Timeline of Colorado Springs, Colorado

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

19th century

• 1871 - Colorado Springs Company founded by William Jackson Palmer.^[1]
• 1872
  • Town incorporated.
  • Out West newspaper begins publication.^[2]
• 1873 - Town becomes seat of El Paso County.^[3]
• 1874
  • Colorado College^[4] and Colorado School for Deaf Mutes^[5] established.
  • Grasshopper plague.^[6]
  • Jackson house (residence) built.^[5]
  • Evergreen Cemetery in use.^[6]
• 1875 - El Paso County Library (social library) active.^[7]
• 1876 - Town becomes part of the new State of Colorado.
• 1880 - Four chalybeate mineral springs (iron salts and other minerals) were discovered along Monument Creek in October 1880 by Dr. Charles Gatchell.^[8]
• 1882 - Antlers Hotel in business.^[5]
• 1885 - Colorado Midland Railway in operation.^[9]
• 1890
  • Alamo Hotel built.
  • Free Library and Reading Room Association established.^[10]
• 1891
  • Gold found in nearby Cripple Creek.^[9]
  • Pikes Peak cog railway^[9] and St. Mary's Church built.
• 1892 - Pike National Forest established near Colorado Springs.
• 1893 - High School Building opens.^[11]
• 1899
  • Van Briggle Art Pottery founded.^[5]
  • Tesla Experimental laboratory built on knob hill

20th century

• 1901 - Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek District Railway begins operating.^[12]
• 1903 - El Paso County Courthouse building constructed.
• 1904 - Colorado Springs City Hall built.
• 1905
  • Colorado Springs Public Library-Carnegie Building opens.^[10]
  • Henry Clay Hall becomes mayor.
• 1906 - Sons of the American Revolution chapter organized.^[13]
• 1907 - Monument Valley Park developed.
• 1909 - Garden of the Gods park established.^[3]
• 1910
  • St. Stephen's School^[14] and Colorado Springs Light, Heat and Power Company^[15] established.
  • Population: 29,078.^[16]
• 1913 - Harry H. Seldomridge becomes U.S. representative for Colorado's 2nd congressional district.^[17]
• 1917 - Colorado City becomes part of Colorado Springs.^[9]
• 1918 - Broadmoor Hotel in business.^[5]
• 1919 - Broadmoor Art Academy founded.^[5]
• 1920 - Blair's Business College established.^[14]
• 1923 - Colorado Springs Municipal Auditorium and Cottonwood Creek Bridge built.
• 1925 - Alexander Airport built.
• 1926
  • National Methodist Sanitorium opens.
  • New pavilion at Tahama Spring is constructed.
• 1928 - Alexander Film Company relocates to Colorado Springs.
• 1935 - Peak Theatre opens.^[18]
• 1936 - Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center built.^[5]
• 1937
  • Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo begins.
  • Colorado Springs Museum established.^[19]
• 1938 - Broadmoor Ice Palace (skating rink) opens.
• 1940 - Population: 33,237.^[9]
• 1941 - U.S. military Camp Carson established.^[3]
• 1946 - Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph newspaper in publication.^[2]
• 1948 - Peterson Field established.^[3]
• 1949 - Pikes Peak Range Riders active.^[20]
• 1953 - Pikes Peak Ghost Town in business.^[19]
• 1956 - Santa's Workshop opens near city.
• 1957 - North American Aerospace Defense Command established.^[3]
• 1958 - United States Air Force Academy established near city.^[21]
• 1962 - United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel built.
• 1964 - Cheyenne Mountain nuclear bunker built near city.
• 1965 - Colorado Technical College and University of Colorado, Colorado Springs^[3] established.
• 1967 - Pikes Peak Community College established.^[3]
• 1970
  • Colorado Springs Sun newspaper begins publication.^[2]
  • Population: 135,060.^[3]
• 1974 - Care and Share food bank incorporated.^[22]
• 1975
  • Peterson U.S. Air Force Base active.
  • Larry Ochs becomes mayor.
• 1978
  • United States Olympic Training Center opens.^[9]
  • National Sports Festival held.
• 1979
  • Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association headquartered in city.
  • Bob Isaac becomes mayor.
  • Professional Rodeo Hall of Champs^[3] and Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum open.
• 1980 - Pikes Peak Genealogical Society founded.
• 1982
  • Colorado Springs' annexation of Broadmoor, Cheyenne Canon, Ivywild, Skyway, and Stratton Meadows neighborhoods is upheld by the Colorado Supreme Court after a district court had voided the annexation.^{[citation needed]}
  • Pikes Peak Center built.
• 1983 - Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs established.
• 1985 - Falcon U.S. Air Force Station in operation.
• 1988 - Rocky Mountain Women's Film Festival begins.
• 1990
  • Norwest Bank Tower built.
  • Population: 281,140;^[23] metro 397,014.
• 1992 - Earth Spirit Pagans^[24] and Citizens Project^[24] established.
• 1993 - Focus on the Family relocates headquarters from Pomona, California.
• 1994 - ADX Florence federal supermax prison begins operating in vicinity of Colorado Springs.
• 1997 - Mary Lou Makepeace becomes mayor.
• 1998 - World Arena, Colorado Springs opens.
• 2000
  • Pikes Peak Greenway opens.
  • Population: 360,890.^[25]
  • Prominent gays in the military story published about closeted soldiers here. Part 2.

21st century

• 2003
  • Colorado Springs Philharmonic Orchestra^[26] and Red Rock Canyon Open Space established.
  • Lionel Rivera becomes mayor.
• 2006
  • First marijuana dispensary in state, Cannabis Therapeutics opens to the public^[27][28][29]
• 2007
  • January: Doug Lamborn becomes U.S. representative for Colorado's 5th congressional district.^[30]
  • December 9: The Colorado YWAM and New Life shootings occur.
• 2008 - Hollywood Theaters (cinema) in business.^[18]
• 2010 - Population: 416,427.^[31]
  • July 1, 2010 - 230 medical marijuana related-businesses with active sales tax licenses meet registration deadline and are allowed to continue operating.^[27]
• 2011 - Steve Bach becomes mayor.^[32]
• 2012 - June 23: The Waldo Canyon fire begins.^[33]
• 2013
  • June 11: Black Forest Fire begins near city.
  • November 5: While approved by 49.3% of county residents in the 2012 election,^[34] city officials continue to refuse to allow any recreational marijuana dispensaries to open.^[35][36]
• 2015
  • The October 2015 Colorado Springs shooting occurs.
  • The Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood shooting occurs.
• 2021 - The 2021 Colorado Springs shooting occurs.
• 2022 - The Colorado Springs nightclub shooting occurs.

See also

• List of mayors of Colorado Springs, Colorado
• Timeline of Colorado history
• Timelines of other cities in Colorado: Aurora, Boulder, Denver