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Palmer Lake Historical Society Articles

Palmer Lake Historical Society, May 15 – Author recounts life of Nikola Tesla

By Marlene Brown

At the May 15 meeting of the Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS), the topic of the evening was Nikola Tesla and Why He Chose Colorado Springs by author and historian Patric Ryan, who moved to Colorado Springs seven years ago and has been researching Tesla. He is writing a book series and a play, Mark Twain and the War of Wizards, written about Tesla’s rivalry with Thomas Edison, narrated by Mark Twain, who happened to be one of Tesla’s good friends.

Ryan said that Tesla’s (1856-1943) family left Serbia under the Ottoman empire for Croatia, which was part of the Austrian Empire. Born at midnight on July 10, 1856 during a lightning and thunderstorm, the midwife declared, “He’ll be a child of the storm” and his mother responded “No, of light.”

While growing up, Tesla had several flashes of inspiration which led to many discoveries and inventions. He began to work on the alternating current (A/C) theory while studying engineering and physics at the university, and he worked at several electrical plants and power houses before becoming employed at the Edison Works in Ivry, a suburb of Paris. After unsuccessfully raising money to work on his A/C motor, he secured passage to New York. Two days after landing he was working for Thomas Edison at Edison Works. The next several years was spent working and troubleshooting for several companies, including Westinghouse, and developing his own inventions such as wireless transmission.

Ryan said Westinghouse won the electrical contract for the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. Tesla had an exhibit there demonstrating several of his inventions and was introduced as the “Wizard of Physics.” After the World’s Fair, he moved on to Colorado Springs to construct a wireless station for scientific research.

In 1899-1900 Tesla built his research station on Knob Hill, which was all prairie at the time, near where Pikes Peak Avenue would be (North Foote Avenue and Kiowa Street) between the School for the Deaf and the Blind (built in 1876) and the Union Printers Home (built in 1892). After nine months of experiments, Tesla was ready to increase power for his magnifying transmitter.

When he gave the signal to his assistant, Kolman Czito, to throw the switch, there was a rumble that grew to a roar that could be heard 15 miles away. There was total blackout by the El Paso Electric Co. in Colorado Springs. Tesla had short-circuited the generator, and the power station was on fire. They had a second back-up generator on-site. The electric company told Tesla it was up to him to fix the generator and they would bill him for the additional damage. Though it has been said that Tesla left Colorado Springs without paying the bill, Ryan showed PLHS a copy the “paid” invoice.

Ryan said Tesla went back to New York to continue his work and lived to be in his 80s. He appeared on the cover of Time in July 1931. Although many of his ideas would be dismissed, a hundred years later many of his inventions and discoveries are being used today, wireless telephone, x-ray, fluorescent lighting, and remote control, according to Wikipedia.

Above: Patric Ryan, author and historian, presented Nikola Tesla and Why He Chose Colorado Springs to the Palmer Lake Historical Society on May 15. Photo by Marlene Brown

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PLHS will hold a Father’s Day Ice Cream Social on Sunday, June 15, 2-4 pm at the Palmer Lake Town Hall and Village Green. It is free and open to the public. Bring family and friends, lawn chairs, and blankets and enjoy music, ice cream, and pie. Tables will be set up inside the Town Hall. This event is sponsored by John Spidell of the Spidell Foundation. PLHS meetings are usually held on the third Thursday of the month at 7 to 8:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.) at the Town Hall, 28 Valley Crescent St. Free and open to the public. For more info regarding memberships and future programs, go to www.palmerdividehistory.org/events.

Marlene Brown can be contacted at marlenebrown@ocn.me.

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Palmer Lake Historical Society, April 17 – Women of the Colorado gold rush era

By Marlene Brown

The Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS) featured at its April 17 regular monthly membership meeting author J.v.L Bell, who co-wrote Women of the Colorado Gold Rush Era. The book features women who lived and worked in Colorado before 1865. Many made their way west and their fortune by themselves, in a time where men still owned everything, including slaves and women. The following is a few of the women highlighted at the meeting.

Clara Brown, an African American pioneer, was born a slave and had no form of education. Being freed in 1857, she headed west and became a successful businesswoman. She set up a very successful laundry business and bought several properties in Denver, Central City, Georgetown and Boulder.

Katrina Murat is thought to be one of the first Anglo women to arrive in the Pikes Peak area. She sewed the first American flag to fly over Cherry Creek and was known as the “Betsy Ross of Colorado.” Murat and her husband later retired in Palmer Lake and built a cottage below Sundance Mountain.

Maria Dolores Ballejos, a citizen of Spain, living in Spain’s New World territory. In 1821, after Spain recognized Mexico’s independence, she was a Mexican citizen, and after the Mexican-American war she lived in the Territory of New Mexico and was citizen of the United States. She had never moved out of the area, and then the San Luis Valley became part of the Colorado Territory.

Special acknowledgement to Maria Clara Martinez, who is the great-great-granddaughter of Maria Delores and lives in the San Luis area. She researches her and other families’ genealogy and was able to share information with the author. I had the great pleasure of spending a few days with Maria Clara in Taos in summer 2024.

The book holds many stories of the women of the early days of Colorado. J.v.L (Julie) Bell is a 1973 Lewis-Palmer graduate and won the 2024 Colorado Book Award. Julie is with Filter Press, which also published Shootouts, Killings, and War Heroes: The History Hidden in Monument’s Cemetery written by Michael Weinfeld and John Howe, speakers at the March 2024 PLHS meeting.

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At next month’s presentation May 15, Patric Ryan will discuss Nikola Tesla. PLHS usually holds its regular monthly meetings on the third Thursday of the month from 7-8:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 pm) at the Palmer Lake Town Hall, 28 Valley Crescent St. Free and open to the public. For more information about PLHS, go to palmerdividehistory.org.

Marlene Brown can be contacted at marlenebrown@ocn.me.

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Palmer Lake Historical Society, April 21 – General Palmer’s life explored

By Marlene Brown

The Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS) held its regular membership meeting at the Palmer Lake Town Hall on March 21. The guest speaker was “Gen. William J. Palmer,” founder of Palmer Lake and Colorado Springs, portrayed by David Harmon.

Palmer began by telling us he was born in 1836 to John and Matilda Palmer. The family was of the Hicksite sect Quakers. He was born on the family farm, near Leipsic, Kent County, Delaware. Hicksite Quakers believed that there is an inner light in each of us, and they were committed to peace and nonviolence. Their religious beliefs would cause conflict later with William and his family when he joined the army.

Palmer’s early school days were spent in Pennsylvania where he went to private school and public school. Private school is where he received an engineering degree, though he never graduated. He had always been fascinated by trains. He was able to save and go to school in Europe, and that was where he studied railroads, mills, and coal mines. Returning to the States, he was hired by his uncle to work the Westmoreland Coal Co. as the secretary and treasurer. The following year he was hired as the private secretary for the president of the Pennsylvania Railroad, where he met Thomas Scott, who was later appointed as assistant secretary of war.

