower trailhead to Independence Monument and back is highly recommended for visitors looking to do only one hike. It’s a 2.5 mile hike that follows the base of sandstone cliffs, offering views of towering rock formations and, in the fall, it’s the best trail to see desert bighorn sheep.

Photos from Colorado National Monument have been published on the Exit78 facebook page in the “Colorado National Monument” album.

Selected Information Resources:

Karen’s Post – Colorado National Monument

Grand Junction and Art on the Corner.

Mike Goad — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

As we had a few days before our next reservation – Arches National Park, – we decided to stop in an area we had only passed through before, Grand Junction, Colorado. While we were there, we took a stroll down Main Street and discovered Grand Junction’s “Art on the Corner.”

While at Grand Junction, we also visited Colorado National Monument and The Museum of Western Colorado.

The name “Grand” is derived from the Grand River, the name for the upper Colorado River before it was renamed in 1921. “Junction” is from the joining of the Colorado and Gunnison rivers, just southwest of the downtown area.

Selected Information Resources:

Grand Junction.

Museum of Western Colorado

High Mountains to High Desert.

Mike Goad — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Leaving Rocky Mountain National Park on September 16, 2011, our next destination was several thousand feet lower and on the western side of the state – Grand Junction, Colorado.

About nine miles south of Estes Park on Colorado 7, we stopped to take pictures of the Chapel on the Rock – officially St. Catherine of Siena Chapel – on the grounds of Saint Malo Retreat Center. The chapel is built on an large piece of granite that the Colorado highway department once planned to dynamite to widen and straighten the adjacent highway. Dedicated in 1936, the chapel was built from local stone hauled in by mule carts.

In November 2011, a fire heavily damaged portions of the St. Malo Retreat Center. The chapel, several hundred feet away was not damaged.

Our drive for the day was about 300 miles. The first part was on mountain 2-lane highways down to Interstate 70. Traffic was quite light, certainly less than it would have been if we had gone through Boulder and along the foothills of the Front Range as we did in 2009.

I70 meanders up, down, around and through the Colorado mountains between Denver and and Grand Junction. Our little motorhome did pretty good duty traveling over this road once again, though the CRV it was towing was 6 model years newer than the last time.

“The Eisenhower Tunnel, with a maximum elevation of 11,158 feet (3,401 m) and length of 1.7 miles (2.7 km), is the longest mountain tunnel and highest point along the Interstate Highway System.” (Wikipedia.)

We stopped in Vail for lunch and a stretch break. Often, when there isn’t a rest area handy, we’ll take a break after an hour or two of driving by stopping at a “big box” store. Most of them are large enough that we can loosen up by taking a couple of laps walking around inside the store. In Vail, we stopped at WalMart and, once we were loosened up, went back out to the camper and had lunch in our camper.

Our next stop was a rest area in Glenwood Canyon, a rugged and scenic canyon on the Colorado River. This area is one of the most scenic natural features along the U.S. Interstate Highway System. Foot access is available for hiking a four rest areas in the canyon. The highway through the canyon was one of the final pieces of the system to open to traffic and was one of the most expensive per mile constructed in the United States. In its 12.5 mile length, there are three tunnels, 40 bridges and viaducts, and miles of retaining walls. “Through a significant portion of the canyon, the eastbound lanes extend cantilevered over the Colorado River and the westbound lanes are suspended on a viaduct several feet above the canyon floor.” (Wikipedia)

The trip along I 70 was a gradual transition from high mountain forests and tundra west of Denver to the high desert of western Colorado and Utah.

We would be camping in the Grand Junction, 4,593 ft (1,397 m), area for the next 4 nights and would be in desert country for a good portion of the rest of the trip.

Elk Viewing Season in Moraine Park.

Mike Goad — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

We visited Rocky Mountain National Park in September, largely because it’s the prime period for viewing North American elk (wapiti) in the park.

In late summer and early autumn, elk descend from the high country to mountain valley meadows for the annual mating season. Bull elk compete with each other for the right to breed with a herd of females. Although the competition is high, it’s mostly posturing for the females as actual fighting results in injury and depletes energy.

One of the best – and most popular – areas for viewing the elk is Moraine Park. The word “park” used in place names in the Colorado Rockies often refers to a valley or meadow. In this instance, Moraine Park is a long, glacier formed valley, with broad meadows at the lower end.

A moraine is a accumulation of boulders, stones and other debris deposited by a glacier. Aptly named Moraine Park is bounded by moraines on three sides. On the north and south, the valley is enclosed by lateral moraines, formed when the glacier deposited debris along its side. Debris at the east end of the valley formed a terminal moraine against a small mountain.

A two lane paved road to the Fern Lake trailhead runs along the south side of the Moraine Park meadow. In the cool evenings of the elk mating season, portions of the road are often jammed with cars and pedestrians watching the elk – what we like to call a “critter jam.”

While we were down along Fern Lake Road several evenings to view the elk, we didn’t take our car. We could have taken the hiker shuttle bus, but didn’t do that either. Instead, we walked.

Moraine Park campground is situated on the northern lateral moraine and there is a trail that goes down the hill to the meadow. When we visited in 2009, our campsite was right next to the trail, but, this year, that site was, unfortunately, reserved, so we had to settle for a site a little further away.

