The Colorado Springs chapter is excited to host the 2015 Regional Conference in August. Colorado Springs has a rich history dating back to Native American tribes in the 1700s. In 1806, Zebulon Pike led an expedition through what is now Colorado. Once the railroad arrived and gold was discovered, Colorado Springs' population boomed. One of the new millionaires, Spencer Penrose, founded the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in the 1920s to provide education and conservation for the region. Some popular local attractions mentioned are the Garden of the Gods park, Historic Manitou Springs and its mineral springs, and Seven Falls.

1. colorado chapter
PEAKS & plainsFOURTH QUARTER 2014-2015 | APRIL
On behalf of our chapter, we are
excited to be hosting our 2015
Regional Conference in August.
There are many activities to keep
us and our families busy in the
Pikes Peak Region during the
dog days of summer. Fun Fact:
our beloved song “America
the Beautiful” was written
by Katherine Lee Bates after
summiting Pikes Peak’s 14,114
feet.
Colorado Springs is rich in
history dating back to the 1700’s
when several Native American
tribes (e.g., Arapaho, Cheyenne,
and Ute) settled near the now
Pikes Peak area- partly due to
the abundant mineral springs.
In 1806 almost 100 years later,
an United States Army captain
and explorer Zebulon Pike led
an expedition through the
now Colorado. The men lost
their bearings and ended up
being captured by the Spanish.
Then they were sent to the
now Chihuahua, Mexico to be
questioned by the Governor and
at ultimately released in 1807.
As in other parts of our state,
once the Denver and Rio Grande
Railroad started bringing new
people, revenue and wares to
Colorado Springs; a new era truly
began. Once gold hit, Cripple
Creek celebrated one of the
largest gold rushes in US history
and its population boomed to
approximately 50,000 residents.
One of the newfound millionaires
was named Spencer Penrose. He
and his wife Julie wanted to give
back to their region and founded
the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in
the 1920’s. They then developed
a trust for the people of
Colorado Springs “for the sole
purpose of establishing and
maintaining a zoological park
to provide recreation, education,
conservation and scientific
facilities in the field of zoology
and related subjects, and to
preserve the Zoo in perpetuity
for the people of the Pikes Peak
region.”www.cmzoo.org
STATEWIDE PRIDE
Learn and Laugh at Region 10 then Stay
and Play...the Pikes Peak Way!
by Cally Christensen

2. colorado chapter
PEAKS & plainsFOURTH QUARTER 2014-2015 | APRIL
Today the zoo focuses on
conservation and education by
allowing guests to experience
a one of a kind habitat. From
feeding giraffes to hippos and
primates this is one experience
not to be missed!
Another “must see” is Historic
Manitou Springs, famous
for several different types of
therapeutic mineral waters. The
native tribes that settled in this
area considered the eruption of
bubbles in the water the breath of
the Great Spirit“Manitou.”Much of
this healing water is still available
today; residents and visitors alike
can take a walking tour to sample
the different springs. Some of the
local favorites are: Seven Minute
Spring, the Cheyenne Spring -a
sweet soda spring, Iron Spring
Geyser- this healing water helps
with iron deficiencies, Twin
Spring-this water has a sweet
taste with higher levels of calcium
and potassium.
According to TripAdvisor the #1
place to go in Colorado Springs, is
the Garden of the Gods Park. With
over 15 miles of trails within the
park and over 1,300 total acres;
you can bike, hike, walk, take a
Jeep tour, ride on horseback or
even do some climbing. This park
is owned by the City of Colorado
Springs, and has been designated
as a National Natural Landmark.
This park celebrates over 300
million years of geological history
and the merging of two different
biomes: the grasslands of the
Great Plains and the pinon-juniper
woodlands of the American
Southwest.
Finally another awe inspiring local
attraction is Seven Falls (privately
owned.) This is an almost 200
foot series of seven cascading
waterfalls of the South Cheyenne
Creek. There are multiple ways
to view the falls either from
the Eagle’s Nest (accessible by
elevator,) or climbing the 224
stairs. This scenic destination
experienced significant flooding in
2013 and has been renovated and
will re-open Summer of 2015. 
Sources Cited:
www.visitcos.com
www.cmzoo.org
www.tripadvisor.com
STATEWIDE PRIDE
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