Garden of the Gods Trading Post Introduces Wood Stickers
A place for the gods
The Garden of the Gods is another one of Colorado's natural beauties. Located in Colorado Springs, the park sees thousand of visitors daily, and each one is taken aback by the stunning views. Before the park received its permanent name, European explorers deemed it "Red Rock Corral." The name "Garden of the Gods" was coined by a group of surveyors in 1859, who claimed that a place of such beauty was fit for nothing less than gods themselves to assemble.
While Garden of the Gods was not officially deemed a public park until 1909, even though it had been open to the public years before that. In fact, the story starts a little bit earlier...
May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. "
--Edward Abbey
Started from the bottom...
Roughly 250 million years ago, Garden of the Gods was nothing more than sand and sea. The mountains seen today were vast sand dunes. 155 million years ago, dinosaurs ruled over the garden, forever leaving their mark with fossils. 65 million years ago, mountains began to form due to the old Pacific plate smashing into the North American plate. Eventually, erosion began to occur on the softer rocks, creating the incredible ridges and valleys that stand today.
Fulfilling a Dad's Dream
Colorado Springs was founded by General George Palmer in 1871, after he fell in love at first sight on a visit two years prior. He believed it would be the perfect spot to expand his Denver to Rio Grande Railroad. A few years later, he urged close friend Charles Elliott Perkins to purchase 240 acres of land known as Garden of the Gods. In 1879, he made his first purchase. 20 years later, Perkins doubled the land, purchasing another 240 acres, and donated the entire lot to the City of Colorado Springs. In 1907, Perkins passed away before he could finalize his plans to officially deem it a public park. Honoring their father's wishes, his children finished the deed, conveying the park to the city in his name.
For more information regarding garden of the gods, visit the link below
All information provided by Garden of the Gods History, Visit Colorado Springs, and Friends of Garden of the Gods Geology
All pictures provided by Garden of the Gods Gallery and Friends of Garden of the Gods Gallery, specifically Larry Marr