47-536: Ruxton Park is a park in Manitou Springs , El Paso County, Colorado at 9,078 feet (2,767 m) in elevation. The Manitou and Pike's Peak Railway , which departs from the depot at 6,570 feet (2,000 m) in elevation, climbs into Englemann Canyon along Ruxton Creek . It passes by the site of the Halfway Hotel and then Ruxton Park at mile marker 3 on the 8.9 mile trip to Pikes Peak summit. In
94-511: A cabin that was on a trail to the summit of Pike's Peak. They provided coffee and doughnuts as refreshments for hikers. He then began expansion of the cabin along Ruxton Creek that eventually was the Halfway Hotel with 22 rooms and was run by John Palsgrove by 1903. Thomas and his brothers developed the site and in 1890 platted the streets for a town named Ruxton Park below the timber line where Ruxton and Sheep Creeks meet. Cabins were built on several sold lots. The Manitou and Pike's Peak Railway
141-470: A few miles up Ute Pass at Cascade . The road has a series of switchbacks, treacherous at high speed, called "The W's" for their shape on the northwest side of the mountain. The road is maintained by the city of Colorado Springs as a toll road . A project to pave the remainder of the road was completed on October 1, 2011. The project was in response to a suit by the Sierra Club over damage caused by
188-548: A household in the city was $ 40,514, and the median income for a family was $ 57,260. Males had a median income of $ 39,102 versus $ 24,286 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 24,492. About 4.7% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line , including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over. Attractions include: Annual events include: January February March April June July August September October November December Pikes Peak Pikes Peak
235-404: Is a home rule municipality located at the foot of Pikes Peak in western El Paso County , Colorado , United States . The town was founded for its natural mineral springs. The downtown area continues to be of interest to travelers, particularly in the summer, with many shops and restaurants, as well as a creekside city park. The main road through the center of town was one of the direct paths to
282-530: Is a designated National Historic Landmark . It is composed of a characteristic pink granite called Pikes Peak granite . The color is due to a large amount of potassium feldspar . It is thought that the granite was once magma that crystallized at least 20 miles (32 km) beneath the Earth's surface, formed by an igneous intrusion during the Precambrian , approximately 1.05 billion years ago, during
329-551: Is hot, and wintertime is cool, sometimes cold. Spring and fall are generally very pleasant. Manitou Springs is a local government and a home rule city located within the Colorado Springs metropolitan area . Manitou Springs is managed by the elected mayor and six city council members. The mayor is elected to a two-year term. Council members are elected to 4-year overlapping terms. Three council members are "at large" members and three members represent one of each of
376-733: Is now used for a peak further west.) It is thought that the Ute people first arrived in Colorado about 500 A.D., however their oral history states that they were created on Tava. In the 1800s, when the Arapaho people arrived in Colorado, they knew the mountain as Heey-otoyoo' meaning "Long Mountain". By comparison, the Pawnee called the same mountain Tûs Pêh ("Where the Heavens Touch
423-501: Is required by humans and animals not acclimated to high altitudes. Altitude sickness may develop in those who are sensitive or who over-exert themselves. The summit of Pikes Peak has a polar climate ( ET ) due to its elevation. Snow is a possibility any time year-round, and thunderstorms with high winds gusting up to 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) or more are common in the afternoons. Surrounding areas have different climatic variations depending on location and elevation. Much of
470-600: Is the highest summit of the southern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in North America . The ultra-prominent 14,107-foot (4,299.83 m) fourteener is located in Pike National Forest , 12 miles (19 km) west of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado . The town of Manitou Springs lies at its base. The mountain is named in honor of American explorer Zebulon Pike , even though he
517-495: The Grenville orogeny . Through the process of uplifting , the hardened rock pushed through the Earth's crust and created a dome-like mountain, covered with less resistant rock. Years of erosion and weathering removed the soil and rock leaving the exposed mountain. Soils on Pikes Peak above the timberline (approximately 12,000 ft or 3,700 m) are classified as Cirque land . Forests at lower altitudes mostly lie over
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#1732793292374564-546: The National Weather Service . In 2008, the plant was fully automated. The city bought some of the town lots and maintained several houses, a garage, and storage buildings in Ruxton Park. The cabins are now part of the "rusted weather-beaten ruins" that remain. Although the power plant continues to operate, there is no longer a caretaker that lives in Ruxton Park. There are sometimes caretakers who oversee
