Old Colorado City
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| Old Colorado City | |
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  Old Colorado City
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Colorado |
| County | El Paso |
| City | Colorado Springs |
| Incorporated (town) | August 11, 1859[1] |
| Time zone | MST (UTC-7) |
| - Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
| Historical populations | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1870 | 81 |
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| 1880 | 347 | 328.4% | |
| 1890 | 1,788 | 415.3% | |
| 1900 | 2,914 | 63.0% | |
| 1910 | 4,333 | 48.7% | |
Old Colorado City, formerly Colorado City, is a national historic district in the city of Colorado Springs. Its approximate boundaries are U.S. Highway 24 to the south, the city of Manitou Springs to the west, 21st Street to the east and Uintah Street to the north.[citation needed]
In its earliest days of 1859-1860, Colorado City was a major hub for sending mining supplies to South Park, where a major strike in the Pike's Peak Gold Rush was found. Routes further north from the present-day Denver area proved more effective, and as only a few very minor gold finds were made in the Pikes Peak region, commerce instead shifted towards serving the agriculture of Colorado's eastern plains. (Eventually General Palmer's Denver & Rio Grande Railroad would snake from Denver into the South Park.)
Colorado City was the county seat of El Paso County until 1873, when the courthouse moved to Colorado Springs.
Colorado City also briefly (and unofficially) served as Colorado's territorial capital starting on July 7, 1862. By this time the town's fortunes were already waning. The territorial legislature met in a log cabin that still stands on Colorado Avenue, and on August 14, 1862 the legislature approved an act which named Golden as the territorial capital. Colorado City was never recognized by the Federal government as the territorial capital.
In 1891, major gold strikes were made in Cripple Creek and Victor, on the other side of Pikes Peak from Colorado City, and suddenly supplies were needed for this last major phase of the Colorado Gold Rush and the town's big boom was on. Eventually Colorado City was processing much of the gold ore at the Golden Cycle Mill using Palmer's railroads. Colorado City was the location of a 1903 strike that spread to Cripple Creek and eventually led to the Colorado Labor Wars.
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