Manitou Springs

Manitou Springs is a small city in El Paso County, Colorado, situated at the base of Pikes Peak along the western edge of the Colorado Springs metropolitan area. Known for its natural mineral springs, Victorian-era architecture, and eclectic cultural character, the city has passed through several distinct historical identities — from a gilded-age resort destination and tuberculosis treatment center to a countercultural haven and, eventually, a recognized destination for heritage tourism and outdoor recreation. Its proximity to Pikes Peak, among the most visited mountain summits in the United States, and the presence of historic hotels, natural springs, and unique local shops have made Manitou Springs one of the more distinctive communities along Colorado's Front Range.

History

Founding and Early Development

Manitou Springs was founded as a tourist destination and spa-style community, initially attracting wealthy visitors drawn to the area's natural mineral springs, which were believed to hold therapeutic properties. The town emerged during the gold-rush era, when the broader Colorado region experienced rapid population growth and the development of resort infrastructure catering to Eastern travelers and investors.

In addition to affluent visitors seeking leisure and the perceived health benefits of mineral water bathing, the community became a destination for individuals suffering from tuberculosis. The dry mountain air and mineral spring water of the region were regarded as restorative by medical standards of the time, and Manitou Springs developed a reputation as a place of healing that attracted patients from across the country. This dual identity — as both a pleasure resort for the well-to-do and a refuge for the ill — shaped the town's early physical landscape and social character in ways that remain visible in its historic buildings and public spaces.

The Cliff House at Pikes Peak, one of the community's most historically significant structures, has been offering guests access to the ancient mineral waters of Manitou Springs since the nineteenth century, reflecting the longstanding importance of the springs themselves to the town's identity and economy.

The Twentieth Century and Shifting Identities

The arrival of World War II brought significant change to Manitou Springs. As the City of Colorado Springs expanded and new military installations were established in the region, Manitou Springs transitioned in part into a bedroom community serving the growing population of its larger neighbor. This shift reflected broader patterns of suburban growth that accompanied wartime and postwar development across the American West.

By the latter half of the twentieth century, Manitou Springs had acquired yet another identity. The town became associated with countercultural movements of the 1960s, earning a reputation as a hippie enclave distinct from the more conventional character of Colorado Springs. Visitors during this period immersed themselves in the culture of the era while also engaging with the town's older, more traditional entertainments — a combination that gave Manitou Springs an unusual character blending the bohemian with the historical.

This layered history — gold-rush resort, tuberculosis treatment center, hippie haven — has contributed to what observers have described as a genuinely quirky local identity, one that distinguishes Manitou Springs from other small Front Range communities and continues to inform its cultural life and tourism appeal.

Geography and Setting

Manitou Springs occupies a narrow valley at the base of Pikes Peak, Colorado's most prominent fourteener by some measures of cultural recognition, lying just west of Colorado Springs along Highway 24. The setting is characterized by dramatic mountain terrain, with the rocky slopes of Pikes Peak rising above the town and the Fountain Creek drainage defining much of the valley floor. The compact geography of the city means that natural features and the built environment are in close proximity, a quality that contributes to the town's distinct visual character.

The area around Manitou Springs supports a range of flora suited to the mountain foothills environment. Along the route of the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, which departs from a depot in Manitou Springs, lilacs have been observed blooming against thickets of wild vegetation, reflecting the convergence of cultivated and natural landscapes typical of the community's character.

The proximity to Pikes Peak shapes daily life and the local economy in significant ways. The Pikes Peak Cog Railway, among the most recognizable attractions in the region, has its depot in Manitou Springs, making the city a natural staging point for visitors intending to ascend the peak. Summer temperatures at the depot can reach into the low eighties Fahrenheit even as conditions at the summit remain considerably colder, a contrast that underscores the range of environments accessible from the town within a relatively short distance.

Mineral Springs

The natural mineral springs that give Manitou Springs its name are among the community's most defining features and remain a draw for visitors. These springs, which emerge from the ground in and around the town center, were central to the city's founding and have played a role in its identity across every period of its history.

The springs were considered to have medicinal value by early settlers and the broader American public of the nineteenth century, a belief that helped position Manitou Springs as a destination not only for leisure but also for those seeking treatment for various ailments, including tuberculosis. The Cliff House at Pikes Peak, which has stood since the nineteenth century, was built in part to provide guests with ready access to these mineral waters, and the hotel's history is inseparable from the broader story of the springs themselves.

Today the springs continue to function as both a civic landmark and a point of visitor interest. Several spring houses and public access points are located within the walkable town center, allowing visitors to sample the mineral water directly.

Tourism and Culture

Contemporary Character

Manitou Springs is recognized as a destination offering what has been described as a whimsical mountain getaway, with natural springs, unique shops, and a range of attractions that blend the historic and the offbeat. The town's compact, walkable commercial district features a concentration of independent retail, dining, and entertainment establishments that reflect the community's history as both a resort town and a countercultural hub.

The city's reputation for unconventional character extends to its attractions, which include at least one well-known haunted house in addition to the more historically rooted offerings associated with the springs and Victorian architecture.

Travelers visiting the broader Colorado Springs area frequently include Manitou Springs as a stop, taking advantage of the town's position at the foot of Pikes Peak and its offering of breakfast and dining options before ascending the mountain. Some travel guides specifically recommend approaching the town by routes other than the main Highway 24 corridor in order to experience more of the surrounding mountain landscape on the way in.

The Pikes Peak Cog Railway

The Pikes Peak Cog Railway is among the most prominent attractions with direct ties to Manitou Springs. The railway's depot serves as the embarkation point for among the most storied mountain railway journeys in the American West, carrying passengers from the town's elevation up to the summit of Pikes Peak at over fourteen thousand feet. The route passes through environments that shift dramatically with altitude, and the journey has been drawing visitors to Manitou Springs since the nineteenth century, reinforcing the town's longstanding role as a gateway to the peak.

Historic Hotels and Lodging

The Cliff House at Pikes Peak stands as the most historically significant lodging establishment in Manitou Springs and one of the notable historic hotels in Colorado more broadly. Its history stretches back to the nineteenth century and it remains in operation as a hotel, offering guests access to the mineral springs environment that attracted visitors to the town in the first place. The property's longevity reflects the durability of Manitou Springs as a tourism destination across multiple eras and the continuing appeal of its natural and historical resources.

Relationship to Colorado Springs

Though Manitou Springs functions as an independent city, its relationship to Colorado Springs has been formative. The expansion of Colorado Springs during and after World War II drew Manitou Springs into a supporting role as a residential community for those employed in Colorado Springs' growing military and civilian economy. This relationship continues in the contemporary era, with Manitou Springs frequently appearing in travel coverage of the Colorado Springs area as a complementary destination offering a different atmosphere from its larger neighbor — smaller in scale, older in feel, and more oriented toward independent commerce and historical character.

The contrast between the two communities is a recurring theme in travel writing about the region. Manitou Springs is routinely characterized as quirky, eccentric, and distinctive in ways that set it apart from the broader metropolitan context of Colorado Springs, while still benefiting from the visitor traffic and economic activity that Colorado Springs' status as the state's second-largest city generates.