611-669: The 3 wards in Manitou Springs. Manitou Springs residents may attend the following meetings or working sessions held each month at the Council Chambers at 606 Manitou Avenue. The Manitou Springs City Boards and Commissions include: As of the census of 2000, there were 4,980 people, 2,452 households, and 1,255 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,642.6 inhabitants per square mile (634.2/km ). There were 2,654 housing units at an average density of 875.4/sq mi (338.0/km ). The racial makeup of
658-517: The Earth"), and the Ute Indians called it Tava-Kaavi ("Sun Mountain"). Throughout its history, European peoples have called the mountain El Capitán, Grand Peak, Great Peak, James Peak, Long Mountain, and Pike's Peak. Early Spanish explorers named the mountain "El Capitán," meaning "The Leader". American explorer Zebulon Pike named the mountain "Highest Peak" in 1806, and the mountain
705-616: The Pikes Peak area until the Cripple Creek Mining District was discovered southwest of Pikes Peak and led, in 1893, to one of the last major gold rushes in the lower 48 states. In July 1860, Clark, Gruber and Company commenced minting gold coins in Denver bearing the phrase "Pike's Peak Gold" and an artist's rendering of the peak (sight unseen) on the obverse . In 1863, the U.S. Treasury purchased
752-713: The Spanish in the 1700s. The first American sighting is often credited to members of the Pike Expedition , led by Zebulon Pike . After a failed attempt to climb to the top in November 1806, Pike wrote in his journal: The first European ascent of the peak came 14 years after Pike's discovery, in the summer of 1820. Edwin James , a young student who had just graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont , signed on as
799-668: The Winds , the town is bordered by Mt. Manitou to the west, Red Mountain to the south, and Englemann Canyon, south and west. It is near Garden of the Gods , with the same red stone as Red Mountain, and is at the base of Pikes Peak . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.2 km ), all of it land. Manitou Springs has a humid continental climate ( Koppen : Dfb), categorized by four distinct seasons. Summertime
846-658: The balance is for labor, because of the project's high standards and the rigors of working for a maximum of 6 + 1 ⁄ 2 hours per day at such a high altitude during a short season of April to October. Heavy equipment and prefabricated building components are slowly moved up the mountain's highway in the middle of the night to avoid any car traffic. Ground conditions are bedrock and alpine permafrost , soil and rock that remains at or below freezing temperatures all year to depths of up to 200 feet (61 m), only warming above freezing in direct sunlight or due to external sources. Problems with excavation and blasting exist because
893-444: The base of Pikes Peak . Barr Trail, which winds its way up Pikes Peak, is accessible from town. The subdivision Crystal Hills was added to the municipality in the 1960s. The city population was 4,858 at the 2020 United States Census . Students are served by Manitou Springs School District 14 and Manitou Springs High School . General William Jackson Palmer and Dr. William Abraham Bell founded Manitou Springs in 1872, intending
940-683: The brown stony, sandy, loams of the Catamount loam or Ivywild loam series. The Devils Playground is a minor subpeak of Pikes Peak located on the northwest side of the mountain near the Pikes Peak Highway . The Devils Playground is named for the way lightning sometimes dances around the prominence during lightning storms. The Devils Playground is the highest point in Teller County at an approximate elevation of 13,075 feet (3,985 m). The first Europeans to see Pikes Peak were
987-532: The city was 93.98% White , 3.65% Hispanic or Latino , 0.50% African American , 1.06% Native American , 1.12% Asian , 0.12% Pacific Islander , 0.94% from other races , and 2.27% from two or more races. There were 2,452 households, out of which 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them; 40.2% were married couples living together' 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present; and 48.8% were non-families. 38.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who
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#17327932923741034-423: The city was under evacuation orders from only 1:30 a.m. Monday until 8 p.m. the same day. There was no fire damage visible from Manitou Springs, and all businesses reopened. On the afternoon of August 9, 2013, the city was inundated by a flash flood entering the northern edges of the city via roadways and natural channels as it descended from the flooded-out US Hwy 24. Traffic was stopped in both directions as
1081-423: The current Summit House. The older facility will remain open to the more than 600,000 visitors annually through the end of construction in the fall of 2020 or summer of 2021. Around 40 contractors are working on the $ 50 million project. The general contractor, G.E. Johnson Construction Co., estimates that about half of the budget is for materials, many of which are prefabricated in downslope shops, and
1128-458: The gravel and sediment that is constantly washed off the road into the alpine environment. In 2023, the toll road cost US$ 15 for age 16 and older or US$ 5 for age 6 to 15; from December 1 to April 30 the cost is reduced to US$ 10 for age 16 and older. The Highway is famous worldwide for the annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb , a motor race held since 1916. The short film Climb Dance features Ari Vatanen racing his Peugeot 405 T16 up
