Garden of the Gods Poster

Fall view of a part of Garden of the Gods park in Colorado Springs. One of the most unique natural attractions in the United States, the Garden of the Gods was declared a National Natural Landmark in 1972 because of its massive towering sandstone formations and beautiful scenery. It is also a park of the city of Colorado Springs and is quite different from any city park you have ever visited. The first people known to have lived here were the Ute Indians, about 10,000 years ago, who used the Garden of the Gods as a winter campsite. In 1859, two surveyors wandered into the area. One of the men suggested it would be a good place for a beer garden. The other exclaimed, "Beer garden! This is a fit place for the gods to assemble. We will call it the Garden of the Gods." It is called that to this day. In 1897, a railroad man by the name of Charles Perkins bought 480 acres in what is now the heart of the park where he intended to build a summer home. This never happened. He died in 1907. Just prior to Christmas Day 1909, his children donated the land to the City of Colorado Springs according to his wish that "it remain forever free to all the people of the world." Today the park is 1,367 acres or about two square miles in size.