Blog posts from this visit to
Rocky Mountain National Park:

Selected Information Resources:

Rocky Mountain National Park

National Park Service– Rocky Mountain National Park
- Suggested Hikes
- Conditions and Closures
Wikitravel
Wikipedia

Estes Park

Grand Lake

Trail to Nymph and Dream Lakes

Mike Goad — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

This was our second time on this trail segment, which runs from the Bear Lake parking area to Emerald Lake and connects with other Bear Lake area trails. We had hoped to make it to Emerald Lake if our legs, and the weather, held out. The weather had been iffy overnight and during the morning. Trail Ridge Road had been closed closed the night before and remained closed due to snow for the first time in the season. With rain threatening, instead of a hike that morning, we went into Estes Park. After lunch and walking around Estes Park town center a bit more, we headed back into the park to the Bear Lake area trailhead.

The trail we chose goes to a trio of subalpine lakes – Nymph, Dream, and Emerald – in upper Tyndall Gorge. The trail is well maintained and rises steadily over most of it’s 1.8 mile length. Difficulty is easy to moderate, but can be more difficult for those not acclimatized to the altitude as it climbs to over 10,000 feet. We had already been in Colorado a week, so the altitude was less of an issue than it might have been otherwise.

From the Bear Lake area trails parking lot (9,475 ft.), the trail climbs steady for 1/2 mile, then levels off at about 9, 700 feet at the south end of small, lily pad covered Nymph Lake. The trail begins climbing again in the forest on the north end of Nymph Lake and levels off again at Dream Lake, 1.1 miles from the trail head and at an elevation of 9,912′ ft. Dream Lake is .35 miles long. The trail passes along its west shore.

We had hoped to make it all the way to Emerald Lake, 1.8 miles from the trailhead and 10,090 feet above sea level, but we turned back at the north end of Dream Lake due to deteriorating weather conditions. Weather in the high country can be unpredictable, even in the middle of summer, but this was the middle of September and we’d already had some rain on our hike. We had rain gear with us. However, it was already 3:30 PM and light rain was falling again, so we decided against pushing on ahead.

Blog posts from this visit to
Rocky Mountain National Park:

Bear Lake
Fall River Country
Trail Ridge High Country
Estes Park, Colorado
Trail to Nymph and Dream Lake (this post)
Moraine Country (coming soon)

Selected Information
Resources:

Rocky Mountain National Park

National Park Service– Rocky Mountain National Park
- Suggested Hikes
- Conditions and Closures
Wikitravel
Wikipedia

Estes Park

Grand Lake

Estes Park

Mike Goad — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

On our four previous visits to Rocky Mountain National Park, we stayed one or more nights in the adjacent town of Estes Park. This time, we didn’t, as we were able to get reservations at Moraine Park Campground in the park for the duration of our planned visit. As a result, we actually spent less time in Estes Park than any other visit – other than traveling through town and stops for fuel and groceries, just a short visit before and after lunch on September 15th, followed by an afternoon alpine hike back in the park. It was an nice stroll along the street and into some of the shops – and much less crowded than our last visit on Labor Day weekend, 2009.

This image is from a photo Karen snapped of me
while I was taking a picture of the Wishful Thinkin’
sculpture of the cowboy pouring water out of
his boot.

Estes Park, a town of just under 6,000 permanent residents, is a popular summer resort in the Front Range of the Colorado Rockies, though there are plenty of recreational opportunities during the rest of the year. Located at 7,522 feet above sea level, the town is at the east entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. Tourism has been a primary business for the town for most of its history. Lodging includes The Stanley Hotel, inspiration for the setting of Stephen King’s novel The Shining. (We stayed in the hotel during our 2001 visit.)

The word “park” used in place names in the Colorado Rockies often refers to a valley or meadow. Estes Park, then, originally referred to the valley and was named after town founder Joel Estes.

The town experienced severe damage in July 1982 from flooding resulting from the failure of Lawn Lake Dam.

Additional information on the Lawn Lake Dam Failure, July 15, 1982:

KOA TV Channel 4 – YouTube, 1982 footage
Wikipedia
Town of Estes Park

Blog posts from this visit to
Rocky Mountain National Park:

Bear Lake
Fall River Country
Trail Ridge High Country
Estes Park, Colorado (this post)
Trail to Nymph and Dream Lake (coming
soon)
Moraine Country (coming soon)

Selected Information
Resources:

Rocky Mountain National Park

National Park Service– Rocky Mountain National Park
- Suggested Hikes
- Conditions and Closures
Wikitravel
Wikipedia

Estes Park

Grand Lake

Trail Ridge High Country

Mike Goad — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Rocky Mountain National Park’s Trail Ridge Road (Wikipedia) crosses the park from Estes Park on the east to Grand Lake on the west. It is a segment of U.S. Highway 34 and is the highest continuous highway in the United States. Crossing the Continental Divide at Milner Pass ((elev. 10,758 ft/3,279 m), it reaches its highest point at 12,183 ft (3,713 m), near Fall River Pass.