1175-596: The highway barriers formed a river drifting several occupied cars down a runoff ditch. The strong current made a path down Manitou Avenue from Cavern Gulch, as well as Canon Avenue, meandering turbulently through streets, homes, businesses, and spillways , damaging 20 homes, 8 of them significantly. The flood water threatened buildings and parking lots along Fountain Creek , and closed a portion of Manitou Avenue, which reopened later that evening. Situated directly along U.S. Route 24 just west of Old Colorado City and Cave of
1222-439: The late 19th century and early 20th century, it was a small town established along Ruxton Creek near Iron Springs, Colorado (now Manitou Springs ). Since 1925, it has been the site of a hydroelectric plant owned by the city of Colorado Springs and a weather station. Ruxton Park was only inhabited by a caretaker for the plant from 1930 to 2008, when the plant was fully automated. In 1884, Thomas Palsgrove and his family lived in
1269-864: The minting equipment for $ 25,000 (or $ 620,000 adjusted for inflation) to open the Denver Mint . Julia Archibald Holmes and James Holmes traveled to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado in 1858, and reached the summit on August 5, with J. D. Miller and George Peck, making Archibald Holmes the first European-American woman to climb Pikes Peak. From the summit, she wrote in a letter to her mother: "Nearly everyone tried to discourage me from attempting it, but I believed that I should succeed; and now here I am, and I feel that I would not have missed this glorious sight for anything at all." Thirty-five years later, in July ;1893, Katharine Lee Bates wrote
1316-419: The mountain, snapping and uprooting several trees. The tornado travelled 2 miles along Pikes Peak Highway and wind speeds reached 108 mph. No injuries were reported from the storm. At the peak, the partial pressure of oxygen is only about 60% of that at sea level. Water boils at 186 °F (86 °C) at 14,000 feet, rather than 212 °F (100 °C) at sea level. A faster rate of respiration
1363-421: The mountain. The Manitou and Pike's Peak Railway , the world's highest cog railroad , operated from Manitou Springs to the summit, closed for repairs in 2017. After being closed for more than three years, the cog railway resumed service seven days per week (conditions permitting) on May 27, 2021. Road vehicles can be driven to the summit via the Pikes Peak Highway , a 19 mi (31 km) road that starts
1410-539: The permafrost in the fractured granite actually absorbs energy. The project is being constructed to achieve both Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum Certification and Living Building Challenge . The new complex will include a visitor center, a communications facility for Colorado Springs Utilities, and the Army's High-Altitude Research Laboratory. On July 20, 2023, an EF1 tornado touched down on
1457-478: The relief botanist for Stephen Harriman Long 's expedition after the first botanist had died. The expedition explored the South Platte River up as far as present-day Denver, then turned south and passed close to what James called "Pike's highest peak". James and two other men left the expedition, camped on the plains, and climbed the peak in two days, encountering little difficulty. Along the way, James
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1504-408: The reservoir who may stay in the house in Ruxton Park. It can be accessed via a hike or a 72 miles (116 km) automobile trip over rough back roads. [REDACTED] Media related to Pikes Peak at Wikimedia Commons 38°50′29.96″N 104°58′30.92″W / 38.8416556°N 104.9752556°W / 38.8416556; -104.9752556 Manitou Springs, Colorado Manitou Springs
1551-681: The song " America the Beautiful ", after having admired the view from the top of Pikes Peak. It appeared in print in The Congregationalist , a weekly journal, on July 4, 1895. A plaque commemorating the words to the song was placed at the summit. On July 17, 1913 William Wayne Brown drove his car, the Bear Cat , 20 miles (32 km) to the summit. The ascent took 5 hours and 28 minutes. The uppermost portion of Pikes Peak, above 14,000 feet (4,267 m) elevation,
1598-686: The steep, twisty slopes. It also hosts the Pikes Peak Cycling Hill Climb (formerly Assault on the Peak), a cycling hillclimb race first held in 2010, and the USA Cycling Hill Climb National Championships, a race first held in 2016. The most popular hiking route to the top is called Barr Trail , which approaches the summit from the east. The trailhead is just past the cog railway depot in Manitou Springs. Visitors can walk, hike, or bike
1645-654: The summit from the west. Barr Trail can also be accessed via the Manitou Incline . Since the end of 1922, the AdAmAn Club, a mountaineering group, climb the Barr Trail on the east face of Pikes Peak each year on December 30th, stay overnight at Barr Camp, and continue to the top on December 31. Then, at midnight on New Year's Eve, the AdAmAn members and their guests ignite a fireworks display from