Palmer’s upbringing taught him to detest slavery and war, though when the Civil War began he enlisted with the Pennsylvania volunteers and took a commission in the Union Army. At age 25, he was a captain and they gave him a regiment of 1,000 men. Later that year, dressed in civilian clothes and scouting for places for the Union Army to recross the Potomac River back into Virginia, Palmer was captured and incarcerated for four months. He was released in a prisoner exchange and in February 1863 was able rejoin his regiment. In 1865 he received the Medal of Honor for his actions as colonel of the 15th Pennsylvania Regiment.

After the war, the 30-year-old Palmer went back to railroads. While in Colorado Territory, he had a vision of a railroad running south from Denver to Mexico City. He built the first section going south from Denver, across the Palmer Divide and to Colorado Springs by 1871. He was married in 1870 to Mary Lincoln (Queen) Palmer. They had three daughters, and Mary passed away in 1894 at the age of 44.

In 1906, William fell from a horse and was left paralyzed. He was forever confined to a wheelchair. Unable to travel after that, veterans of his 15th Pennsylvania Regiment had their annual reunion in 1907 at Glen Eyrie. He provided a special train for 208 of the surviving veterans. Palmer passed away on March 13,1909. The mayor of Colorado Springs said that Palmer was “a soldier, builder of an empire, philanthropist, and friend of the people whose life was a blessing.

Harmon graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1973. He and his wife Julie have three grown kids and have lived in Colorado Springs since 1981. Many attendees at the meeting came to Harmon afterward with more questions about Palmer.

Above: At the Palmer Lake Historical Society meeting, Vice President Diane Kokes stands with Gen. William J. Palmer, portrayed by Dave Harmon.

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PLHS meetings are usually held on the third Thursday of the month from 7-8:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 pm) at the Palmer Lake Town Hall, 28 Valley Crescent St. Meetings are free and open to the public. For more information regarding memberships and future programs, go to palmerdividehistory.org/events.

Marlene Brown can be reached at marlenebrown@ocn.me.

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Palmer Lake Historical Society, Jan. 16 – 2024 events recalled

By Marlene Brown

The Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS) held its Annual Potluck Supper and Membership Meeting on Jan. 16 at the Palmer Lake Town Hall. Members recapped their monthly meeting events and presentations for 2024 to include: The Monument Cemetery, Father’s Day Ice Cream Social, Life and Times of Gen. William J. Palmer, walking tours of historical sites in the area, and a field trip to The Trolley Museum in Colorado Springs.

PLHS is a 501C3 nonprofit that was formed in 1956, dedicated to the idea of education and preserving the history of the Palmer Divide. The Palmer Divide area includes Palmer Lake, Monument, Tri-Lakes, School District 38, the U.S. Air Force Academy and east to Table Rock, including Black Forest.

The Mission of PLHS is to preserve, protect, promote, and provide access to historical data, artifacts and other items of significance relating to the Palmer Divide area. See palmerdividehistory.org. Another purpose of the society is to maintain and ensure the continuance of the Lucretia Vaile Museum, located in the Palmer Lake Library building at 66 S. Valley Rd., across the street from Palmer Lake Town Hall. Open Wednesdays 1 to 4 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Private tours available with reservation. Call the museum at (719)559-0837 for more information.

There are volunteer opportunities at the museum and sponsored events. Memberships are available online at palmerdividehistory.org or you can submit your application by mail at P.O. Box 662, Palmer Lake, CO 80133. Some of the benefits of becoming a member are: meet new people who share an interest in local history, emails regarding the monthly events, and invitations to members-only walking tours and field trips.

Above: Palmer Lake Historical Society 2025 board members are, from left: Diane Kokes, vice president; Patricia Atkins, secretary; Jennine Engle, president; and Doug Lang, treasurer. Photo by Marlene Brown.

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Meetings are usually held on the third Thursday of the month from 7 to 8:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.) at the Palmer Lake Town Hall, 28 Valley Crescent St. They are free and open to the public. The Feb. 20 program is a presentation by Nikki Stratton about her grandfather Donald Stratton, survivor of the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

For more information about PLHS and future programs, go to palmerdividehistory.org

Marlene Brown can be reached at marlenebrown@ocn.me.

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Palmer Lake Historical Society, Dec. 19 – Palmer Lake holds 91st annual Yule Log Hunt

By Marlene Brown

On the slopes of Sundance Mountain and under the deep-blue sky of Colorado, the Town of Palmer Lake, with the support of the Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS), held the 91st Yule Log Hunt starting at the Palmer Lake Town Hall on Dec. 19. It is the longest-running yule log hunt in the United States. It was started by Evelena Macy, pastor of the Little Log Church in the 1930s, and Lucretia Vaile, one of the original pioneer residents of Palmer Lake and a charter member of PLHS.

You can visit the Lucretia Vaile Museum in Palmer Lake, operated and curated by PLHS, at 66 Lower Glenway St. See palmerdividehistory.org for hours and more information.

Each year, Palmer Lake villagers have donned their red and green capes (made by the local cape committee) and greeted hundreds of visitors from all over Colorado and the U.S. to partake in the annual Yule Log Hunt jollification. Everyone gathers at the Town Hall, and at 1 p.m. the trumpeter calls for the hunt to begin. Participants run up Sundance Mountain to find the log and then the finder rides the log back to town. The log is pulled by the other hunters to the Town Hall.

The log is then cut in half with hand bandsaw. Half will be saved for next year’s hunt and the other half is added to the fire in the massive fireplace, built especially for the Yule Log Hunt. Then the finder is served the first drink of traditional wassail (made with apple cider, spices, and fruit). Everyone is invited to partake in a cup of wassail and cookies, followed by a sing-along of Christmas carols. Gallons of wassail are made by the “wassail committee” and are offered for sale after the hunt.

Recipe for wassail to make at home: 2 quarts of apples cider, 1 lemon, 1 orange, 1/4 tsp. of ground cloves, 1/4 tsp. of nutmeg, 2 baked apples, ½ tsp, of finely chopped cinnamon bark, ½ – 1 cup of sugar (to taste). Heat cider and spices to boiling, add finely chopped fruit and serve hot.

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The next PLHS meeting will be the Annual Potluck Supper Membership Meeting on Jan. 16, 6 to 8:30 p.m. (supper starts at 6:15) at the historic Palmer Lake Town Hall, 42 Valley Crescent. Please bring a dish to share. The program includes an overview of 2024 programs, an update of 2025 programs, and the election of the 2025 Board of Directors. Membership can be renewed at that meeting. For more information about membership and ways to contact PLHS, see palmerdividehistory.org.

Marlene Brown can be reached at marlenebrown@ocn.me.

