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<br />B"CKGROU~D INFO!t.V.ATIcm
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<br />Settlement
<br />
<br />Labor tro~bles beset the town in 1903, ne~ technoloqy dis~
<br />placed milllaboq population dwindled., ar:d the to,"", began slipping
<br />to'"ardob1ivion. In1917,absorbedbyitstl'.rlvingrivaltotheeast,
<br />Colorado City oeeane west Colorado Springs.
<br />Manitou Springs was surveyed and laid cut ir: IB71 ty the
<br />Colorado Land and Improvement Company. The to"Hnsite encompassed the
<br />legendary nineral springs whicb the developers foresaw as an oasis
<br />for health, pleasure and culture seekers, It was planned~~and
<br />successful~-as tbe first resort in the Colorado region. Hotels sprung
<br />up One after another. Manitou's reputation grew until it was referred
<br />to as the "Saratoga of the West," The springs rell'.ained a constant
<br />attraction, drawing health seekers to taste their waters and bathe in
<br />the many baths and spas. Although much of the 19th Century charm of
<br />Manitou has given way to the pragmatism of the 20th Century, Manitou
<br />continues to offer resident and tourist alike mountainous surround~
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<br />Colorado Springs and ~anitou Springs, as neighboring com-
<br />munities on ro~ntain Creek, are located in central ColoradO's El Paso
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<br />County, which features towering 14,110 foot high Pikes Peak in its
<br />background. This heartland of Colorado was first explored by the
<br />early-day".apmaker, Lieutenant Zebulin M. Pike, in 1806. Ahalf-
<br />century later, the lure of gold brought those who eventually stayed
<br />as settlers,
<br />
<br />West Colorado Springs, known as Colorado City, was founded
<br />as El Dorado City in 18S9.by a party of gold hunters from Kansas. On
<br />the sarne site the year before, the town of El'Pasohad been laid out
<br />by other Kansas prospectors beca~se it stood on an Indian Trail through
<br />Ute Pass, Offering access to tho mines of South Park. Despite widely
<br />distributed maps which "emblazone<l to the world th<l.t a r>"w town had
<br />enlargcdtheareaOfoivilization,"theventurefailed,andElOorad0
<br />City was rechristened Colorado City. By 1861, more than 300 cabins
<br />had been erected along the river. The following year it became the
<br />Territorial capital for a brief period when. the Second Terr~torial
<br />Legislature met there for four days. Little business was transacted,
<br />however, for not only did lawmakers consider the accommodations and
<br />dive~ti~~crnents inade~Jate"but news had just come that <orL Swntur
<br />.had heen fired on. The ter~itoria1 governor never ~aw fit to trann~
<br />fer his office to Colorado City,
<br />Discouraging rcports by prospectors r~turning fro~ South
<br />Vark and the diversion of travel 'from the Arkansao VaLley during the
<br />Civil War brought a long period of decLine. Ut~ Fass again.bec~e
<br />merely an Indian Trail: a flood swept a~ay much ot the oEttlem~nt;
<br />and Colorado City seemed. destined to becorr.e another OIhost town. It
<br />
<br />ings rivaled by few cities,
<br />TwO historic events have most significantly effected the
<br />PikeS J:'eakarea's deve1opnent. In1891,discoveryoftheincredihly
<br />rioh Cripple Creek gold fields, rouqhly 20 miles west of Colorado
<br />Springs, brought wealth and an initial era (1891~1910) of explosive
<br />growth. Later, in 1942. the establishment of Camp Carson, no", Fort
<br />Carson, on CoLorado Spring~' southern outskirts introcluced a more
<br />stable economy, based on year-round military spending, in plac~ of
<br />the tourism featured in pre-World War II days. Other impo~tant mili-
<br />tary installations followed-~U.S. Air Foroe Academy, Ent Air force
<br />Base, North Amerioan Air Defense Command~-and the area readily
<br />accepted the military as a new and dominant economic reSOurce. In
<br />1970, the U,S, Bureau of the Census reported a population of 135,060
<br />in "rM" ('<'10,""<1,, srrin'J~ ""d 4,:l7B in "'I<"ftO'.1 sr>rtn<J~'
<br />
<br />was displaced by Colorado springs as the county seat in 1873, CoLo-
<br />rado ~ity stirred with new life with the rich gold strIkes at Cripple
<br />Creek in the 1890's, This all but deserted town became a lively
<br />industrial cente~.
<br />
<br />The Stream and Its Valley
<br />Fountain Creek has its sOurCe in the mountains of the
<br />Rampa~t Range about seven miles northwest of Pikes Peak. The stream,
<br />with a drainage area of about 120 square miLes in the study area, flows
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