On this visit, the day we crossed on Trail Ridge Road to Grand Lake and back started out cool, with precipitation predicted. We ran into a little rain and quite a bit of fog, some of which rolled in when we were on the Tundra Communities Trail, which climbs a couple hundred feet, starting at about 12, 100 ft. elevation.

On the way back to the campground, we stopped at the gift shop next to Alpine Visitor Center – at Fall Creek Pass – at a little after 3 PM to take a break from the fog and get a cup of coffee. However, the gift shop was closed, as was the visitor center. The temperature had dropped from the mid 50s when we were there earlier in the day to 35°F.

About three hours after we made it back to the camper, the park service closed the road.

Blog posts from this visit to
Rocky Mountain National Park:

Bear Lake
Fall River Country
Trail Ridge High Country (this post)
Estes Park, Colorado (coming soon)
Trail to Nymph and Dream Lake (coming
soon)
Moraine Country (coming soon)

Selected Information
Resources:

Rocky Mountain National Park

National Park Service– Rocky Mountain National Park
- Suggested Hikes
- Conditions and Closures
Wikitravel
Wikipedia

Estes Park

Grand Lake

Fall River Country

Mike Goad — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Each time we visit Rocky Mountain National Park, we travel the Old Fall River Road from it’s junction with the modern Fall River Road, U.S. Highway 34. The road is two-way and paved for the first 1.75 miles, passing Lawn Lake Trailhead, Lawn Lake Alluvial Fan, and the Endovalley Picnic Area. The remaining 9.4 miles is winding, narrow, unpaved and one-way from the picnic area to above treeline at Fall River Pass, following the steep slope of Mount Chapin’s south face to it’s junction with Trail Ridge Road.

Old Fall River Road was built between 1913 and 1920.

The Lawn Lake Alluvial Fan is a particularly interesting recent geologic feature. It was created when flood water and debris rushing down the steep and narrow Roaring River valley from a failed dam at Lawn Lake slowed down when it reached the broader Fall River valley, leaving behind an alluvial fan of debris. When we first saw it over 20 years ago, the large Roaring River gully scoured by the flow and the alluvial fan were still a fairly fresh scar on the land, with little new vegetation. In the ensuing years, the scar has weathered some and vegetation has moved in.

Additional information on the Lawn Lake Dam Failure, July 15, 1982

Aerial view of Estes Park, July 15, 1982 (USGS)

KOA TV Channel 4 – YouTube, 1982 footage
Wikipedia
Town of Estes Park

Lawn Lake alluvial fan from Trail Ridge Road

Blog posts from this visit to
Rocky Mountain National Park:

Bear Lake
Fall River Country (this post)
Trail Ridge High Country (coming soon)
Estes Park, Colorado (coming soon)
Trail to Nymph and Dream Lake (coming
soon)
Moraine Country (coming soon)

Selected Information
Resources:

Rocky Mountain National Park

National Park Service– Rocky Mountain National Park
- Suggested Hikes
- Conditions and Closures
Wikitravel
Wikipedia

Estes Park

Grand Lake

Bear Lake

Mike Goad — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:00:00 +0000

The Bear Lake area of Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the most popular parts of the park. We’ve hiked several trails in the area, including the 0.6 mile trail around Bear Lake.

The Bear Lake Trail is an easy walk, listed as accessible – available to most people, including those with handicaps. However, the trail is not entirely flat and is more challenging than most accessible trails. The lake is about 9500 feet above sea level.

Bear Lake is at the end of Bear Lake Road, eleven miles from the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center. With several other trails in the Bear Lake area, the parking lot fills early during the summer and weekends. Bear Lake Route shuttle buses run from a large Park & Ride parking area across from Glacier Basin Campground, with stops at other trailheads along the route.

Blog posts from this visit to
Rocky Mountain National Park:

Bear Lake (this post)
Fall River Country (coming soon)
Trail Ridge High Country (coming soon)
Estes Park, Colorado (coming soon)
Trail to Nymph and Dream Lake (coming
soon)
Moraine Country (coming soon)

Selected Information
Resources:

Rocky Mountain National Park

National Park Service– Rocky Mountain National Park
- Suggested Hikes
- Conditions and Closures
Wikitravel
Wikipedia

Estes Park

Grand Lake

A Rocky Mountain Park…

Mike Goad — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 13:29:00 +0000

Rocky Mountain National Park, to be exact.

After our short stay in the Colorado Springs area, we headed mostly north to our next stop, Moraine Campground in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Looking down Fall River Valley from Fall River Pass.

This was our fifth visit to this area – not counting the trip with my grandparents and 17 year old uncle back in 1957 when I was 5 years old.

The drive for the day was about 145 miles. Unfortunately, it was also through the Denver metro area and there wasn’t much of an easy way around that. We would prefer traveling through metropolitan areas on a weekend when the traffic is less, but I had been unable to get reservations at the park campground for the duration we wanted any earlier than September 12, a Monday.

We delayed starting out a little while in an attempt to miss the worst of the traffic.

