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issue." The quarries are plainly visible from various locations in the Colorado Springs azea, and two of them, the Queens Canyon and Pikeview quarries, are highly visible from the I-25 highway comdor that passes through the city. This paper presents a history of the Colorado Springs mountain scars issue. It describes the development of the quarries, the evolution of the controversy, the reclamation activity that has taken place and the remarkable community effort that has moved the controversy towazd a positive resolution. THE HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF THE MOUNTAIN SCARS ISSUE Growth of the Colorado Springs Region and the Development of the Quarries "The centerpiece ofdaily life for every resident ojthe Pikes Peak Region is an inspiring mountain view. For more than a century, this centerpiece has been a magnet attracting industry !o the area. Tourism is a major economic force because of the centerpiece, which has attracted untold numbers of residents here as well. These are the major reasons why the three local quarry scars marring the centerpiece gain so much attention; many residents and tourists ask how it happened." Wanda Reaves, The Chamber Connection, March 1995 These remarks by Wanda Reaves presented in a guest column of The Chamber Connection capture the essence of the mountain scars issue. To understand how the quarry scars developed and gained so much attention, one needs a brief review of the history of the region. As the mountains of the Front Range were being uplifted about 65 million years ago, a secondary movement created the Ute Pass Fault, which pushed a layer of limestone to the surface. Limestone outcroppings appeared in the Pikes Peak region with the largest outcroppings found where the Pikeview, Queens Canyon and Snyder Quarries are now located. This unique occurrence of limestone provided a convenient, inexpensive source of building material for the people who began to settle in the area in the 1850s. The limestone was used for rock dust in the coal mines and as a reagent in the region's gold processing operations. The City of Colorado Springs was founded on July 31, 1871. Significant quarry operations began around 1874 when the Snider brothers opened a limestone and sandstone quarry north of Manitou Springs. Over the years, the quarry was referred to as Snyder Quarry ("Snyder" now spelled with a `~'~, the Black Canyon Quarry and the Manitou Quarry. Early in the 1900s the Holly Sugar Corporation obtained ownership of the quarry and used the high-grade calcium carbonate from the mine to process sugar beets. In 1906, the fast mining claim was staked on land in or near the current Pikeview Quarry. Holly Sugaz Corporation and the Golden Cycle Corporation, a mining and ore processing company, Lrter acquired ownership of Ure land. The Pikeview Coal Mine, which was one of about 100 coal mines operating in the Colorado Springs area between 1882 and 1965, used limestone from the quarry in its operations. The coal mine was located in the present~ay community of Rockrimmon. (2)