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Palmer Lake Historical Society, Nov. 21 – Life of town hero explored

By Marlene Brown

The Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS) held its monthly membership meeting at the Palmer Lake Town Hall on Nov. 21. The program was presented by Jim Sawatzki, past president of PLHS and author and filmmaker through his company Palmer Divide Productions. He is producer and director of several historical documentaries including General Palmer, Village on the Divide, and Above and Beyond, a biographical documentary and interview with William “Bill” Crawford. See https://.pcisys.net/-pdpmark/index.html. Information on the William J. Crawford Memorial is posted at https://palmerdividehistory.org/crawford-memorial/.

If you have ever driven down Highway 105 between Monument and Palmer Lake and have seen the sign along that stretch of the highway that has been named the William J. Crawford Highway and wondered who he was, you would find out that we had a WWII hero living among us in the Palmer Lake. He was born May 19, 1918 in Pueblo and joined the U.S. Army in 1943, as a private with the 142nd Infantry Regiment 36th Infantry Division and deployed to Southern Italy.

Above: William J. Crawford, resident of Palmer Lake and WWII recipient of Presidential Medal of Honor. Photo courtesy wikipedia.com

On the day he was acting as squad scout, his squad was attacked and Crawford twice moved forward through continuous machine gun fire, using hand grenades and his rifle and destroyed the machine gun nests, and his platoon was able to advance. After the battle, he was captured by the Germans and presumed dead. His father was presented the Medal of Honor posthumously in 1944. Later that year, Crawford was among the soldiers rescued from German captivity. (Wikipedia.org)

He was married to Ellen Bruce in 1946, re-enlisted in the Army and retired in 1967 with the rank of master sergeant. He and his wife moved to Palmer Lake until their passing. Crawford died March 15, 2000. During retirement, he helped found Palmer Lake VFW Post 3915 and was on the Board of Directors of the Lucretia Vaile Museum, which is now operated by PLHS. He worked as a janitor at the Air Force Academy for years, with no one knowing that he was a Medal of Honor recipient.

It wasn’t until 1976, when one of the cadets read Crawford’s name in a history book they were studying about WWII battles, that he openly talked about his life. After some coaxing, the awestruck cadets were able get him to tell them his story. In 1984, during graduation, the faculty and students arranged for President Reagan to present him his Medal of Honor in person four decades after he was first awarded it. See warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/william-crawford-quiet-hero.html.

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The Palmer Lake Historical Society is a nonprofit 501(C)(3) and holds regular meetings at the Townhall, 42 Crescent Valley St., Palmer Lake, on the third Thursday of the month. Membership information and future presentations can found at palmerdividehistory.org.

There is no meeting in December. The next meeting will be Jan. 16 with the Annual Historical Society Pot Luck Supper and Membership Drive. Members will elect officers for 2025.

Marlene Brown can be reached at marlenebrown@ocn.me.

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Palmer Lake Historical Society, Oct. 17 – How the star and Town Hall became historic places

By Marlene Brown

The Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS) held its monthly membership meeting at the Palmer Lake Town Hall on Oct. 17. Longtime resident of the Palmer Divide area and friend of the PLHS Jack Anthony, and his wife Margo, explained how they were able to get the Palmer Lake Star and the Palmer Lake Town Hall placed on the Register of Historic Places on behalf of PLHS.

The Colorado State Register program is administered by the Office of Archeology and Historic preservation within History Colorado, which maintains the official list of historic properties. See historycolorado.org/Colorado-state-register-historic-properties.

The Palmer Lake Star

First they applied to have the Palmer Lake Star be accepted and then the Town Hall. The Town of Palmer Lake, the owner of the star, and Mayor Nikki McDonald consented to have Jack Anthony apply to History Colorado in October 2012, and the application was approved by the Review Board in January 2013.

The star was constructed in 1935. It took three months initially to build by several volunteers including Gilbert Wolf, Floyd Bellinger, George Sill, and Jesse Krueger and sons Orville, Kenny and Harry. After many tries and work-arounds with the technology of the day, the star was lit in mid-December 1935 and every year since from Dec. 1 to Jan. 1 and on special occasions.

The Krueger sons were tasked every year to hike up Sundance Mountain where the star resides and change burned-out lightbulbs. Later the Volunteer Fire Department took on the maintenance of the star and now holds a chili supper fundraiser the Saturday after Thanksgiving at the Town Hall to raise money for replacing wires and poles as needed. The star has been viewed and enjoyed by travelers between Denver and Colorado Springs.

Palmer Lake Town Hall

Palmer Lake was established in 1883 and was a stop for the railroads to load with supplies and water for continuing on to Denver or Colorado Springs. The Town Hall was built in 1914 and has gone through some renovations to bring the electrical and plumbing to code over the years, but the town has kept the original design in place. It has been home to the Yule Log Celebration every year since 1933. The celebration has become a community tradition and keeps the history alive. See townofpalmerlake.com for this year’s information.

Jack Anthony applied May 31, 2019 to History Colorado have the Town Hall be placed on the Register of Historic Properties, and that was approved Sept. 25, 2019. See historycolorado.org/Colorado-state-register-historic-properties. Upon approval, the town became eligible to apply for grants for maintenance and upgrades.

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PLHS is a nonprofit 501C3 and holds regular meetings at the Town Hall, 42 Crescent Valley St., Palmer Lake, on the third Thursday of the month. Membership information and future presentations can found at palmerdividehistory.org.

Marlene Brown can be reached at marlenebrown@ocn.me.

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Palmer Lake Historical Society, Sep. 19 – Author focuses on Old West

 By Marlene Brown

The Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS) monthly membership meeting at the Palmer Lake Town Hall on Sept. 19 featured guest speaker Mike Torreano, presenting an author’s talk titled Cowboy Stories. Torreano has a military background, and his focus is on American history and the Old West. His most recent book, Fireflies at Dusk, was released in November 2023 and is set during the Civil War era—a time when the Old West did not have any laws, just the Code of the West.

Torreano has won two Firebird Book awards for Western fiction and historical fiction. He has taught journalism and English at the Air Force Academy and the University of Colorado.

His traditional Western style is inspired by Zane Grey’s books that he began reading in the fifth grade. He said he has always loved the cowboy life. He tries to write his stories with the Code of the West in mind. Some of the code values are:

  • Doing what’s right.
  • Taking responsibility for one’s actions.
  • Working hard.
  • Showing respect.

The Old West is a culture. As Tom Mix, a silent-film actor from the early 1900s, said, “The Old West is not a certain place, in a certain time, it’s a state of mind. It’s whatever you want it to be.” Learning to live a life according to the Code of the West can surely help many learn that there are consequences to one’s actions.

There was a lively discussion of the TV shows, films, books, and songs that have come from the Old West with a question at the end: What can you do to keep the values of the Old West alive?

Above: Mike Torreano, winner of two Firebird Book awards for Western fiction and historical fiction , gives a talk at a Palmer Lake Historical Society meeting. He has taught English and journalism at the Air Force Academy and the University of Colorado. Photo by Marlene Brown.