I was in the left hand lane on US 24 not long after we left when I noticed the driver in the next lane holding up a card trying to get my attention. I don’t remember exactly what it said, but it was basically telling me that I should be driving in the right hand lane. Now I understand people getting upset when people abuse traffic requirement, including the one where slower vehicles are supposed to stay to the right. I was driving a 25 foot motorhome towing a car, so, yes, I was going slower than some others. However, I also had a GPS that was telling me that about a mile down the road I had to make a left turn to get on the freeway and, with the heavy morning traffic, I was in the left hand lane early to make sure I didn’t miss it. The guy made a right turn shortly after that so I wasn’t really delaying him at all. Just a control freak jerk, I guess.

I’m working on the photos and videos from the several days we were in the Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) area. We were in some locations more than once and I want to group the material from those together, so the RMNP posts won’t necessarily be chronologically sequenced.

More to come.

Mountain Towns

Mike Goad — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 01:47:06 +0000

After our Pike’s Peak drive, we spent some time looking around the towns of Manitou Springs and Old Colorado City.

Today, the towns are part of the South Central Colorado Urban Area (Wikipedia). Old Colorado City is actually a natural historic district in the city of Colorado Springs that was incorporated into Colorado Springs in 1917. Adjacent to each other, both towns were on one of the direct routes to the Pike’s Peak area gold fields.

Manitou Springs is the home of the Pike’s Peak Cog Railway.

Information and Resources:

Manitou Springs

Old Colorado City

Pikes Peak–Driving to 14,110 feet.

Mike Goad — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:00:00 +0000

On September 10, we headed out to drive to the top of Pikes Peak from Garden of the Gods Campground in Colorado Springs, a driving distance of about 25.6 miles, with an elevation change of almost 8000 feet.

We had attempted to drive to the top in 2004, but were stopped at Glen Cove Inn, at 11, 425 feet, due to high winds higher up. We were told that the winds will likely lessen later. After waiting a while, we went back down and, later, decided to try to go up on the Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway. When we got to the top, we found that it was brisk and chilly at 34°F with great views, and the wind was low enough that there were already cars in the parking lot. The ride on the railway was a great experience, though.

On this year’s trip, the wind was not a problem. With stops, we made it to the top in around 2 hours.

The road has recently been improved significantly as a settlement of a Sierra Club lawsuit. (A lot of the online references say that the road is not paved on the upper half. This is old information.) Except for a section less than a mile long, the road is paved all the way to the top. The road is on federal land administered by the U.S. Forest Service, but is leased to the City of Colorado Springs for operation. The toll is used to maintain and improve the road, thus requiring no general tax revenue for the road.

Note: The images and video segments are sequenced from the bottom of the mountain to the top, but most of them were actually taken at pullouts on the way back down.

Pikes Peak is about 10 miles west of Colorado Spring, Colorado. It was originally called “El Capitan” by Spanish settlers, but was renamed after Zebulon Pike, Jr., an explorer who led an expedition to the area in 1806. It is one of Colorado’s 54 fourteeners, mountains rising over 14,000 above sea level.

Information and Resources:

Cripple Creek, Colorado

Mike Goad — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 14:00:00 +0000

September 9, 2011 – After visiting Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, we headed on down the road to Cripple Creek. In 2004, we had rented an A-frame cabin near Cripple Creek and, on this day trip, decided to drive through the area again.

Cripple Creek sits in a high mountain valley just below tree line at about 9,500 feet near the western base of Pikes Peak. For many years the valley was consider to be of little value for anything more than grazing cattle. A mini gold rush was caused in 1884 when three con men salted gold in a prospect hole near Mount McIntyre, 13 miles west of Mount Pisgah. The men planted a fake claim sign and invited the press. In the excitement over news of a new gold strike, the papers mistakenly identified Mt. Pisgah, near current day Cripple Creek, as the location of the strike. Experienced miners quickly determined the strike was a fake and the incident became known as the Mt. Pisgah Hoax. It gave the area a bad reputation, prospectors avoiding it for many years.

A persistent prospector, Bob Womack, came to Colorado in 1861 with his father at the tail end of the Pikes Peak Gold Rush. While they didn’t do well, they liked Colorado well enough to bring out the rest of the family, purchasing the Levi Welty homestead in Pisgah Park, where Cripple Creek would later be established. Womack dug hundreds of holes search for gold, becoming known as “Crazy Bob” and a drunkard. In 1890, Womack dug a narrow shaft into Tenderfoot Hill, finding gold ore. Womack called the discovery the El Paso Lode. It later became the Gold King Mine, eventually producing $5 million in gold.

In 3 years the population rose from 500 to 10,000. Though the mines of Cripple Creek produced a half a billion dollars of gold ore, Womack profited but little and died penniless in 1909. (See more on Cripple Creek history at Wikipedia.)

Unlike many of the historic gold camps and towns that have faded into ghost towns, Cripple Creek reinvented itself in the 1940s as a tourist destination. In 1991, Cripple Creek was one of a small number of towns opened to legalized gambling by Colorado voters. Casinos now occupy many of the old historic buildings and gambling revenue has revitalized the area.

Information and Resources:

Florissant Fossil Beds

Mike Goad — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 14:00:00 +0000

On September 9, we visited Florissant Fossil Bed National Monument and Cripple Creek.

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument is located in Florissant Valley, a high mountain valley west of Pikes Peak. The valley, fossil beds and national monument take their name from the nearby town of Florissant, Colorado.

