Pikes Peak Regional History Symposium

Nice, Naughty, & Notable: Colorado Springs at 150

In a year marking the 150-year anniversary of the founding of Colorado Springs by William Jackson Palmer, Pikes Peak Library District is pleased to offer our 2021 Pikes Peak Regional History Symposium virtually! This year's program has been divided into four separate virtual events (May 22, June 26, July 24, and August 28). We are excited to celebrate our city's sesquicentennial with you!

June 26 Program:
Susan Fletcher: Glen Eyrie at 150 (Give or Take Several Millennia)
This presentation will explore the colorful story of Glen Eyrie in celebration of the estate’s 150th anniversary, from the time the first structure on the property was built in 1871 to the present. The presentation will briefly situate the property in its geological timeline and talk about the First Nations people who lived in the area, and then will discuss the people and events that have contributed to the rich legacy of the property over 150 years from the Palmer family to The Navigators.

Tom Noel: The Broadmoor Hotel’s Beginnings: From Count James Pourtales to Spencer Penrose
The Broadmoor, Colorado’s finest resort hotel, put Colorado Springs on the map as a world class tourist attraction. The story of its founding in 1918 by Spencer Penrose is well known. Less well known but just as fascinating is the story of the first Broadmoor resort founded by Count James Pourtales. He and others kept the Broadmoor dream alive until its fruition with Spencer Penrose in 1918.

Eric Swab: Three Trails That Ring Cheyenne Mountain, Three Tales of Infidelity, Bribery, and Provocation
Spencer Penrose had an interest in a system of trails that once encircled Cheyenne Mountain. His motivation was to provide recreational opportunities for the guests of the Broadmoor Hotel. By 1918, the year the hotel opened, the trails had been mapped and named for three friends and associates of Penrose, Henry M. Blackmer, Charles M. MacNeill and Russell K. Dougherty. This proposal will explore the social prominence and frailties of these three men.

Registration for this free virtual event is required. Please visit our website to register: https://ppld.librarymarket.com/pikes-peak-regional-history-symposium-9