Laserfiche WebLink
<br />the waters and named the area Manitou, or "Great Spirit". The <br />discovery of gold in the area brought miners and prospectors to <br />Manitou springs who drove away the Indians. The city became popular <br />as a spa, and people from allover the world came to partake of <br />the mineral springs. Today, Manitou Springs is a vacation center <br />surrounded by popular attractions, such as Garden of the Gods, <br />Cave of the Winds, Indian Cliff Dwellings, U.S. Air Force Academy, <br />and pike's Peak. <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />Fountain Creek begins in the Rampart Range, approximately 7 miles <br />northwest of pike's Peak near Woodland Park and drains the northeast <br />slope of pike's Peak. It flows southeasterly through Manitou <br />Springs and eventually empties into the Arkansas River at pueblo. <br />The drainage area of Fountain Creek above Manitou Springs is 7l <br />square miles and is characterized by steep slopes, rugged terrain, <br />and forest. In the city, the Fountain Creek flood plain is heavily <br />developed in some areas and is city parks in other areas. <br /> <br />Ruxton Creek drains the eastern slope of pike's Peak and has a <br />drainage area of l7.6 square miles at its confluence with Fountain <br />Creek in Manitou Springs. The drainage basin above Manitou springs <br />is characterized by steep slopes and forests; within the city, <br />it is characterized by a narrow valley and dense development in <br />the flood plain areas. <br /> <br />Sutherland Creek begins south of the city in the pike National <br />Forest and has a drainage area of 5.37 square miles at its mouth. <br />The upper basin is vegetated and the lower reach is moderately <br />developed. In many areas, the stream channel is heavily vegetated <br />with thick stands of scrub oak. <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />Williams Canyon flows through an area of rugged terrain and steep <br />slopes from its headwaters in the Rampart Range north of Manitou <br />Springs. Williams Canyon above U.S. Highway 24 flows in a narrow, <br />rocky, steep-walled canyon; below U.S. Highway 24, it flows through <br />dense residential development. For the final l,lOO feet near <br />the confluence with Fountain Creek, Williams Canyon is enclosed <br />in a concrete box culvert. Its drainage area at t:he mouth is <br />2.68 square miles. <br /> <br />Beckers Lane Tributary flows parallel to Beckers Lane in the eastern <br />part of the city and drains an area of 0.88 squarE! mile. The <br />stream flows in an area of the city which is less developed than <br />the flood plain of the other drainageways. <br /> <br />The steep slopes in Manitou Springs preclude construction in many <br />areas and the gentler slopes in the flood plains are often intensively <br />developed. Numerous footbridges cross the streams, and several <br />buildings have been constructed over the channels" New housing <br />development has occurred principally in the Sutherland Creek area. <br /> <br />- <br /> <br />4 <br />