Cheyenne mountain zoo
It is now The Broadmoor's Ranch at Emerald Valley. Grace Lutheran Church built a retreat in Emerald Valley in 1904.
Also at that time, a carriage road went to Seven Lakes and the summit of Pikes Peak from Cheyenne Mountain. It transported coal, mined ore, and passengers. The Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek District Railway (Short Line) traversed Cheyenne Mountainĭuring the trip between Cripple Creek and Colorado Springs by 1905. His homestead ultimately became part of The Broadmoor resort. The road begins as a paved road and is then a dirt road through Pike National Forest. He built a tavern along a trail up Cheyenne Mountain and turned the trail into a toll road, now called Old Stage Road, to Cripple Creek. William Dixon, a rancher, claimed a homestead in the Cheyenne Mountain foothills in 1867. Cheyenne Mountain was used by Ute Native Americans to cross from the plains and benefit from the "steep slopes and hidden valleys" to safely travel from enemy tribes that had their horses stolen by the Utes. It was visited by Cheyenne and Arapaho people, who may have sought spiritual inspiration from the mountain's waterfalls. Native Americans found that Cheyenne Mountain was a good source of wood for teepee poles. History Early history Ĭheyenne Mountain was named for the Cheyenne people. Other mountain peaks are Mount Arthur, Mount Baldy, Mount Rosa, Cameron's Cone, and Mount Garfield. Colorado Springs' skyline features Cheyenne Mountain and Pikes Peak. The western side of Cheyenne Mountain is in Pike National Forest, within the Pikes Peak Ranger District. The mountain's boundaries are Rock Creek, which flows from Mount Big Chief through Cheyenne Mountain to the town of Fountain, to the south and Cheyenne Cañon to the north. The peak is 9,200 feet (2,800 m) in elevation. The northern peak, The Horns, may look to some like the head of a dragon or horns. The antenna farm sits on the middle peak. The southern peak is Cheyenne Mountain's summit at 9,200 feet (2,800 m) in elevation. A noticeable feature on the top of one of Cheyenne Mountain's peaks is an antenna farm with transmitters for cellular phone, radio, television, and law enforcement purposes.Ĭheyenne Mountain has three peaks. The two parks on and at the base of Cheyenne Mountain are Cheyenne Mountain State Park and North Cheyenne Cañon Park. A community, Overlook Colony, that began in 1911 still resides on the mountain. Land on Cheyenne Mountain that had once been owned by The Broadmoor is now the site of luxury homes. The site of the lodge has become a wilderness Cloud Camp and Emerald Valley is now the site of The Broadmoor's Ranch at Emerald Valley. Spencer Penrose, who built The Broadmoor in 1918, bought many of the properties on the mountain and built the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Cheyenne Mountain Highway, Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun, a lodge on one of the mountain peaks, and a retreat at Emerald Valley. Homesteading on the mountain began in 1867 and the mountain was the site of resorts and retreats beginning in the 1880s. Its function broadened with the end of the Cold War, and then many of its functions were transferred to Peterson Air Force Base in 2006. Built deep within granite, it was designed to withstand the impact and fallout from a nuclear bomb. The underground operations center for the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) was built during the Cold War to monitor North American airspace for missile launches and Soviet military aircraft. The mountain serves as a host for military, communications, recreational, and residential functions. Cheyenne Mountain is a triple-peaked mountain in El Paso County, Colorado, southwest of downtown Colorado Springs.