Situated at the base of pikes peak, colorado springs is in a region once deemed too rugged for human habitation. (Even Zebulon Pike was forced to abandon his ascent of the mountain that would later bear his name. He never reached the peak.) But by the 1870s the railroad had come through, and the area’s sheltered location, mild climate, and healing mineral waters made it the perfect place for a resort. Colorado Springs founder William Jackson Palmer aimed to attract a genteel crowd, so he built some upscale lodges, banned saloons and gambling houses, and then spread the word back east. Palmer’s plan worked: Other lodges, golf courses, and polo fields sprang up, and wealthy visitors followed, coming from all over the United States and from Europe—especially England, earning it the nickname “Little London.” After gold was discovered in nearby Cripple Creek, gold-rush millionaires made Colorado Springs their home, building the beautiful Victorian-era houses that still grace the city’s streets.
Learn more about markets featured in this article: Colorado Springs, CO.
