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line was extended to Cripple Creek. The railroad, the first standard gauge railroad built in the Rocky Mountains, was used to haul gold ore from the mines to ore mills in Colorado City. The completion of the railroad :in 1887 encouraged a number of eager entrepreneurs to entice tourists to the area. One such man was W.J. Foster, a real estate man from Colorado Springs. In December 1887, Foster secured title to the valley from Howard with aspirations of developing a summer resort and townsite. He named the place Green Mountain Falls and started the Green Mountain Falls Town and Improvement Company. The town was platted in 1888. In the late l880s, the area began to change. The Colorado Midland Railroad brought thousands of visitors to the area each summer to enjoy the fresh air and scenery. By the summer of 1888, construction was begun on Lake Gazebo and streets. Newspaper accounts from the era estimated 500 people living in the new town. The town was incorporated in 1890. By the turn of the century, the town was gradually changing. The hotels were losing their fashionable image and more year-round residents were living in the town. A fire in 1908 destroyed the Green Mountain Falls Hotel, and it was never rebuilt. Gone with the hotel was the excitement of' the l890s. The Colorado Midland Railroad continued in operation until 1949. Remnants of the old railroad bed are still visible. Tourism is the economic base of Green Mountain Falls. The year- round population in Green Mountain Falls has increased from 359 in 1970 to 644 in 1980, an increase of approximately 80 percent. Although no information was ava,ilable for past years, it appears that more year-round residents (both in absolute numbers and per- centages) are living in the town. By the year 2000, the year- round population is projected to increase to approximately 1,200, an increase of 86 percent from 1980. Proportionately, these figures reveal that future population increases will not be as substantial as in the past. The summer-only population is projected to decline as residences are converted to year-round use:. The total population in summer, however, is expected to increase to approximately 1,600 by the year 2000 due to siginficant increases in the year-round population. Fountain Creek originates approximately 5 miles northwest of Green Mountain Falls in Teller County. From its headwaters, Feuntain Creek flows southeasterly for approximately 18 miles, often exceeding a gradient of 150 feet per mile, to join Monument Creek. Between Colorado Springs and the Puebl~ County line, the average gradient on Fountain Creek is 26 feet per mile. Its drainage area above its confluence with the Arkansas River is approximately 917 square miles. 4