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The Palmer Lake Historical Society is a nonprofit 501C3 and holds regular meetings on the third Thursday of the month. Membership information and future presentations can be found at palmerdividehistory.org

Marlene Brown can be reached at marlenebrown@ocn.me.

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Palmer Lake Historical Society, June 6 – Book launch

By Marlene Brown

The Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS) introduced its newest book on June 6: The U.S. Forest Service Monument Nursery, 1907-1965, written by Dan Edwards and published by the PLHS.

Edwards, local resident and historian, explained how the U.S. Forest Service conducted its work for almost 60 years on what is known as National Forest Monument Preserve (Mount Herman). Millions of ponderosa pine saplings were started in the area and shipped to be planted where trees were cut down during the building of the Western expansion of the United States.

Above: Author Dan Edwards at the June 6 PLHS book launch. Photo by Steve Pate

Copies of the book are available at Covered Treasures in Monument. For more information, see palmerdividehistory.org.

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PLHS meetings are usually on the third Thursday of the month at Palmer Lake Town Hall, 42 Valley Crescent, 7-8 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.). For more information about future presentations and membership, go to www.palmerdividehistory.org.

Marlene Brown can be contacted at marlenebrown@ocn.me.

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Palmer Lake Historical Society, May 18 – Colorado’s Rosie the Riveter

By Marlene Brown

Above: Gail Beaton Photo by Marlene Brown.

The Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS) welcomed Gail Beaton, humanities and historical author who portrayed in Chautauqua-style Gail Murphy: Colorado’s Rosie the Riveter May 16 at the Palmer Lake Town Hall. Beaton had the audience riveted to their seats during her lively performance of a young woman working in factories during World War II. Supporting the war effort and their families, women worked in factories making bullets, guns, and other ammunition.

“Rosie the Riveter” was the name that was given to the thousands of women working the factories as welders, airplane builders, and mechanics. Many women had never worked outside the home, but with a lot of the men away to war the government asked up to 6 million women to fill the jobs that needed to be done.

Beaton’s book Colorado Women in World War II interweaves nearly 80 oral histories—including interviews, historical studies, newspaper accounts, and organizational records—and historical photographs (many of the interviewees themselves) to shed light on women’s participation in the war, exploring the dangers and triumphs they felt, the nature of their work, and the lasting ways in which the war influenced their lives.

Beaton offers a new perspective on World War II—views from field hospitals, small steel companies, ammunition plants, college classrooms, and sugar beet fields—giving a rare look at how the war profoundly transformed the women of this state and will be a compelling new resource for readers, scholars, and students interested in Colorado history and women’s roles in World War II. See Beaton’s website for more information on this book and her other historical books regarding women in Colorado: www.gailbeaton.com.

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On June 6 at 7-8:30 p.m. at the Palmer Lake Town Hall, the PLHS will host a book launch on its newest publication: The U.S. Forest Service Monument Nursery, 1907-1965 by author Dan Edwards. He will give an illustrative talk about the history of the Monument Nursery and the background and the story about why the book was written.

PLHS meetings are usually on the third Thursday of the month at Palmer Lake Town Hall, 42 Valley Crescent, 7-8 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.). For more information about future presentations and membership, go to www.palmerdividehistory.org.

Marlene Brown can be reached at marlenebrown@ocn.me.

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Palmer Lake Historical Society, April 18 – Trolley cars, past and future

By Marlene Brown

The Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS) April meeting hosted John Haney, a founding member of the Pikes Peak Trolley Museum and Restoration Shop. He has co-written three books on the history of streetcars and trolley systems. Haney’s talk centered on the streetcar system in Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs. He is a native of Colorado Springs and his family has been here since the1890s.

Beginning in 1887, streetcars were pulled by horses. Called horsecars, they traveled along Tejon Street and Cascade Avenue, stopping at the restaurants and saloons in the new city of Colorado Springs. They would go to the north end to the 1888 Rock Island Roundhouse in the community of Roswell to turn around. This building is just west of Cascade near Penrose Hospital. The Roundhouse is now being operated by the Pikes Peak Street Railway Foundation for the Trolley Museum and Restoration Shop. For more information, see www.coloradospringstrolleys.com.

By 1900 came the electric trolley cars. The electric trolley line was called the “Colorado Springs Rapid Transit Railway Co.” The trolleys could go 20 miles per hour. On South Tejon, near Las Animas Street and Sierra Madre, there was a building called the Car Barn. Starting 1906, this is where the maintenance and the building of new streetcars were done. There are still remnants of the buildings used, and some of the buildings are occupied today.

Traveling roundtrip to Manitou Springs began at the Santa Fe Train Depot on Pikes Peak Avenue. It traveled west on Colorado Avenue though Old Colorado City to the Loop. The Loop was built to turn around the cars to return on the route. The Loop is located at the intersection of Ruxton and Manitou Avenues where the restaurant, The Loop, is located.

The trolleys ran in the Springs until 1932. By then, most people owned an automobile and then came the beginning of the Great Depression, when people did not have money to ride the trolleys. Many of the streetcars were dismantled during WWII for metal parts. Some the cars were sold and became cottages and shops. Many are still around today.

There has been an interest in bringing trolleys back in the Springs. The intent by the museum foundation and volunteers is to preserve and maintain historic and vintage trolleys and the Roundhouse for future street railway operations. See www.coloradospringstrolleys.com/overview.

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PLHS meetings are usually held on the third Thursday of the month at Palmer Lake Town Hall, 42 Valley Crescent, Palmer Lake. The next meeting will be held May 16, 7-8 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.). Gail Beaton will be portraying “Gail Murphy: Colorado’s Rosie the Riveter.”

For more information on this and future presentations and membership to PLHS, go to www.palmerdividehistory.org.

Marlene Brown can be reached at marlenebrown@ocn.me.

Above: PLHS volunteers and board members that have worked at the Trolley Museum are, from left, John Cusak, Palmer Lake resident who operates one of the trolleys at the museum; John Haney, founding member of the museum and restoration shop; Michael Walker, volunteer; and Wayne Russert, PLHS board director who has worked many volunteer hours on electrical projects and more. Photo by Marlene Brown.

Other Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS) columns

Palmer Lake Historical Society, Mar. 21 – Presentation on Monument Cemetery

By Marlene Brown

The Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS) March meeting began with introduction of 2024 President Jennine Engel, a longtime resident whose family is from Palmer Lake. Then Doug Lange, treasurer, presented a $500 check on behalf of PLHS to Sue Cook as a grant to the Spring Valley Cemetery. It is another pioneer cemetery located off County Line Road in Douglas County.

The next presentation was a charcoal drawing of Catherine McShane, wife of David McShane, one of the first homesteaders in 1865 in the Town of Palmer Lake. There has been a charcoal drawing of David McShane hanging in Lucretia Vaille Museum, but recently the picture of Catherine was found in the frame and hidden behind David’s picture. What a surprise!

