Communities of Yesteryear along the New Santa Fe Regional Trail

Colorado Springs to Palmer Lake

By Jack Anthony

May 11, 2003

The El Paso Countyâs New Santa Fe Regional Trail is a 15-mile recreational path that starts at Ice Lake at the southern boundary of the Air Force Academy and journeys northward to Palmer Lake. Most of this wonderful 8-10 foot wide trail weaves its way along the route of two railroads that played key roles in early Colorado Springs history; the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad (D&RG) built in 1871 (today operated by Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad company) and the Santa Fe Railroad built in 1887. A majority of the trail is actually on the original Santa Fe Railroad route. The 116-mile extension of Santa Fe Railroad from Pueblo to Denver was built in 1887 in just 6 months.

I enjoy running on the trail and I became curious as to what was here in the early days of the late 1800âs. I wrote an article about the trail for the Pikes Peak Road Runnerâs monthly newsletter back in March of 1999. For that article, I interviewed two wonderful railroad history enthusiasts who live here in Colorado Springs; Gordon Bassett and Mel McFarland. Gordon and Mel shared a lot of great insight and knowledge about the communities that existed along these railroads "way back when." Since the interview, I have visited the Pioneer Museum, AFA Library, and the Palmer Lake Historical Society and met several local area history enthusiasts who have helped me greatly in my research and wonder on the early days of the Front Range communities along the Santa Fe Railroad. There are also several outstanding documenting history of these communities. Authors include Lucille Lavelett, John and Betsy Kitch, James Head, Jill Trout, George Fagan and the El Paso County Historical Societyâs own Forest Porter. In this article, I seek to take you on a journey northward along the trail and share interesting historical tidbits that give insight to these communities of yesteryear. Often when I complete my runs along sections of the trail, I take myself back 100-120 years or so and imagine sounds of the communities of Breed, Edgerton, Sommers, Husted, Pring, Monument and Palmer Lake as they existed during the glory days of railroading along this part of the Front Range.

Our journey will take us north from the Ice Lake trailhead to Palmer Lake: 15 miles in length and a 1000 foot gain in altitude. More than 100 years ago, this stretch along the front range included several roadside communities that connected Colorado Springs to Denver. The Santa Fe Railroad ran northerly through the community of Breed. From Breed, the railroad proceeded northwest through Edgerton and continued north, passing through the small whistle stop community of Sommers. After Sommers, it began paralleling I-25 and passed through the communities of Husted, Pring Station, and Monument. Following Monument, the railroad veered northwest to Palmer Lake. Nevada Avenue and Cascade Avenue were essentially the roads heading north from Colorado Springs. They connected into what was to become Highway 85-87 that leads to Denver. The highway headed north through Breed, Husted, Monument, and ultimately reached Denver (you can still see the old highway roadbed near I-25âs Baptist Road exit). This article specifically addresses several towns and stations along the Santa Fe; however, lets take a quick trip north on the D&RG Railroad, and recognize the stations and communities that ran along its tracks back then. The station in Edgerton was actually on the D&RG (the town also had access to the Santa Fe from the east). North of Edgerton and west of Sommers was a station called Aetna. The east and west sections of Husted joined into both railroads. North of Husted and west of Pring Station was the Borst station (originally named Southwater). The D&RG continued through Monument and Palmer Lake, paralleling the Santa Fe. Both railroads often came within feet of each other. They were basically confined to the Monument Creek drainage; thus, their tracks were fairly close. You may find it surprising that they did not share common station and settlement names. Letâs now begin our journey through these wonderful front range communities.

The AFAâs south entrance area once belonged to the small community of Breed. Along with the Santa Fe Railroad activity, Breed also had a gas station and later the Tourist Court Motel. Marion Porter (grandfather of local author and historian Forest Porter) operated the Tourist Court Motel. In the 1920âs, Marion added cabins to the motel, and it became the first hotel built on the highway.