In 1893, when the photograph on the right was taken, tourists had ready access to shale fossils and petrified wood.

“Early accounts describe the valley as being littered with petrified wood. As word spread, the Florissant area became a popular tourist destination. Exploitation, constant collecting, and thoughtless destruction continued for nearly 100 years. There is no way to assess the damage done or the loss of rare scientific evidence during this period.” ¹

Our visit to the park included the small visitor center, the Petrified Forest Trail, and the Hornbek Homestead.

“Adeline Hornbek was not a typical homesteader. In the 1970s, after the loss of two husbands and two homes, this single mother of four moved her family to the Florissant Valley. At a time when women had few opportunities to own property, she filed a claim to homestead 160 acres here. Within seven years, Adeline had built a sizable house and nine outbuildings, and had acquired $4,000 worth of livestock. On top of the daily work of homestead chores and raising children, she added a job at the general store in Florissant.”¹

Information and Resources:

^__________

¹ from a park interpretive sign

A city park that’s simply amazing.

Mike Goad — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:00:00 +0000

…and it’s free to visit.

Until we visited it in 2004, I had no idea that Garden of the Gods was a Colorado Springs city park. Most large cities have some nice parks, but few have parks with outstanding geologic features like Garden of the Gods.

We visited the park again this year.

Garden of the Gods Park started with a gift from the family of Charles Elliott Perkins, a former president of the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad. Perkins had purchased 480 acres of the current park for a summer home that was never built. He died in 1907 with his children aware of his wish for the public to be able to enjoy the natural wonder.

A plaque in the park reads, “The Garden of the Gods. Given to the City of Colorado Springs in 1909 by the children of Charles Elliott Perkins in fulfillment of his wish that it be kept forever free to the public.”

Source of the name “Garden of the Gods” –

The name of the park dates back to August 1859 when two surveyors helping to set up nearby Colorado City were exploring the nearby areas. Upon discovering the site, one of the surveyors, M. S. Beach, suggested that it would be a “capital place for a beer garden.” His companion, the young Rufus Cable, awestruck by the impressive rock formations, exclaimed, “Beer Garden! Why it is a fit place for the gods to assemble. We will call it the Garden of the Gods.” The beer garden never materialized, but the name stuck. –Wikipedia

Geologic formations –

The outstanding geologic features of the park are the ancient sedimentary beds of red, blue, purple, and white sandstones, conglomerates and limestone that were deposited horizontally, but have now been tilted vertically and faulted by the immense mountain building forces caused by the uplift of the Pikes Peak massif. Evidence of past ages; ancient seas, eroded remains of ancestral mountain ranges, alluvial fans, sandy beaches and great sand dune fields can be read in the rocks. A spectacular shear fault can be observed where the Tower of Babel (Lyons Sandstone) contacts the Fountain Formation. There are many fossils to be seen: marine forms, plant fossils, and some dinosaur fossils.

The hogbacks, so named because they resemble the backs and spines of a pig, are ridges of sandstone whose layers are tilted. Instead of lying horizontally, some layers are even vertically oriented. Each hogback can range up to several hundred feet long, and the tallest (called North Gateway Rock) rises to a height of 320 feet (98 m) tall. A notable rock feature on this hogback, the Kissing Camels, appears to be two very large camels sitting face to face with their lips touching. –Wikipedia

Links:

Our travel day was a short one from La Junta, Colorado, to Garden of the Gods Campground, a commercial campground near the Garden of the Gods park.

A popular destination

Mike Goad — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 15:56:02 +0000

Our next destination has long been a Colorado destination – more tomorrow with a video photo presentation of our visit there, including a bachelor herd of sheep with big horns.

Bent’s Old Fort

Mike Goad — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:35:00 +0000

Several years ago, I did quite a bit of research on a National Historic Site I had never visited, Bent’s Old Fort, just north of the Arkansas River in Southeastern Colorado, near La Junta. It was one of the places I wanted to see on this trip and we visited the fort September 7th, 2011, a breezy and chilly morning.

It was very, very interesting, exceeding all of what I remembered of that long ago research.

The fort is actually a reconstruction based on drawings by Lt. James Abert in 1846.

It’s amazing to think that this location was actually on the border between the United States and Mexico back then.

Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site was the first place I selected for an online travel project that never came to full fruition. The material that I developed from that research is included below, along with a few photos from our visit.

William Bent, Charles Bent and Ceran St. Vrain were among the earliest western fur traders and, in the 1820’s, began to engage in the Mexican and Indian trade. There were five Bent brothers. For thirty years their name was almost synonymous with the fur trade of Colorado.