The March program The Monument Cemetery was presented by John Howe and Michael Weinfeld. Howe is a member of the board for Our Community News and a former member of the Monument Board of Trustees. He has worked on many volunteer projects around town. He has worked on the cemetery project for 14 of the 18 years that he has lived in Monument, working tirelessly to find the names on plots and tombstones and identify where the information had gotten lost or misplaced. Weinfeld has worked on the project for the last six years alongside of Howe. He is one of the editors of Our Community News and was an Associated Press reporter in Washington, D.C., for 37 years.

On May 28, 1886, Charles Bissel sold 5 acres of land, where the cemetery is located, to the Town of Monument for one dollar. There were many graves already in the cemetery, including the oldest grave, that of Alonzo Welty who died in 1860.

As many people had already been buried in the cemetery without markers or anyone knowing their names, many graves were marked “unknown.” There was train wreck in 1909 near the town of Husted, which was between south of the North Gate of the Air Force Academy and Interquest Boulevard. Twelve people died and 60 were injured in the accident. Many of the dead were were buried as unknowns in the Monument Cemetery. As Howe pointed out, “They did not have ID’s or Social Security cards or anything that would identify them”.

In 2016, Boy Scout Kent Griffith heard that many of the unknown tombstones made of plaster of Paris were crumbling. To earn his Eagle Scout badge, he directed the installation of 128 unknown gravestones made of granite to replace the crumbling markers. The Town of Monument holds ceremonies on Memorial Day and Veterans Days to honor the veterans who are buried there.

As a side note, members of my family are pioneers of the area. Four great-grandparents, two grandparents, two parents, a great-great-grandmother, and several uncles of mine are buried in Monument Cemetery. We also have several pioneer relatives buried in Spring Valley.

Above: Monument Cemetery entrance at 800 Beacon Lite Rd. Photo by Michael Weinfeld.
Above: Monument Cemetery entrance at 800 Beacon Lite Rd. Photo by Michael Weinfeld.

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Meetings are usually held on the third Thursday of the month at the Palmer Lake Town Hall, 42 Valley Crescent, Palmer Lake. The next meeting will be from 7 to 8 p.m. April 18 (doors open at 6:30 p.m.) The program will be History of the Pikes Peak Trolleys by John Haney. Haney is founder of the Pikes Peak Trolley and Restoration Shop. Open and free to the public.

For more information about future presentations and membership, go to www.palmerdividehistory.org.

Marlene Brown can be reached at marlenebrown@ocn.me .

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Palmer Lake Historical Society, Feb. 15 – Union Printers Home: past, present, and future

By Marlene Brown

The monthly meeting of The Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS) held at the Palmer Lake Townhall on Feb. 15 was a PowerPoint presentation by Ellie Hinkle, director of History and Archives for the Union Printers Home (UPH). Located in Colorado Springs on Union Boulevard near Memorial Park, it has been dubbed “The Castle on the Hill.” The building was dedicated in 1892. (See photo postcard circa. 1940s.)

Above: 1940s postcard picturing the Union Printers Home. Courtesy UPH

The building was built as a place for rest, recovery, and retirement for the workers of the International Typographical Union (ITU). Many union printers suffered from “printers’ lung” caused by the fumes of lead-based ink and confining working conditions. The original building has been added onto and other buildings were built on the grounds. What started as The Castle on 25 acres grew to over 20 buildings on 300 acres, including a dairy farm and vegetable gardens, and UPH was self-sustaining for many decades. UPH housed up to 400 residents, some were medical patients and other aged union printers from all over the U.S. and the world. Over the years with a declining population, it opened to non-union printer residents and was sold to a private nursing home group. The facility was closed in 2020. See unionprintershome.com/history.

In 2021, a group of local investors bought UPH, looking to preserve the legacy of The Castle. What they found were buildings full of historical artifacts that needed to be stored and preserved. Much of Hinkle’s job, up to the present, has been to retrieve and clean up and catalog the contents of the buildings, while working with the new owners to come up with a plan.

What is their redevelopment plan? To create a diverse entertainment and educational community and to enhance the surrounding neighborhoods. Sports events, concerts, shops, food courts, office space, farmers markets, museums, and art galleries are planned (See Unionprintershome.com/vision). It could take 10 years or more to see their vision in the final stages, but for the 130-year-old building it could bring new life.

Above: Roger Davis, Lucretia Vaile Museum director and curator, left, and Ellie Hinkle, speaker and director of History and Archives for the Union Printers Home. Photo by Marlene Brown.

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PLHS holds monthly historically informative meetings, usually on the third Thursday at 7 p.m.; doors open at 6:30 p.m. Meetings are open and free to the public. Next month, Michael Weinfeld and John Howe will present “The History of Monument Cemetery Founded in 1886” on March 21. For more information about upcoming events and membership information, go to www.palmerdividehistory.org.

Marlene Brown can be reached by email at marlenebrown@ocn.me.

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Palmer Lake Historical Society, Jan. 18 – Annual Potluck and Membership Meeting

By Marlene Brown

On Jan. 18, the Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS) held its Annual Potluck and Membership Meeting at the Palmer Lake Town Hall. Started in 1956, the PLHS, a 501C3 nonprofit, is in its 67th year. The mission of the PLHS is to preserve, protect, promote, and provide access to historical data, artifacts, and other items of significance relating to the Palmer Divide area and make resources available to the public primarily through the Lucretia Vaile Museum and annual programming. See palmerdividehistory.org for events.

The PLHS operates the museum, located at 66 S. Valley Rd., Palmer Lake. The PLHS board and members, including museum director, staff, and docents are all volunteers. The museum houses historical exhibits dedicated to the towns of Palmer Lake and Monument, Black Forest, the U.S. Air Force Academy, and the Palmer Divide area. The staff works with the Town of Palmer Lake to facilitate events such as the annual Father’s Day Ice Cream Social every June and the Yule Log Hunt in December. The museum is open on Wednesdays 1-4 p.m. and Saturdays 10-2 p.m., with private tours upon request.

After the potluck dinner, Diane Kokes, 2023 vice president and acting president, presented a recap of the past year. Each month was dedicated to a presentation of historical significance such as the Awake the Lake Committee presentation on the history of Palmer Lake and a presentation by past President Jim Sawatzki on the Life and Times of Gen. William Jackson Palmer, founder of Palmer Lake in 1871.

Kokes then introduced John Spidell of the Spidell Foundation as the emcee for the board election. The past board for 2023 had agreed to serve another term for 2024. Kokes; Doug Lang, treasurer; and Patricia Atkins, secretary, were nominated. Spidell asked for any other nominations and as there were none, all three were nominated to continue and, by a show of hands, voted in unanimously to return for another term.

Jeannine Engle, who had agreed but was unable to attend, was nominated for the position of president. Engle has served as a director and docent for PLHS and the museum. The membership voted unanimously for Engle to become the 2024 president.