The town site of Edgerton was located in the Ice Lake trailhead parking lot area and in the vicinity of AFAâs Services and Supply complex. Edgerton had homes on both sides of Monument Creek here. Mr. David Edgerton first settled into this area in 1868. In the 1869 timeframe, the Pueblo to Denver stagecoach stopped three times a week at a large two story home built by Harlow Teachout. This two-story home, called the Edgerton House, was located to the nearby south. The Edgerton House had 8 rooms upstairs and a large dining room on the main level. The area around it became a popular health resort. As many as 200 tents could be seen gathered around the house during the summer months. An advertisement in 1874 cited "Fine riding horses, plenty of sweet cream and milk, board $7.00 a week." The tracks of the D&RG were built near the house. Across to the east of the Ice lake trailhead, Edgerton had access to the Santa Fe Railroad. The community boasted several cattle and coal businesses, but those werenât the most regarded commodities or "crops" produced locally. The big "crop" was ICE! Edgertonâs Ice Lake was appropriately named by the citizens÷as it was THE source of ice in the town. Built in the 1880âs, the man-made lake was solely used for ice production. Ice was the primary source of Edgertonâs income, and the townâs own Cascade Ice Company drove the market. The ice would be cut from the lake, then either shipped on special railcars, or stored in large ice storage buildings and sold throughout the summer to keep food cool on the railroads. The specially made stone and wood buildings that stored the ice used sawdust between the inner and outer walls as insulation. Believe it or not it worked! Sometimes the ice would last throughout the summer in these much-insulated buildings! Ice production and distribution was a big deal back then·refrigerators werenât invented yet! Along with Edgerton, Monument and Palmer Lake also had ice production operations on their respective lakes. Weâll learn more about ice production when we visit Monument. Population-wise: the year 1891 saw fifty people living in Edgerton; by 1902, its population had grown to 350.

From Edgerton, the trail heads north for its first 3 miles, paralleling the original D&RG railroad (a very active railroad today). At about the 2-mile point of the trail, we can see the Academyâs wastewater treatment area to the west. An interesting fact from not too long ago is that back in the late 1960âs folks could pay a $1.50 and ride a train from downtown to see the AFA football games. Fans would be dropped off at a small station near this area, and then would take a bus up to the stadium. From the Academy drop off station, the trail winds northeast and intercepts the Santa Fe Railroad near Sommers, a small whistle stop community just north of the Academyâs airfield (originally the Pine Valley Airport in the 1930âs and headquarters of the Colorado Springs Civil Air Patrol in 1942).

At the 4-mile point in our journey northward, the remainder of the New Santa Fe Regional Trail will either be directly on the Santa Fe Railroad bed or very close to it. Weâre now coming upon what was once the bustling community of Husted. Calvin Husted was a settler from New Jersey and arrived in the area in 1859. Calvin would become one of the first city councilmen of Colorado Springs. He set up a lumber mill operation in 1866 along Monument Creek. The mill operated through 1878. His lumber operation was one of the largest in the region and employed quite a few workers. Timber from the Black Forest area was brought here, cut, and used to build the railroad, as well as homes in Colorado Springs.

Early Husted history featured a tough and dangerous environment for the settlers arriving to this region. Whereas the Ute Indians were friendly and helpful to settlers, the Arapahoe and Cheyenne Indians were very dangerous. Settlers regularly had to band together as the threat of attacks constantly loomed during those early times. In 1868, an Indian uprising occurred in the area, and nine heroic families held up in a fort-like homestead located northwest of Husted. They waited out the troubled times in their fortified home (built in 1861 by Alonzo and Levi Welty). Similar acts of heroism and perseverance occurred at the Teachout homestead near Edgerton, and the McShane homestead near Monument. The McShaneâs hosted 42 settlers in their stone fortress for a two-week period. Of all the acts of pioneer heroism documented, perhaps none are more harrowing, yet fascinating, than a story relayed by Walter Husted (son of Calvin Husted) in a March 27, 1949 Gazette Telegraph article. This article described a youthful heroâs daring gamble in a potentially volatile situation. Hereâs how the story goes: While the men of Husted were away aiding settlerâs being threatened by Indians, several Indians attacked and killed two settlers on the western edge of the Black Forest. The Indians then emerged from the forestâs edge and seemed ready to strike the undefended town. A young man, herding cattle at the time, could see the hostile Indians surveying the Husted area. He had to act quickly. He stood atop a nearby hill, turned around, and started calling for his small army of followers. "Here they are! The Indians! Letâs go get them! Follow me!" The catch here was that his small army was made-up! Imaginary! He waved his hat to rally his yet-to-be-seen band of defenders, and ran unarmed right at the ensuing Indians! He played out his ruse. And it worked! The Indians fled! What a daring and clever act by this brave, young man.

