Pring
As we leave Husted behind, we’ve 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), we’re 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 Pring’s 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.
The Dirty Woman
As we proceed north away from Pring, the next 3 miles will take us to Monument. Just before reaching Monument, we’ll 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?
Monument
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 we’ve journeyed through so far have disappeared, these two communities have thrived economically, as has the preservation of their rich history. Lucille Lavelett’s book, “Through the Year’s At Monument, Colorado”, published in 1975, does a tremendous job of capturing the history and personalities of early Monument. In June 2004, Roger Davis updated Lucille’s book and a second edition is out with many additional pictures and stories of Monument featured. Furthermore, Lucille’s book, “Monument’s Faded Neighbor Communities and its Folklore”, provides in depth information on many of the now gone communities located near Monument. In the 1860’s the area was first called Henry’s Station. It was named for Henry Limbach. After the D&RG railroad was built in 1871, Henry’s 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 Year’s 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.
Pass the Potatoes
In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, the Monument area was famous for its potato harvests. Potato growing was Monument’s 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.
Northwest to Palmer Lake
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 Long’s expedition came through the Palmer Lake area. The expedition’s artist, Samuel Seymour, made sketches of the rock formation and named it Castle Rock. Later it would be called the Arched Rock, then Phoebe’s Arch in 1887. In 1894, the name Elephant Rock was given, and that name is still used today.
Palmer Lake
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 station’s 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 region’s famed General William Jackson Palmer. One of the town’s 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 communities’ 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 80’s” 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.
Where Have They Gone?
From Edgerton to Palmer Lake, we’ve 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 today’s 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 1920’s 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.
So Now You Know….
This short essay serves as an introduction to some of the history and lifestyles of the communities that came forth in the late 1800’s along today’s 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 America’s Air Force Academy, stop by Thunderbird overlook, gaze westward, and imagine Edgerton as it thrived in the late 1800’s. The New Santa Fe Regional Trail is a wonderful recreational asset to us, and you now know it as a historical treasure, too. (November 2004)
(William Estelle, 2025)
Edgerton House