Above: Returning to serve for another year on the Palmer Lake Historical Society board are, in rear, Kathy Lombardi, left, and Barb Morehead. In front, from left, are Patricia Atkins, Wayne Russert, Heather Kruger, Doug Lang, and Diane Kokes. Incoming President Jeanine Engle is not pictured. Photo by Marlene Brown.

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Meetings are usually held on the third Thursday of the month. The next meeting will be on Feb. 15, 7-8 p.m.; doors open at 6:30 pm. The presentation will be Union Printer’s Home: Past, Present and Future. For more information about future presentations and membership, go to palmerdividehistory.org.

Marlene Brown can be reached by email at marlenebrown@ocn.me.

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Palmer Lake Historical Society, Dec. 17 – 90th Annual Yule Log Hunt

By Marlene Brown

As part of Christmas activities, the Town of Palmer Lake, with the Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS) helping with the ceremonies, held the 90th Annual Yule Log Hunt on Dec. 17 at the Palmer Lake Town Hall. The event is known to be the longest-running yule log ceremony in the United States.

The yule log celebration was brought to Palmer Lake by Lucretia Vaile and Miss Evalena in 1933. Fifty people wearing red and green capes went on the hunt for the hidden log. The first yule log was found by C.R. Hays. He then rode the log back to town pulled by the other hunters. They were greeted by 200 cheering residents and visitors. The log was cut in half, half of the log was burned, and the other half was saved for the next year.

This year’s yule log was found by Josephine Maslak of Erie, Colo. The log was then cut in half with a hand saw. Half of the log was burned in the fireplace at the Town Hall. According to tradition, Christmas songs are sung by everyone in the Town Hall, then the first drink of the wassail, a traditional warm drink of apple cider and spices, is served to the finder of the log, and all the guests are then welcome to partake in a cup of wassail.

The Town of Palmer Lake supports the Yule Log Hunt and has proclaimed the second Sunday before Christmas to be known as Yule Log Sunday. Many thanks to Palmer Lake Yule Log Association for continuing the traditions of Yule Log Hunt. See its Facebook page—Palmer Lake Yule Log—for more information.

Above: Pictured at the 90th Annual Yule Log Ceremony are Mistress of Ceremonies Patricia Atkins, Master of Ceremonies Niall Byrne, and euphonium and Call to Hunt player Nolan Byrne. Photo by Mike Cimino.

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The next event for the PLHS will be at 6 to 8:30 p.m. Jan. 18 (doors open at 5:30 p.m.). The Annual Potluck Supper and Membership Meeting will be held at the Palmer Lake Town Hall. A brief business meeting will include a recap of 2023 and the election of 2024 officers. The meeting is open to the public. For more information, go to www.palmerdividehistory.org.

Marlene Brown can be reached at malenebrown@ocn.me

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Palmer Lake Historical Society, Oct. 19 – History of Glen Eyrie presented

By Marlene Brown

The Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS) held its monthly meeting Oct. 19 at the Palmer Lake Town Hall. Amy Burch, manager of the bookstore at the Navigators located at Glen Eyrie and co-author of The Glen Eyrie Story, presented the story. The Navigators purchased the property in 1953 and continue to this day to house their headquarters for their worldwide ministry, castle tours, teas, overnight stays, conference center with a café and the bookstore. Many other events are allowed on the property. To book tours and for more information go to gleneyrie.org

Above: Amy Burch, manager of the bookstore at Glen Eyrie and co-author of The Glen Eyrie Story, gave a PowerPoint presentation to the Palmer Lake Historical Society on Oct. 19 at the Palmer Lake Town Hall. Photo by Marlene Brown.

Glen Eyrie was the home of William J. Palmer (1836-1909) and his wife “Queen” (1850-94). Palmer purchased the property at the mouth of the canyon in Garden of the Gods and began building Glen Eyrie for his wife in 1871. His vision was to build an English Tudor-style castle in wilds of the West, in the newly opened lands of Colorado. Palmer was a brigadier general in the Union Army, president of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad and founder of Colorado Springs. He had dreams of building Colorado Springs as the new Chicago or San Francisco. He founded Colorado College and built the first permanent building on campus that would eventually be downtown Colorado Springs. They had three daughters: Elsie, Dorothy, and Marjory.

As the railroad expanded and transportation to the West became easier, a train ran from Denver to Colorado Springs, opening trade between the two cities. Palmer Lake became a daily water stop. Palmer purchased the land known as the Monument Farms & Lake Property, which later become the Town of Palmer Lake. Palmer Lake was critical to the railroad because the steam engines chugged up to the Palmer Divide and had to take on water to head down. The lake was the only natural water supply available on a year-round basis. Passenger trains would stop for 10 minutes to take on water. (See palmerdividehistory.org/a-brief-history-of-the-palmer-divide-area.)

When Queen Palmer’s health deteriorated, she and the girls moved back East and then back to England, where William visited them many times. At the age of 44, Queen passed away and William brought the girls back to Colorado Springs to live in the 33,000-square-foot castle. There were 17 guest rooms, two dining rooms and 24 fireplaces. The castle sits at the base of Queen’s Canyon and is subject to floods that increased after the 2012 Waldo Canyon fire. Though there was no fire damage to Glen Eyrie, the canyon was stripped of vegetation and over a million dollars of flood mitigation was performed with debris nets and concrete barriers to allow water to flow through the grounds of Glen Eyrie.

After Palmer’s horse-riding accident and his death three years later, his daughters tried to give Glen Eyrie to the city of Colorado Springs, but city officials declined due to cost of maintaining the property. It was sold in 1922, and the property fell into disrepair and was closed. In 1938, oilman George Strake bought the Glen Eyrie property and then remodeled and updated it until the sale to the Navigators in 1953.

For more information on William J. Palmer, you are invited to attend the Palmer Lake Historical Society’s next meeting on Nov. 16, 7-8:30 p.m., for The Life and Times of General William Jackson Palmer presented by Jim Sawatzki, local author, and historian of the Palmer Divide area. The presentation in free and open to the public. The PLHS normally holds its meetings on the third Thursday of the month at the Palmer Lake Town Hall, 42 Valley Crescent St., Palmer Lake. For information about joining PLHS, go to https://palmerdividehistory.org/memberships/

Marlene Brown can be reached at marlenebrown@ocn.me.

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Palmer Lake Historical Society, Aug. 12: Board, members pose as historical figures

By Marlene Brown

The Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS) board and members donned pioneer garb as members of the family and staff of the Reynolds Ranch at the Western Museum of Mining and Industry (WMMI) during Family History Day. See photo and caption of Family History Day on the right.

The cast of characters included Diane Kokes as Sarah Reynolds, wife of John Reynolds, owner of the ranch; Patricia Atkins as Miss Patricia, schoolmarm; Gary Atkins as ranch manager; Doris Baker as librarian and teacher; Barb Morehead, household manager; Jeannine Engel as Annie Judd, manager of the kitchen; and Heather Kruger, upstairs nanny of the children.

