My World Tuesday - Colorado Springs Founders

For My World Tuesday, here's a little information on my city and a couple of important figures from its history.

Colorado Springs was founded by William Jackson Palmer as a resort town back in 1871. It sits at an elevation of 6,035 feet (1,839 m) above sea level, but rises higher on its northern and western edges. It's at the foot of Pikes Peak, a mountain you can see in several of my photos. William Palmer was a colonel in the Union army during the civil war and was involved in the construction of railroads in the American West. He lived in Colorado Springs until his death in 1909. There's now a large statue of him on his horse in downtown Colorado Springs.

This statue is actually in the middle of a major intersection, causing lots of accidents. I'm sure he'd be happy about that! 

Spencer Penrose was one of the regions most important philanthropists. He and his wife Julie founded the El Pomar foundation back in 1937, and it's still active today with $500 million in assets and $25 million in annual grants to Colorado nonprofit organizations.

A few days ago ewok1993 asked what part of Colorado to see first. Assuming that you're not visiting for the skiing, here's where I'd start.

1. Rocky Mountain National Park. This is probably the single best way to see the mountains of Colorado. It's close to the main population centers on the Front Range, and there are nice places to stay nearby in Estes Park.

2. Not that I'm biased since I live here, but Colorado Springs (and nearby cities such as Manitou Springs) makes a great base to explore this part of the state. Area attractions include:

• Pikes Peak, elevation 14,110 feet (4,300 m), up which you can drive, take a cog railroad, or hike if you're in very good shape.
• Garden of the Gods, an amazing series of red rock formations.
• Royal Gorge, an hours drive south, with one of the worlds highest suspension bridges and other fun touristy stuff such as the world's steepest incline railway to the bottom of the gorge.
• The United States Air Force Academy.
• Lots of local hiking in such areas as North Cheyenne Canyon.
• Assorted attractions such as the Olympic Training Center, the Pro Rodeo Hall Of Fame, Cave of the Winds, Seven Falls, and many more.

3. There's so much other stuff to see in the state that you could spend weeks, including the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, the Great Sand Dunes, and the southwest part of the state including Ouray and Telluride. But the two mentioned above make a good place to start.