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Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, seen from the visitor center
Author: Aphexcoil (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
Garden of the Gods is a public park in Colorado Springs famous for its unusual rock formations. The park is located in El Paso County, Colorado, and covers 3,300 acres (1,300 ha).
Garden of the Gods was established in 1909 on land donated by the offsprings of Charles Elliott Perkins, a friend of General William Jackson Palmer who founded Colorado Springs. Perkins was the head of Burlington Railroad. To kick-start his new town, Palmer persuaded Perkins to build a home in the area, which led to Perkins buying 240 acres on land in 1879 for his summer home. He later bought more land, expanding his estate to 480 acres. The land has already been known as Garden of the Gods since 1859, when the area were discovered by surveyors.
Garden of the Gods rock formations
Author: Corbyrobert (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
When Perkins discovered the arresting beauty of the land at Garden of the Gods, he decided instead to turn it into a nature park for public enjoyment. However, he passed away in 1907, before he completed the land transfer. His children, in memory of his legacy, handed the 480 acres to the city of Colorado Springs. In honor of their father's wish, entrance to the Garden of the Gods public park should be free of charge. In addition, no alcohol should be manufacturer or sold within the park area, and no structure erected there except for the public well being.
Visiting Garden of the Gods, Colorado
View location and direction on map From Colorado Springs, take US Highway 24 (Midland Expressway) and exit the highway at Manitou Springs. Continue on Garden of the Gods Pl, turn right to El Paso Blvd passing under the highway, then turn left to Garden Drive. Follow Garden Drive, continue on Garden Lane, till you arrive at site.Garden of the Gods Park is open daily from 5:00 am to 11:00 pm from 1 May to 31 October, and from 5:00 am to 9:00 pm from 1 November to 30 April. The visitor center is open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm in the winter months and from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm from Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend.
Sandstone formations in the Garden of the Gods
Author: Ulrich Koberg (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 Generic)
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