The Reynolds Ranch farmhouse has been restored by WMMI to its original Queen Anne design of the 1890s. The homestead includes the last-standing buildings of the town of Husted, a railroad town that was built in the 1870s between Monument and Colorado Springs and is now in the northern part of the Air Force Academy. Husted was a railroad stop and economy center with a post office that was closed in 1920. The ranch supplied cattle and fresh milk and lumber processed at their sawmill. The Reynolds’s owned the farm until 1901.

PLHS continues to hold educational events to protect and provide access to historical items of significance relating to the Palmer Divide area, with many items on display at the Reynolds Ranch Family History Day. The Historical Society continues to display items at the Lucretia Vaile Museum at 66 Lower Glenway St in Palmer Lake. See palmerdividehistory.org/about-the-museum.

PLHS normally holds monthly meetings on the third Thursday of the month at the Palmer Lake Town Hall, at 42 Valley Crescent St, Palmer Lake, with several events during the year, including Father’s Day Ice Cream Social in June and Annual Yule Log Hunt in December. The next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 21 at 7 p.m., doors open at 6:30. John Spidell of the Spidell Foundation will present his “Trip to the Arctic.” For more information and to become involved in PLHS, go to palmerdividehistory.org.

Marlene Brown can be contacted at marlenebrown@ocn.me.

Above: Members of the Palmer Lake Historical Society dressed in historical garb are, from left, Wayne Russert, Barb Morehead, Heather Kruger, Kathie Lombardy Kauffer (hidden in rear), Doris Baker, Jeannine Engel, and Patricia and Gary Atkins. Photo provided by Palmer Lake Historical Society.

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Palmer Lake Historical Society – Take a walk through history

By Marlene Brown

In lieu of the regular meeting in July, the Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS) took a walk through historical Monument. Led by Jim Sawatzki, past president of PLHS and filmmaker and owner of Palmer Divide Productions. His research is rich, showing that Monument is still standing strong. Many of the little houses you see in town were built in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Pioneers began settling in the Monument area, and there were business owners, cowboys, and ranchers living in and near the town. There were two hotels near the Rio Grande Railroad train station.

Incorporated in 1879, the town was first called Henry’s Station, after Henry “Dutch” Limbach, Monument’s first town mayor. The train station and hotels were near where Limbach Park is today. The town’s name was later changed to Monument, after the rock formation to the west located in Monument Preserve, near Mount Herman.

Monument Lake was one of the first “ice harvest” towns, because it was on the railroad line. They sent ice blocks by train to the East that were used for cold storage of the meat from the cattle that had been raised in the West. The lake is now stocked with fish yearly and used for recreational fishing and boating.

Jim Sawatzki, past president of Palmer Lake Historical Society, leads a historical walk through Monument on a sunny Sunday morning. Photo by Steve Pate.

Members of PLHS walked along the streets of Monument looking at the homes that were built by the pioneers. The Higby General Store was located where Covered Treasures Bookstore is now at Washington and Second Streets. “Big Red,” a Lewis-Palmer School District 38 building, was built in the 1920s. It had all 12 grades in the same building attended by children from the town to the outlying ranchlands.

Walking with Sawatzki around Monument, you learn that many other buildings you see every day are originals, such as The Bistro on Second Street, which was the original post office. Though there have been additions to the building, the original structure is still under the walls of the restaurant.

Take the time someday to walk around the streets and imagine the life of the pioneers who lived there.

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The historical walk on July 15 in Greenland Open Space was called off due to weather conditions. The August meeting has been canceled. Board members will be volunteering and conducting tours at the Reynolds Ranch Homestead House at the Western Museum of Mining and Industry Aug. 12 from 10 a.m.-3 pm for Family Day (wwmi.org) and will be open to the public. PLHS normally meets the third Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Palmer Lake Town Hall.

The mission of the PLHS is to preserve, protect, promote, and provide access to historical data, artifacts, and other items of significance relating to the Palmer Divide area and make resources available to the public primarily through the Lucretia Vaile Museum and annual programming. For more information about membership and volunteer opportunities, go to palmerdividehistory.org

Marlene Brown can be contacted at marlenebrown@ocn.me.

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Palmer Lake Historical Society, June 18 – Father’s Day Ice Cream Social

By Marlene Brown

June’s monthly meeting of the Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS) was moved to Father’s Day. The PLHS held its traditional Father’s Day Ice Cream Social on June 18 at the Palmer Lake Town Hall in the Village Green. The weather was warm, and the rain took a break during the afternoon. New fathers and old fathers came with their families to enjoy the sunshine and listen to the guitar music of Craig Walter.

Young and old enjoy ice cream and pie on the Village Green at the Palmer Lake Town Hall on June 18 for the Palmer Lake Historical Society’s Father’s Day Ice Cream Social.
Photo by Esther Martinez.

Free cream and pie were served from inside the Town Hall by members of the PLHS. Pie fillings included apple, cherry, and rhubarb. Rhubarb was a favorite of the pioneers, and the plant was grown in many yards of the settlers. The event was sponsored by John Spidell of The Spidell Foundation of Monument.

Music was provided at the Palmer Lake Historical Society ice cream social by Craig Walter of the Craig Walter Band. Walter is a local singer and songwriter and has performed over much of the United States.

The Lucretia Vaile Museum was open for viewing of historical collections of the area. Volunteer members of the PLHS offered special tours in the afternoon. The museum is operated by the museum director, staff, and docents, all who are volunteers. It is open Wednesdays 1 to 4 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The mission of the museum is to house photos, articles, and artifacts of the historical Palmer Lake, Monument, and Palmer Divide areas. It is located at 66 Lower Glenway Street (below the Palmer Lake Library). For more information, see palmerdividehistory.org/about-the-museum.

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Next month will be the members-only Walking Tours with past President and award-winning director Jim Sawatzki, who has produced many historical videos of the area. It will be held at 10 a.m. July 9 at Historic “Old Ranch Town” of Monument and is an easy one-mile walk. Learn about Monument’s history, including train station and hotels. On July 15, there will be a 2.5-mile walk through Greenland Open Space to visit the Historic Old Cemetery of Palmer Lake. For more information, see palmerdividehistory.org/local-history-on-tour-led-by-jim-sawatski/.

The PLHS normally meets (open to the public) on the third Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Palmer Lake Town Hall, 42 Valley Crescent St. For information about becoming a member of the PLHS and other events provided by the PLHS, go to palmerdividehistory.org.

Marlene Brown can be contacted at marlenebrown@ocn.me.

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Palmer Lake Historical Society, May 18 – Authors show ways to find history on hikes

By Marlene Brown

At the May 18 meeting of the Palmer Lake Historical Society, authors Rocky Shockley and T. Duren Jones presented a lively PowerPoint on the book Easy Hikes to the Hidden Past. Their book describes many hikes in the Pikes Peak Region, including along the Palmer Divide, the Monument Preserve, and Palmer Lake area. With pictures of relics (junk of the past), there are many interesting points along the way.