In 1831 or 1832 Charles Bent and St. Vrain formed a partnership, which in time became Bent, St. Vrain, and Co., and entered the Santa Fe trade. In the late 1820′s or early 1830′sWilliam Bent, who had apparently been trading independently, erected a large adobe fort on the north bank of the Arkansas River, 12 miles west of the mouth of the Purgatoire. At first named Fort William, it was also known as Bent’s Fort and finally as Bent’s Old Fort after it was partially destroyed and a new fort was built elsewhere. Elaborately constructed, it was eventually a massive adobe structure of quadrangular shape having 24 rooms lining the walls, supported by poles. Two 30-foot cylindrical bastions, equipped with cannon, flanked the southwest and northeast corners. The walls were 15 feet high and 2 feet thick and extended 4 feet above the building roofs to serve as a banquette and were pierced with loopholes. On the south side was a cattle yard, enclosed by a high wall. A self-sufficient institution, the fort was operated by about 60 persons of many nationalities and vocations, including blacksmiths, trappers and traders, carpenters, mechanics, wheelwrights, gunsmiths, cooks, cattle herders, hunters, clerks, teamsters, and laborers.

Bent’s Fort became the center of the Bent, St. Vrain Company’s trading empire which reached from Fort St. Vrain in the north to Fort Adobe in the south. The company also had stores at Taos and Santa Fe in what was then Mexico. A primary trade was for buffalo hides with the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Arikara, Comanche, Kiowa, Shoshone and Sioux Indians. Constructed of adobe due to the scarcity of lumber, for most of its 16 years, it was the only permanent white settlement between Missouri and the Mexican settlements. For explorers, adventurers and the U.S. Army, the fort provided supplies, livestock, company and a place for protection in what was known as the Great American Desert.

In 1846 the U.S. Army decided to use their post as a staging base for the conquest of New Mexico. That summer Gen. Stephen W. Kearny and his Army of the West, consisting of about 1,650 dragoons and Missouri Volunteers-from Fort Leavenworth, Kans., followed by some 300 to 400 wagons of Santa Fe traders, rested at the fort before proceeding to occupy New Mexico.

When Kearny departed, Government wagon trains congregated in ever-increasing numbers. Horses and mules overgrazed nearby pastures. Quartermaster stores piled up at the fort, and soldiers, teamsters, and artisans in Government employ occupied the rooms. Not only did the Government fail to compensate the company adequately, but trade also suffered because the Indians were reluctant to come near when so many whites were present. Following the soldiers into New Mexico were scores of settlers, gold seekers, and other adventurers who slaughtered the buffalo, fouled the watering places, destroyed scarce forage, and used up precious wood. The company was caught between the millstones of resentful Indians and invading whites.

Several other factors accelerated the company’s demise. In 1847 Charles Bent, who the year before had been appointed the first Governor of New Mexico Territory, was assassinated by Taos Indians during a revolt. The following year St. Vrain sold his interest in the company to William Bent. The final blow was a cholera epidemic, which in 1849 spread from emigrant wagons and decimated the Plains tribes. That same year the disillusioned William Bent abandoned the fort, moved 38 miles down the Arkansas, and founded Bent’s New Fort in an ill-fated attempt to restore his trading business.

Bent may have partially blown up and burned Bent’s Old Fort at the time he departed. By 1861, at the end of more than a decade of disuse, the fort’s rehabilitated walls sheltered a stage station on the Barlow and Sanderson route between Kansas City and Santa Fe. When the railroads replaced stagecoaches, the buildings served as cattle corrals and gradually collapsed and disintegrated. Yet as late as 1915 parts of the old walls were still standing.

Early in the 1950′s the State Historical Society of Colorado acquired Bent’s Old Fort from the Colorado chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The society arranged with Trinidad (Colo.) State Junior College to perform the initial archeological investigation and determine the fort’s general outlines. The society then erected a low wall, about 3 to 4 feet high, delineating them.

In 1960, Congress established the fort as a national historic site. After the National Park Service activated Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site in 1963, it tore down the wall and completed comprehensive archeological excavations. Archeological excavations, original sketches and paintings, and diaries were the bases for the fort’s reconstruction in 1976.

Nearby Camping:

Hasty Lake-Ordway
John Martin Reservoir-Lamar
KOA-La Junta

In internet researching for my web pages on Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site, I discovered over 70 mentions of the old fort and the new fort in old documents available on-line. In nine of them, I found more detailed information:

Harper New Monthly Magazine, Editor’s Drawer[1]

In “old times,” said Colonel Saint Vrain to me when I last saw him at the little New Mexican pueblito of Morn, “the Indians came to the posts when they had any trading to do; camped near by, and did their trading; settled little disputes among themselves; had pony- races with the mountaineers that had come in with pelts, and a sort of good time generally. If you could have seen the old trading post that stood where Bent’s Old Fort now stands, on one of these trading visits, you would have seen a sight worth remembering. We did not let many Indians into the fort at a time, and those who were in had to exhibit good behavior or none at all. There have been more than forty thousand robes sent out from that post as the result of one year’s work. There was money in the trade then, but now— Well, there’s but few of the traders who go out to the villages with an outfit but what might have found quite as good employment for themselves in some other line of business.”

