A Priceless Gift

In 1879, General William Jackson Palmer, the founder of Colorado Springs, convinced his friend Charles Elliot Perkins to purchase land in Garden of the Gods. Perkins eventually bought a total of 480 acres surrounding the Gateway Rocks, paying $22.00 per acre. The president of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, Perkins lived in Iowa and never built on his Colorado land, but he allowed the public to enjoy it and wished for it to become a public park. He died before arrangements could be made, and his children followed his wishes by offering the land to the City of Colorado Springs. In late 1909, the City Council accepted the land with restrictions that the park be free of charge to visitors, be forever known as Garden of the Gods, allow no intoxicating liquors to be manufactured or sold there, and permit no buildings except those necessary to maintain the park. Garden of the Gods Park is now over 1,360 acres and provides a haven for visitors and wildlife.

Colorado Springs, Colorado · United States