Mount Herman, also known as Monument Preserve, has remnants of a Bureau of Forests Planting Station Tree Nursery. Millions of seeds were collected from pinecones and planted in beds. Rows of seedlings were established and shipped all over the Pikes Peak Region. The nursery was abandoned during World War II and rows of young pine trees were left to grow on their own (page 155, Easy Hikes of the Hidden Past).

Palmer Lake sports many historical hikes, including Palmer Lake Trail, New Santa Fe Regional Trail, and Santa Fe Open Space. Santa Fe Open space, recently opened by El Paso County, has many ranch relics along the trail, a 2-mile loop at the base of Ben Lomand Mountain and Elephant Rock ((www.elpasoco.com/el-paso-county-parks-open-santa-fe-open-space).

Continuing on the trail and looking for relics or “junk” on the sides of many worn roads and you will find the past. If you look hard enough, you can imagine the settlers that came and carved out history in stone or metal. You can find old car bodies from the 20s, 30s, 40s and so on. You can find stairs to nowhere and fire chimneys with no house attached. There is whole world out there when you take Easy Hikes to Hidden Past. The book is available at Covered Treasures in Monument and other booksellers online.

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Next month, the Palmer Lake Historical Society meeting will be the annual Father’s Day Ice Cream Social held at the Palmer Lake Town Hall, 28 Valley Crescent St., on June 18, from 2 to 4 p.m. Rain or shine, the event is free and open to the public. Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy free pie and ice cream with music by Craig Walter. The event is sponsored by John Spidell of The Spidell Foundation.

For more information regarding the society’s monthly historical talks and field trips, go to its website http://palmerdividehistory.org.

Marlene Brown can be contacted at marlenebrown@ocn.me.

Above: The Palmer Lake Historical Society meeting May 18 featured the book Easy Hikes to the Hidden Past. Pictured are authors Rocky Shockley, left, and T. Duren Jones. Photo by Marlene Brown.

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Palmer Lake Historical Society, April 20 – Pikes Peak Library District holds wealth of history

By Marlene Brown

At its April 20 meeting at the Palmer Lake Town Hall, the Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS) hosted Brett Lobello, director of the Regional History and Genealogy Department of the Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD).

Lobello explained how the PPLD houses several papers and collections from area families and noted influential personalities of the late 1800s and early 1900s. The special collections are housed in the 1905 Carnegie Library located at 20 N. Cascade Ave. in Colorado Springs. The genealogy collections contain U.S. research materials from Colonial times to the present, including, books, periodicals, and access to major genealogical databases. For more information on archiving and researching, go to ppld.org/regional-history-and-genealogy. Regional History and Genealogy staff care for non-circulated historic documents held in public trust by PPLD.

Some of the collection includes papers from Ruth Banning-Lewis, whose family’s ranch covered over 30,000 acres east of Colorado Springs. Her collection includes notes taken at Lowell School and Wellesley College. Most of the collection is composed of newspapers clippings, leaflets, brochures, and pamphlets of a political scope during her time serving on the School District 11 board, as founding member of Girl Scouts Council of Colorado Springs, and organizer of the Pikes Peak Chapter of the American Red Cross Volunteer Nurse’s Aid Corps. She was on the board of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, and from 1943-47 served on the Colorado Springs City Council.

Another special collection housed at the Carnegie Library in the photo archives is the Stuarts Aerial Collection from 1948-99. It contains aerial photographs of the building and construction of the City of Colorado Springs and other projects in El Paso County, including the Air Force Academy in the early 1960s.

Individuals can do research through Pikes Peak Newspapers at ppld.org/databases/newspaper-archive. The database contains tens of millions of fully searchable newspaper articles by keywords and dates from 1607 to the present.

Contact Special Collections to make an appointment with a librarian (719) 531-6333 ext. 1253 to gain access to more information.

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The next meeting of PLHS will be at the Palmer Lake Town Hall on the third Thursday of the month, May 18, 7 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. For more information, go to palmerdividehistory.org

Marlene Brown can be reached by email at marlenebrown@ocn.me.

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Palmer Lake Historical Society, Feb. 16 – Awake the Lake Committee describes mission

By Marlene Brown

On Feb. 16, the Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS) meeting led by Vice President Diane Kokes heard from the Awake the Lake Committee. Members of the committee explained the mission of Awake the Lake is to salvage, restore, and recreate the natural majesty of the namesake of the town. Palmer Lake is the only natural lake along the Front Range. The Town of Palmer Lake was founded in 1871 by Gen. William Jackson Palmer and incorporated in 1889.

Committee member Jeannine Engle, former owner of the Rock House, gave a photographic history of the tiny town of Palmer Lake from 1820 when the Columbine, the state flower, was discovered along with Elephant Rock. Though Elephant Rock is privately owned, it can be seen from Highway 105 and the Santa Fe Trail that runs from Palmer Lake to Monument. In 1871, a telegraph office was set up in Palmer Lake and Hacket’s Ditch was dug from Summit Lake to Palmer Lake to fill the lake because the railroad drained most of the water to run steam engines across the state. The Rockland Hotel was built in 1889, and in 1890 the first Chautauqua was held. Many people came by railroad for the event. It was $2.25 round trip from Denver.

Jason Phillips, a graduate of School District 38, began the efforts to “Save the Lake” in the ‘90s. Though he was only 10 years old, he was able to raise over $10,000 to donate to the town to help refill the lake.

Linda Vier of Divide GeoAnalytics LLC monitors the six wells and reports to the town. She has tracked precipitation and evaporation of the lake since June 2017 and watches for significant water dissipation due to drought and other natural causes.

Jeff Hulsmann, owner of O’Malley’s Steak Pub, reported that the railroad was still using steam engines up until 1950s. The lake had been drained and refilled several times. Even though Palmer Lake is a natural spring-fed lake, the use of the water for train engines caused the lake to be emptied. Water was brought from the reservoirs above the town in an effort to refill the lake.

Above: The Awake the Lake Committee, from left: Jason Phillips, Jeannine Engle, Jeff Hulsmann, and Linda Vier. Photo by Marlene Brown.

In 2014, Chris Cummins, volunteer water attorney, worked to fight the railroad and filed for the water rights for the town. In 2016, the change of water rights was finally obtained. Though the railroad had tried to increase the size of the lake’s footprint, the Awake the Lake organization decreased the size of the lake back to its natural state.

Several fundraisers include the Fourth of July Festival and .5k race. With over 1,000 runners, the 2022 .5k race raised $37,000 in day. One of the group’s accomplishments is the pedestrian bridge that crosses the tracks from the parking areas on the west side of the lake. Being able to access the lake without crossing the railroad tracks has been a true community effort. For more information and to make donations, go to awakepalmerlake.org

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The next meeting of PLHS will be at the Palmer Lake Town Hall on the third Thursday of the month, March 16, 7 p.m., doors open at 6:30 pm. For more information, go to palmerdividehistory.org.

Marlene Brown can be reached by email at malenebrown@ocn.me.

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