Life of Kit Carson…[2]

We left Carson at Robideau Fort, tired of the pursuit of trapping, as soon as it had become unprofitable, and while there, he arranged with three or four other trappers, to come down to Bent’s Fort. The trip was like others made at this season, through a country where the rifle would supply food for the party, and arriving at Bent’s Fort, where his name was already well-known, Carson could not long be idle. He engaged himself to Messrs. Bent and St. Vrain, as hunter to the fort, preferring this by far to the idea of seeking employment nearer civilized life. Indeed no situation could have pleased him better, if we may judge from the fact that he continued in it for eight years, and until the connection with his employers was broken by the death of one of the partners, Col. Bent. Gov. Bent, since appointed to the office of chief magistrate of New Mexico, by the United States Government, had been killed by Mex can Indians, and was universally mourned by Americans and Indians wherever he was known. Mr. St. Vrain, the other partner, was active during the Mexican war, since the date of which we write, still lives, and is esteemed as a father, by many an early mountaineer. Carson owed him gratitude for kindly sympathy and words of counsel, when yet a youth he was commencing his mountain life, and Dr, Peters, the first biographer of Kit Carson, dedicates his book to Col. St. Vrain, asserting that he was the first to discover and direct Carson’s talents to the path in which they were employed. For both of these gentlemanly proprietors, Carson cherished a warm friendship, nor was there ever an unpleasant occurrence between them.

The life of Col. John Charles Fremont….[3]

On the 1st of July [1844] we arrived at Bent’s fort, about 70 miles below the mouth of the Fontaine-qui-bouit. As we emerged into view from the groves on the river, we were saluted with a display of the national flag, and repeated discharges from the guns of the fort, where we were received by Mr. George Bent with a cordial welcome and a friendly hospitality, in the enjoyment of which we spent several very agreeable days. We were now in the region where our mountaineers were accustomed to live; and all the dangers and difficulties of the road being considered past, four of them, including Carson and Walker, remained at the fort.

Scenes beyond the Western Border[4]

July 29th. [1845]-A pleasant day, with a cool breeze, which made all comfortable. As we passed on this morning, we saw a half mile to our right, near the river bank, a small party with a wagon, moving westward: — whereupon it was visited, some barrels of alcohol destroyed—me n and wagon seized and brought with us.

Over a smooth, gravelly, second bank prairie, we caught sight, at several miles distance, of the national flag, floating amid picturesque foliage and river scenery, over a low dark wall, which had a very military semblance. Very gradually and tediously we approached; and then were we more surprised at the fine appearance and strength of the trading fort. An extensive square, with high adobe walls, and two large towers—at opposite angles; and all properly loop-holed. Our near approach was saluted by three discharges from a swivel gun; the walls being well “manned.” The Colonel and suite were most hospitally greeted at the sally port, by Messrs St. Vrain and C. Brent. The regiment marched on, and en camped at the first grassy meadow, a mile or lower down

Amongst a few luxuries which we here attain, are several newspapers, of later date by some weeks than we have seen. The commissary reports the provisions in perfect preservation—especially the hard bread; ‘tis a pity there is no flour. We arrived with rations for a single day.

This afternoon a party of a dozen Mexicans passed our camp, being questioned, and allowed to proceed; they have a trading venture, for the Chians. The majority of the hands at the fort are Mexicans; and the Spanish the prevailing language; but with English, French and Indian additions and combinations, there is no slight confusion of tongues.

There has been quite a lively exchange of broken down horses for ponies and mules; and very much, ” unsight, unseen,” a horse was a horse, if he could stand up; a pony was only expected to go. Two young antelopes were presented to an officer, who then purchased a mule and cart for their conveyance.

Here we lose sight of Pike mountain, after journeying rapidly in view for nine days. It is said to be visible from some river bluff, 80 or 90 miles further on. We have found it about 400 miles from Fort Laramie, and the route we have followed is the best natural road we have yet seen. There is nothing to prevent a light carriage from passing it, twelve miles to the hour; and this so near the mountains, and in view of perpetual snow!

The Mexican war: a history of its origin, and ….[5]

[1846] The point of departure [of Kearney’s troops] was Fort Leavenworth, on the Missouri river, and the point to be reached (Santa Fe) was one thousand miles distant. For a greater part of that distance, from the Missouri to Bent’s Fort on the Arkansas, the road lay over vast plains, which had for ages been the pasturage of the buffalo, or the hunting-ground of the Indian. Short dry grass, or sometimes barren ground, with skirts of trees in the valleys of the streams, made nearly the whole landscape; while occasionally a buffalo in the distance, a prairie-wolf in the trail, or the carcass of some unfortunate horse given to the wild birds or wilder beasts, gave variety to this desolate scene. Bent’s Fort, the lonely plantation of Mr. Bonny, and the meeting of a party of traders, were the only signs of civilization.

History of the United States of America, from the discovery to the present time.[6]

On the 2d of September [1846], George Bent, known as the proprietor of Bent’s Fort, was appointed civil governor of New Mexico….

Incidents of travel and adventure in the far West: with Col Fremont’s last expedition ….[7]

p. 73—Bent’s house [not the fort] is a trading post. Indians of the different tribes bring in their venison, buffalo meat, skins, and robes, which are exchanged for various descriptions of manufactured goods. Mr. Bent also receives the annual appropriation from Government, for the neighboring tribes of Indians which are distributed at this point. Bent’s Fort, which is situated about thirty miles further up the Arkansas, was recently destroyed by the Indians, and has not been rebuilt, from the scarcity of timber in its vicinity. All the material saved from the fort, was removed to Mr. Bent’s house, on Big Timber.

p.75:—WE travelled up the Arkansas, and passing the ruins, of Bent’s Fort on the opposite side of the river, struck the mouth of the Huerfano; we followed that river to the Huerfano Valley-which is by far the most romantic and beautiful country I ever beheld.

