Colorado Springs Official Visitors Guide 2009 - (Page 18) 8 Going For The Gold VisitCOS.com Going For the Colorado means “reddish color” and Pikes Peak is known for its “purple mountain majesty”, but in 2009, Colorado Springs is pure gold. With the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Pikes Peak or Bust gold rush, the decision by the U.S. Olympic Committee to keep its headquarters and the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and the perennial shimmering leaves of the Quaking Aspen each fall, Colorado Springs has a variety of ways for visitors to go for the gold. Pikes Peak or Bust Gold Rush In 1859, the “Pikes Peak or Bust” gold rush compelled ordinary people to take extraordinary risks in coming to this area. Although there were rumors of gold in the Rockies for centuries, it took a convergence of economic and political conditions for the promise of reward to outweigh the risks of travel. Though the actual gold lay 60 miles to the north of Colorado Springs, the rush brought people, trade, trails and towns to the Pikes Peak region. Rush to the Rockies: A Commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the Pikes Peak Gold Rush is a 10-month celebration of this fascinating period of our history. The exhibit, which runs November 2008 through August 2009, includes historic artifacts, photographs, documents and the true stories of the men, women, and children who traveled to the Pikes Peak region to seek their fortune. Housed in the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum in downtown Colorado Springs, the exhibit educates visitors about the beginnings of Colorado City, El Paso County and those who were rewarded for their courage and entrepreneurial spirit as well as those who were “busted” by the rough conditions and hardships of the frontier. The Pikes Peak region’s history is directly linked to the story of the 1859 “Pikes Peak or Bust” gold rush. In late 1858, prospectors discovered http://www.VisitCOS.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.