Husted actually consisted of two communities: East Husted and West Husted. East Husted was located along the Santa Fe Railroad, in the vicinity of AFAâs north entrance. The community featured two hotels: the East Husted Hotel, and the St Johns Hotel. Both hotels were built in 1883. East Hustedâs main town featured a general store, post office, saloon, and church. The main town also boasted the Branding Iron Café, the Frontier Service Station (for motorists), and the Jones General Store. Homes were located to the Santa Fe stationâs west, in the area of the north entrance to the I-25 interchange. West Husted resided along Monument Creek, and on the bluffs overlooking the creek. In 1890 Hustedâs population was 75. The town had train stations along both the Santa Fe and D&RG railroads. The Santa Fe station was about a mile south of AFAâs north entrance. You can still see the stationâs original foundation just off the trail, and the county has placed an informative sign at the site that includes a 1933 photo of the station.

Some interesting Santa Fe Railroad history occurred along this stretch between Husted and Monument to the north. In the late 1800âs, there were several accidents due to trains being blown off the tracks by high westerly winds. Even today the very strong winds can blow the heavier railcars over. This scenario last happened on December 28, 1990 to 3 of 31 cars heading southbound. The early railroading near Husted also had its share of non-weather related accidents. In November of 1888, the first mishap with resulting derailment happened. On August 14, 1909, a terrible train wreck occurred when a northbound train and southbound train collided head on. D&RG "helper" steam engines were added at Husted to assist northbound trains in climbing the uphill grade over the Palmer Divide. A local roundhouse/turntable was used for turning the helper steam engines around. At Palmer Divide, the helpers would again turn around on a turntable located there, and return to Husted to pull another freight or passenger train "over the divide". In the 1920âs, larger, more powerful engines enabled the railroads to eliminate the need for helper engines and crews in Husted.

Other Husted historical tidbits include the existence of a fox farm located just south of the community. In the 1930âs, as many as 3500 foxes were bred in the vicinity of the AFA picnic grounds. The Will Shoemaker family lived over on the bluffs of West Husted. In 1927, Will discovered a clay pit, and the pit was opened for commercial means. On a daily basis a railcar full of clay was being shipped out to the Standard Fire Brick Company in Pueblo. This clay was ideal for making firebrick.

As we leave Husted behind, weâve traveled 6 miles from Edgerton. Continuing north, you can see a few wooden trestles along the old Santa Fe railbed. As we approach the trestles (just south of Baptist Road), weâre in the vicinity of the once town of Pring Station. John William Pring first came to Colorado in 1876 after purchasing 240 acres of land sight unseen in this area. In 1888, the Pring rail station was built along the Santa Fe. John Pringâs effort in improving the land, raising cattle, dairying, and farming would soon earn him accolades for having one of the best farms in the area. Sheep and cattle would be loaded onto trains at the Pring Station, which accessed the Santa Fe (to the west was the Borst Station, which accessed the D&RG). Also, once a week, the Pring dairy business would provide milk and 35 pounds of butter to the Antlers Hotel in Colorado Springs.

As we proceed north away from Pring, the next 3 miles will take us to Monument. Just before reaching Monument, weâll cross over Dirty Woman Creek. What a curious name for a creek! Originally named Dirty Woman Gulch in 1861, this branch of Monument Creek was given the name "Dirty Woman Creek" thanks to a lady who lived in a shack along the creek. This lady made butter by trampling the cream with her bare feet! She also tended goats, chickens, cats, dogs, and other animals. The "Dirty Woman" didn't exactly keep her property or herself very clean; thus, the name stuck. And it still does today! Would you like some Dirty Woman brand butter?

