Get to Know This Place
Welcome to Colorado Springs!
The CCE encourages all members of our campus community, and community partners, to take the time to educate themselves about this community. Doing so allows everyone to take an informed, place-based and context-sensitive approach to community work. Below are some resources to get you started.
Local News Outlets
The Pikes Peak Region is served by many news organizations. The two largest and well-known print outlets are the Colorado Springs Gazette and the Colorado Springs Independent. However, there are a number of smaller local organizations that may be able to help you develop a more nuanced opinion about the issues of importance to those who call this area home.
ColoradoBizNet (formerly SouthSideBusiness)
Podcasts
Having trouble accessing a story from a site that requires paid subscriptions?
Go to the Tutt Library homepage and scroll down to the section with the 3 boxes, click on "A-Z Database Title List" and go to Access World News: Research Collection.
After logging in (requires CC credentials - contact the Tutt Library circulation desk if you have issues), if you just want to view all stories on a particular topic/headline, you can search from the homepage. You can also narrow down your results by region, if desired.
If you click on the "A-Z Source List" at the top, you can also browse by publication. When viewing search results for a particular publication, you can create an alert topic comes up - you will be able to enter your email address and will be notified when something comes up.
Colorado Springs History 101
This region has been hailed for its natural beauty for centuries. This place has been a home to the Ute, Cheyenne and Arapaho peoples. The Ute people called “Pikes Peak” Tava – or “Sun Mountain” – for the way it collects and reflects the morning’s rays according to their oral tradition. During the 1700s both French and Spanish flags flew over the region. But with the Louisiana Purchase, more Anglo-American explorers and settlers began to venture west. Pikes Peak was named after young Army lieutenant named Zebulon Montgomery Pike.
The history of the city of Colorado Springs begins with Old Colorado City, the first Angelo-American settlement of the region in 1859. General William Jackson Palmer envisioned a resort town at the base of the majestic mountains and after founding several local businesses like the Antler Hotel and the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, his vision came into fruition.
In the 1890’s gold was found on the western slope of Pikes Peak and the Cripple Creek Mining District boomed with people. It soon became known as the “city of millionaires”.
“The Pikes Peak region is a cultural and geographic confluence. It’s where the mountains meet the plains, where the Southwest joins the heartland, where ancient cultures converge with 21st century society, and where the past informs the future. For some, it’s stirring enough to inspire poetry” - Matt Mayberry / Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, 2008
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