Historic Old Colorado City

Tuesday, 30 June 2015 (Part II)
Peregrine Pines FamCamp; USAFA, Colorado Springs — Colorado

Mui had his heart set on having tapas for lunch, so after our hike in the Garden of the Gods (post here), we got in our car and drove the short distance to Old Colorado City (OCC).  Like so many towns in the west, OCC owes its birth to gold.  It was founded in mid-1859, shortly after prospectors were lured to the area by major gold strikes that were announced in the Pikes Peak region.  Pikes Peak or Bust was the rallying call of the day.

We had already checked the TripAdvisor comments and knew not to expect much of our visit.  Of course, if you are an art gallery browser or just like to check out the various stores lining the streets, there’s plenty of that.  And restaurants as well.

I sort of got the sense that the place comes alive later in the day.  But no matter, we were there for lunch not to sightsee … although we did stroll up and down the small historic center while we waited for the restaurant to open at 11:30a.  Since I’m not much for crowds, the quietness of the streets worked out for me.

Fun mural at the Colorado City Creamery.

Our short stroll led us to Bancroft Park, where we found signs and photos explaining the history of Colorado City … the forerunner of modern-day Colorado Springs … the first town “south of Denver to be laid out and plotted.”  At the time, the area was still part of the Kansas Territory.  It wasn’t until 1861 that the Colorado Territory was officially established and the city became the “commercial and agricultural hub for the newly created El Paso County.

The Pikes Peak or Bust Rush began in 1858 when miners found glittering flakes and
nuggets of gold in and around present day Denver.  The region's most famous
mountain became a symbol for over 100,000 "Peakers" looking for riches.
[Photo from the Denver Public Library, Western History Collection.]

In Bancroft Park we also came across a log structure described as a “false-fronted cabin” built in 1859 by Dr Garvin.  In 1861, Colorado City, which was a candidate for the Territorial Capital, hosted the first Territorial Legislature.  The meetings were supposed to be held in the Garvin Cabin.  Unfortunately for the town, the cabin was deemed too small, and when it was determined that there wasn’t adequate lodging locally, the legislators adjourned to Denver instead.

For years, the Garvin Cabin was erroneously referred to as “the first
state capitol” even though the Territorial Legislature never met there.
In 1959, the cabin was temporarily moved to Denver and displayed
for the Colorado "Rush to the Rockies" centennial celebration.
[Colorado Springs Pioneer Museum, Starsmore Center for Local History Collection.]

In 1869, the Garvin Cabin became the Pioneer County Office building, which is what the false front reads today.  The door was locked and we could not go inside, but we did manage to peek through the dirty windows and get a couple of snapshots of the interior.

At one point, the cabin served as a Chinese laundry/opium den, and even an
antiques shop.  It was rescued from being torn down in 1927 and moved to the
Broadmoor Hotel’s golf course.  After being displayed during the Centennial
Celebrations in Denver, it was returned to Colorado Springs in 1961.

A peek through the windows of the Garvin Cabin.

Adjacent to the cabin we found a small obelisk outlining the history of Colorado City.  It was erected in 2009 by the OCC Historical Society.  Etched into the stone are snippets of information about the city … click the photos below for more legible images if interested in reading them.  Each panel covered overlapping dates that I found no real logic to, so they are posted here in random order.

History of Old Colorado City etched in stone.

Our walk turned colorful when I came across a couple of murals.  Mui had seen photos of them and told me to expect to find them on our meandering stroll — probably the main reason I agreed to walk under the broiling sun at mid-day ;-)

How many times have we seen these scenes in spaghetti westerns?

This mural is an advertisement for bike tours … but I like how colorful it is.

There was a shop banner hiding part of this mural painted by Matt Greco in 1993, …

… so I took photos of it in segments.
I wish people would respect street art and not cover them up unnecessarily.

This mural, painted in 1999 by Allen Burton, has some lovely details,

… but the brick background makes it difficult to see them.
I took segment shots because cars were parked in front of the mural.
That’s a pet peeve of my mine — but I have to get over it since so many
beautiful murals seem to be on the sides of buildings in parking lots.

By the time we returned to TAPAteria, the closed sign had been turned to open.  We were the first to arrive and had our pick of the tables in the courtyard.  Selections were plentiful, and the food was quite good — although I think the tapas restaurant we frequented in Washington, DC was perhaps a tad bit better.  That’s my opinion; Mui thought they were about the same.

Welcome to TAPAteria!

Our only real complaint was that two men opted to sit at the table right behind us.  That they chose to sit there when all the other tables were empty reminded me of RVers who pick the site next to us in a campground full of empty sites … sound familiar Pam?  Anyway, what bothered us was that one of the two guys didn’t know how to speak with his “small voice.”  So we ended up being treated to the story of how miserable his life had been in his younger years, and how he is pulling himself out of a “toxic relationship” and is on the way to a better life.  Good for him; but we really didn’t need to hear all the details.  We debated moving to a table inside, but we had our hearts set on al fresco dining, so we gritted our teeth, stayed where we were, and did our best to tune him out.

Blood orange sangria to wash down small plates of food: (clockwise from top left)
Carne Adobada [shredded pork on a small flour tortilla]; Serrano Ham and Manchego
Cheese for Pan con Ajo [garlic bread]; Garlic Grilled Shrimp; Merquez Lamb Sausage.
(Not pictured: jamon [ham]-wrapped dates.)

Dessert was a plate with a selection of dark chocolates — 65% and 80% dark — and Marcona almonds.  Good, but I don’t think it was quite as satisfying as another dessert might have been.  We were good, though, and didn’t order a second dessert to make up for it ;-)

The meal was the end of our sightseeing day — a quiet afternoon and evening at home followed, refreshing our batteries after having been drained by the hot sun.  I know our temps have been nowhere near as hot as what some of you are experiencing elsewhere around the US, but hot is hot … and I don’t like it ;-)

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