California and Mexico, Message from The President of the United States to Congress [8]

Letter from Indian Agent James C. Calhoun

INDIAN AGENCY, SANTA FE,

October 5, 1849:

Sir: Since my letter of yesterday’s date, I regret to say rumors of Indian troubles have increased, and received some confirmation by the murder of a Mexican within three miles of this place. The surgeon who examined the wounded man on yesterday says he was shot with sixteen arrows in the back and two in front; that he found arrows upon the ground, and that the trail indicated the number of Indians as unusually large. Several Indians from Ildefonso came to me yesterday, also, saying the Navajoes were impudent, troublesome, and dangerous, and that they were in every nook and corner of the country.

A few moments since, the governor and others of Santa Domingo, thirty-one miles west of Santa Fe, came to give me similar intelligence. One of the owners of Bent’s Fort has removed all property from it, and caused the fort to be burnt. Mr. St. Vrain, long a citizen here, every way reliable and intelligent, says a worse state of things has not existed in this country since he has been an inhabitant of it. This fact is sustained by Mr. Folger and others—among them Mr. Smith, who will be in Washington at an early day, as the delegate of a convention assembled here on the 24th of last month, to consider of the public good.

The number of discontented Indians in this Territory is not small; and I regret to add, they are not the only evil people in it.

This whole country requires a thorough purging, which can be accomplished only by a thorough exploration of every hole and corner in it. The entire country should be immediately examined and surveyed, and military roads should be opened, and posts and depots established.

This policy would render it absolutely necessary to send out one or two additional regiments, (mounted) as the surest and only plan of economizing in this branch of the public service; and with this branch, should one or more additional regiments be raised, I should be pleased to be associated, as I have written to you and to the Secretary of War heretofore.

Governor Washington left for Taos on yesterday morning, to be absent for a few days only. I am arranging to leave for Jemez on to-morrow, where, it is understood, a number of the chief officials of several pueblos are to be on the 8th of the present month.

Colonel Monroe has not arrived. No report of troops approaching from the States, and we are yet without a mail.

I am your obedient servant,

James S. Calhoun, Indian Agent, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Commissioner, &c., Washington City

Camp and Travel in Colorado^{^[9]}

There along the river banks are the stamping grounds of Colonel Bent, and some miles above Lyon are the ruins of Bent’s Old Fort, while several miles below it stands Bent’s Fort, a massive structure of masonry built on a solid bed of stone, under one-third of which flows the current of the Arkansas. This fort was probably built for Indian business, and though we could see no present or past need of it, knowing that Indian tribes have no very powerful bombarding batteries, its walls, we were told, were broad enough for our teams to drive around on, and fifteen to twenty feet in height. Its portholes and towers gave the fort a threatening look, as seen from any point for miles away upon the plains. Within its walls were the conveniences of barracks and stables, while but a few rods north, at the foot of a hill, lay a little town of barracks that was used by the garrison in times of peace. This was unoccupied, while there was only a poor Mexican family in possession of the fort itself.

[1] “Editor’s Drawer, Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, Harper & Brothers, New York, January 1869

[2] Burdett, Charles, “Life of Kit Carson: the great western hunter and guide. Comprising wild and romantic exploits as a hunter and trapper in the Rocky Mountains; thrilling adventures and hairbreadth escapes among the Indians and Mexicans; his daring and invaluable services as a guide to scouting and other parties, etc., etc. With an account of various government expeditions to the far West.”, Philadelphia,: J. E. Potter and company, 1869

[3] Frémont, John Charles, “The life of Col. John Charles Fremont, and his narrative of explorations and adventures, in Kansas, Nebraska, Oregon and California,” New York, Auburn: Miller, Orton & Mulligan, 1856.

[4] Cooke, Philip St. George; Captain of U. S. Dragoons, “Scenes Beyond the Western Border”, Southern Literary Messenger, Aug 1853

[5] Mansfield, Edward D., “The Mexican war: a history of its origin, and a detailed account of the victories which terminated in the surrender of the capital; with the official despatches of the generals. To which is added, the treaty of peace, and valuable tables of the strength and losses of the United States Army” New York, A.S. Barnes & Co., 1860

[6] Watson, Henry Clay, “History of the United States of America, from the discovery to the present time.” Philadelphia,: Thomas, Cowperthwait & co., 1854

[7] Carvalho, S. N, [artist to the expedition] ” Incidents of travel and adventure in the far West: with Col Fremont’s last expedition across the Rocky Mountains: including three months’ residence in Utah, and a perilous trip across the great American desert to the Pacific.” New York, Derby & Jackson, 1859

[8] Taylor, Zachary, “California and Mexico, Message from The President of the United States, Transmitting Information in answer to a resolution of the House of the 31^st of December, 1849, on the subject of California and New Mexico.”, January 24, 1850

[9] Mariager, Dagmar, “Camp and Travel in Colorado”, Overland Monthly and Out West Magazine, May 1890