Native American tribes once traversed the east-west anomaly of the Rocky Mountains known as the Palmer Divide as a passage between the high ranges and the Great Plains. Lying between Denver and Colorado Springs, and named for William Jackson Palmer, founder of Colorado Springs, the offshoot range divides the great Platte and Arkansas River systems. Settlers homesteaded, farmed, and ranched the area. Railroad construction in the 1870s led to towns supporting commerce and tourism, particularly in the western section of the Palmer Divide, in what eventually became known as the Tri-Lakes Area. The area drew tourists who enjoyed hiking, wildflowers, and the outdoors, and facilitated such local industries as ice harvesting, lumber milling, ranching, and potato farming. A vast area north of Colorado Springs, the Palmer Divide retains a picturesque rural nature and cohesive small-town feeling--creating such social events as the Rocky Mountain Chautauqua and the Yule Log Festival, as well as the enduring Palmer Lake Star on Sundance Mountain.

This book is a collection of wonderful stories from real adventures experienced by the author from over forty years living on a small ranch in southern Douglas County, Colorado with her husband and family. The family stories range from helping a rancher friend move cattle from winter range up to the Roan Cliffs for the summer, participating in a five-day 250-mile horse race on the original Pony Express trail across Utah, battling the pervasive dandelions infesting the lawn, the joy of going to the barn to feed horses early in the morning before commuting to a city job, the peace of spending a week horse camping in the Bridger wilderness and catching fresh fish for dinner, riding to Spruce Mountain to cut the perfect Christmas tree to drag back home for the kids to decorate, the simple delights in the coming of spring, sharing in the annual community Yule Log hunt, and a heart-felt farewell to the telephone company upon retirement, to mention just a few. The poems are primarily tributes to the many treasured equine friends who shared their lives with the family over the years, as well as special Christmas poems.

A profile of the Civil War hero and railroad owner who founded the city of Colorado Springs.

The original history of Palmer Lake, CO. Author: Marion S. Sabin. First published in 1957 by the Palmer Lake Historical Society. Currently the book has been revised with new photographs and maps. There is a revised person index and historical text newly covering the period from 1972 - 1989 plus.

Your Travel Destination. Your Home. Your Home-To-Be. Colorado Springs Hit the museums. Savor the cuisine. Stroll in the Garden of the Gods. Head up Pike’s Peak. Experience the best of this healthful, family-friendly place. • A personal, practical perspective for travelers and residents alike • Comprehensive listings of attractions, restaurants, and accommodations • How to live & thrive in the area—from recreation to relocation • Countless details on shopping, arts & entertainment, and children’s activities