Garden of the Gods Park, where dramatic red rock formations frame Pikes Peak as a magnificent eastern gateway to Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, has long been recognized as a landmark. American Indian people often gathered in the shadow of the red rocks to enjoy the abundance of plants and wildlife, and early European explorers, miners, and settlers also reveled in its beauty. In the early 1900s, Charles Elliot Perkins wished that the Garden of the Gods be given to the citizens of Colorado Springs and remain forever free to all the people of the world. One hundred years later, that act of goodwill had fostered generations of local citizens and international visitors who appreciated its beauty and natural and cultural resources. The grand vision of Colorado Springs founder William Jackson Palmer to create an environment of parks and open spaces that would enrich the lives of all who visited, along with Charles Elliot Perkins’s dream, is realized in the park. In 1972, Garden of the Gods was designated a National Natural Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior. In 2009, the City of Colorado Springs marked 100 years of preserving, restoring, maintaining, and interpreting the park’s invaluable natural and cultural resources and renewed its dedication to protecting its distinctive features and supporting the stewardship of public lands for future generations.