The trail passes through historic Monument. Both Monument and Palmer Lake have fortunately taken wonderful effort to preserve their history and heritage. Whereas the communities weâve journeyed through so far have disappeared, these two communities have thrived economically, as has the preservation of their rich history. Lucille Lavelettâs book, "Through the Yearâs At Monument, Colorado", published in 1975, does a tremendous job of capturing the history and personalities of early Monument. Furthermore, Lucilleâs book, "Monumentâs Faded Neighbor Communities and its Folklore", provides in depth information on many of the now gone communities located near Monument. In the 1860âs the area was first called Henryâs Station. It was named for Henry Limbach. After the D&RG railroad was built in 1871, Henryâs Station became Monument. The name Monument was chosen for the beautiful rock formations seen to the northwest. The first train came through the town on January 1, 1872. In 1887, the Santa Fe Railroad and station were built (the Santa Fe also went through Palmer Lake). Both railroads had stockyards in Monument, and the fall became a very busy time when farmers shipped their cattle to the market. In 1889, Monument Creek, located west of town, was dammed. By 1892 Monument Lake was completed. In 1901, Doyle and Thomas Hanks built an icehouse on the lake and started harvesting ice. Harvesting ice was accomplished back then by man and horse. Ice harvests would start as early as mid December with blocks of ice up to 24 inches thick being cut from the lake. 20,000 to 30,000 tons of ice was harvested annually. 4000 tons were stored in icehouses with the remainder being shipped south to Pueblo and north to Denver. To keep the ice from melting, ice cakes were packed in 12 inches of sawdust. Many homes and businesses had their own icehouses, and the stored ice would last through the summer when packed in sawdust. Can you recall the high winds near Husted blowing over rail cars? On New Yearâs Eve 1909, a 100-mile per hour wind completely destroyed the Monument icehouses the day before an ice harvest was to begin! The icehouses had to be diligently rebuilt.

In the late 1800âs and early 1900âs, the Monument area was famous for its potato harvests. Potato growing was Monumentâs chief industry back in those days. Potato "Bake Day" in early October was a day full of fun activities, great eating, and enjoyment. Special trains were run to bring people to the bake. On October 11, 1890 the Colorado Springs Herald reported: "Yesterday was a big day for Monument for the annual potato bake. Fully 1500 people came from all parts near and far to enjoy the hospitality." The annual potato bake was free to all who came, and was held west of the D&RG station and east of Monument Lake. Can you imagine the crowd and great food? A blight caused by the wild rose bushes put an end to the big potato crops of that era.

From Monument, the trail heads northwest for the next 3 miles to Palmer Lake. This section is perhaps the most beautiful stretch along the trail and offers nice views of the front range, including Elephant Rock and Ben Lomand Mountain to the north. On July 11, 1820, Major Stephen Longâs expedition came through the Palmer Lake area. The expeditionâs artist, Samuel Seymour, made sketches of the rock formation and named it Castle Rock. Later it would be called the Arched Rock, then Phoebeâs Arch in 1887. In 1894, the name Elephant Rock was given, and that name is still used today.