1692-526: The summit. Since 1969, the summit of Pikes Peak has been the site of the United States Army Pikes Peak Research Laboratory , a medical research laboratory for the assessment of the impact of high altitude on human physiological and medical parameters of military interest. On June 4, 2018, ground-breaking was held for a new 38,000 square feet (3,500 m ) Summit Complex which is being constructed next to
1739-574: The town to be a "scenic health resort". Bell's home, Briarhurst Manor , is open to the public as a fine dining restaurant, which is listed on the National Register of Historic places. In 1876, the town was incorporated. "Manitou Springs has been the quintessential tourist town since the 1870s, when visitors discovered the healing waters the Ute Indians had been drinking for years. Many of the town's mineral springs still function today and
1786-539: The trail. Although the Barr Trail is rated only Class 1, it is a long and arduous hike with nearly 8,000 ft (2,400 m) of elevation gain, and a 13 mi (21 km) trip one-way. The Pikes Peak Marathon , a trail race held since 1956, is a round trip between the trailhead and the Pikes Peak. The Barr Trail Mountain Race is a 13 miles (21 km) round trip between the trailhead and Barr Camp. Another route, rated as Class 2, begins at Crags Campground, approaching
1833-411: The train then passes." Ruxton Park was described as an area of aspen trees, pine trees and flowers—surrounded by Pike's Peak, Mt. Rosa, Cameron's Cone and other peaks. Wealthy families from the western states had houses in the town where they sought the cooler mountain temperatures during the summers. The town had a "fancy tourist hotel", water tower, and post office. In 1925, a water utility power plant
1880-738: The water is free." In 1980, the Manitou Springs Historic District was formed by the Historic Preservation Committee to manage development, renovation and preservation within the town. It is a National Register of Historic Places listing and one of the country's largest National Historic Districts. In June 2012, the entire city was evacuated due to the Waldo Canyon fire nearby. Parts of western Colorado Springs were also evacuated. Manitou Springs did not suffer any fire damage, and
1927-449: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.03 and the average family size was 2.73. In the city, the population was spread out, with 18.6% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 32.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males. The median income for
Ruxton Park - Misplaced Pages Continue
1974-526: Was built for $ 16,866 equivalent to $ 293,027 in 2023 and opened in Ruxton Park by the city of Colorado Springs . The stone hydroelectric plant generates electricity as Ruxton Creek flows into Manitou Springs from the mountain. A caretakers house was built in 1930 and from that time to 2008, nine Colorado Springs Utilities employees have lived there six months of the year, running the Ruxton Hydroelectric Plant and taking measurements for
2021-445: Was built in 1890, which brought tourists to the top of Pike's Peak beginning June 30, 1891. The first third of the trip is alongside Ruxton Creek. A stop was made at Ruxton Park where tourists could eat a meal at the "pleasant" Halfway Hotel. Halfway House, "far from half way to the summit,... is a rustic mountain hotel surrounded by a grove of stately pines, and towering above it, the pinnacled rocks of Hell[s] Gate, through whose portal
2068-624: Was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961. Pikes Peak was the home of a ski resort from 1939 until 1984. There are several visitor centers on Pikes Peak, some with a gift shop and restaurant. These centers are located at the 6-mile (9.7 km) and 12-mile (19 km) markers of the toll road, plus one at the summit itself. Along with other food, the Summit House sells special high altitude doughnuts , frying up to 700 per hour. The doughnuts collapse or go mushy if transported to lower altitudes. There are several ways to ascend
2115-663: Was later commonly known as "Pike's Highest Peak." American explorer Stephen Harriman Long named the mountain "James Peak" in honor of Edwin James who climbed to the summit during Long's Expedition of 1820 . The mountain was later renamed "Pike's Peak" in honor of Pike. The name was simplified to "Pikes Peak" by the United States Board on Geographic Names in 1890. Pikes Peak is one of Colorado's 54 fourteeners , mountains more than 14,000 feet (4,267.2 m) above sea level. The massif rises over 8,000 ft (2,400 m) above downtown Colorado Springs. Pikes Peak
2162-568: Was the first to describe the blue columbine , Colorado's state flower. Gold was discovered in the area of present-day Denver in 1858, and newspapers referred to the gold-mining area as "Pike's Peak". Pike's Peak or Bust became the slogan of the Colorado Gold Rush (see also Fifty-Niner ). This was more due to Pikes Peak's visibility to gold seekers traveling west across the plains than any actual significant gold find anywhere near Pikes Peak. Major gold deposits were not discovered in
2209-585: Was unable to reach the summit. The summit is higher than any point in the United States east of its longitude . The band of Ute people who called the Pikes Peak region their home were the Tabeguache , whose name means the "People of Sun Mountain". Tava or "sun", is the Ute word that was given by these first people to the mountain that we now call Pikes Peak. (In contrast, the name Tabeguache Peak
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