The Palmer Lake community and lake were not always known by that name: On September 29, 1871, the D&RG track reached the drainage divide between the South Platte and Arkansas Rivers. The train station there was originally called Divide. In 1872, Camillus A. Weiss became the stationâs telegraph operator and postmaster. For the next 15 years, the post office was called Weissport. The station went by several different names. Maps and railroad schedules made between 1872 and 1888 refer to the station by the names Divide, Divide Lake, Loch Katrine or Lake Station. Some folks did unofficially call it Weissport. In December of that same year, Dr William Thompson and Arthur Visick established plans for a small town they named Loch Katrine which occupied about 320 acres east of the lake. In the next month, they also established plans for the Glenside Addition in the area southwest of the lake. The original intent of the founders was not to name the town after the regionâs famed General William Jackson Palmer. One of the townâs trustees suggested the name, and, in late 1883, General Palmer reluctantly agreed to it by telegram from New York. On November 27, 1883 town of Palmer Lake was planned, mapped out and thus established. The name Palmer Lake stuck forevermore. General Palmer never did live in his namesake town! Palmer Lake included the Loch Katrine and Glenside communitiesâ that were proposed and planned earlier. William Thompson was the first mayor. He built the 5,700 square foot Victorian style Estemere Estate during the "Ambitious 80âs" of the region. The lake was a critical water supply stop for the D&RG steam engines. Palmer Lake also experienced many "name changes": Summit Lake, Divide Lake, even Loch Lomand. Icehouses were built on the south end of the lake and provided ice to the railroad for use in "refrigerator" and dining cars. In 1882, the lake was enlarged to its current 10-acre size. Much of the lumber used to build both railroads in this area came from the mountains west of here÷logging ended before the turn of the century and reforestation occurred over time. Palmer Lake was quite an attraction back in those days. Trainloads of people would come on both railroads to visit it and experience the beautiful area÷especially the colorful wildflowers. On February 23, 1989, the Town of Palmer Lake had been built and grew and was incorporated. Since then, Palmer Lake has prospered and flourished into what we see today as a wonderful community with a rich history. The Palmer Lake Historical Society and the Lucretia Valle Library and Museum provide outstanding information and references on the Tri-Lakes region heritage. The museum and their comprehensive web site, along with the special speakers and occasions they host, make it a must-visit for anyone living in the Colorado Springs region. They have wonderfully captured and preserved the history of this area.

From Edgerton to Palmer Lake, weâve covered 15 miles. As you can see there were many communities along the Santa Fe Railroad route: the absent communities of Breed, Edgerton, Sommers, Husted and Pring Station; and todayâs thriving communities of Monument and Palmer Lake. So what happened to these now absent communities that thrived about 100 years ago? There are several things that can be stated; but overall, it was modernization that facilitated many events that led to the end of Breed, Edgerton, Husted, and Pring Station. As refrigeration systems were developed, the need for natural ice production ceased, and ice-making operations at Edgerton, Monument, and Palmer Lake faded away. Some communities, like Edgerton, saw new and improved roads and the arrival of the automobile simply pass them by. Highway 85-87, the main road north between Pueblo and Denver, was dramatically improved in the 1920âs when it became two lanes of concrete. The last passenger train journeyed the Santa Fe Railroad in April 1971. The tracks were dismantled in the summer of 1975.

This short essay serves as an introduction to some of the history and lifestyles of the communities that came forth in the late 1800âs along todayâs New Santa Fe Regional Trail. Next time you travel north on I-25, stay alert, keep your hands on the steering wheel, and bellow a hearty hello to the pioneer spirits of Breed, Husted, Sommers and Pring. Perhaps on your next visit to Americaâs Air Force Academy, stop by Thunderbird overlook, gaze westward, and imagine Edgerton as it thrived in the late 1800âs. The New Santa Fe Regional Trail is a wonderful recreational asset to us, and you now know it as a historical treasure, too.

I am a Colonel in the US Air Force. I graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1978. The majority of my 25-year journey in Americaâs Air Force has been serving in technical and operational leadership positions in support of the Air Force military space program. I enjoy running and it is though my running adventures that I discovered the New Santa Fe Regional Trail and became interested in its history. Feel free to contact me via my e-mail address: mightypuffin1@aol.com. or look for me running on the trail on Sunday afternoons!

Mr. Forest Porter of the El Paso Country Historical Society and Mr. Herb Edwards of the Palmer Lake Historical Society provided great insight into the history of the communities along the New Santa Fe Regional Trail. Their expertise was matched by their willingness to help and offer wonderful encouragement. Mr. Gordon Bassett and Mr. Mel MacFarland helped get me started with interviews in 1999. The Pioneer Museum staff allowed me to review their archived material and helped me find many unique references.

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