The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-10-06
Bn|F|CENT PARK
DEDICATED At
BD[ORADO SPRINGS
rxlen of the Gods Passes
From Private to NUM-
cipal Ownership
NIPPLE CEREMONIES
1 HELD Ar ENTRANCE
|amous Valley in Rocky
Mountains Is Gift OF For
mer Western Rail-
road Builder

mer Western Rail- /
road Builder
SPRINGS COLoRA- /
~ October With simple ceTt-
unies. the Garden of the Gods was
fxnAiiy dedicated today to the citS /
ETolorsdo Springs IL the presence
tha widow ana members or me Z
kniiy of the late Charles f Perkins.
whom this park MAS given to the
~. the simple ceremonies were nero
the entrance 30 the park
IA large bronze tablet, in memory
vi in honor Of MT Perkins had been
1ced on the north gateway rock. ana
twas today unveiled. Former Mayor
<enry C. Hall. Of Colorado springs,
10 had been named as one OF the
usteer to whom the Garden OF me
btss had been transferred pending it's
ceptanee by the city, maae an ao
ess on behalf of the Perkins fam
AZ did also Mr.. Robert Perkins.
birmingham, Mass son of the
~ railroad builder. Judge Horace
I.ant, chairman u the Colorado
1rings park commission, RESPONDED
behalf of the city. formally ac-
Srting the Garden az the Gods and
pressing the appreciation OF the
eple of the city for the gift.
The city OF Colorado Springs has
III IN possession Of the Garden Of
. Gods. through the gift Of the Per
ns heirs. since Christmas day. 1903,
RI me formal dedication ~ as moi
IN untn today Today's exercises
the Garden OF the Gods were pre-
1ed yesterday by a reception to
IT, Perkins at the Antiers motel,
ven By the city planning commit
Park Maintained Free.
I'm 1879, MIR Perkins secured title
the $50 acres of land few miles
xthwess of Colorado springs. known
the Garden Of the Gods, Through
= his life time, lie maintained this
heat natural park free of access to
y entire world. and although he
- sevanei times approached by. pro
Koters offering large sums of money
= the land. he refused 10 part with
When he died, IN 1907, the Gar
IN OF the Gods passed, with the re-
Wander OF the estate, to his children,
IA the only t-Idlcation as TO its dis
6psal was this note found, in his own
on the back OF an old
ayeIope:
tit is my wish that my children
E4rA the Garden af the Gods tn the
I'm of Colorado Springs for park pur-
I0ees.''
II 70 carry out these wishes. the six
&lidren shortly afterwards began the
1cesssry legal proceedings, and on
zhristmas day. 1909, the world famed
|nanic wonder formally passed into
III possession Of the city OF Colorado
brings. The children of MIR. Perkins,
rho with their mother. Mrs. Edith +.
Eerkins. of Burlington, Iowa. made
he gift are. Robert +. Perkins. Farm
ngham. Mass. Alice Perkins Hooper.
1pston. Mass; Edith Perkins Cum
Bingham and Margaret Perkins Rice,
10Th Of Westwood. Mass: and Mary
1nsReli Perkins and Cahries T.. Per
tfns, both OF Burlington, Iowa.
BY the conditions under which the
4tr OF Colorado Springs accepted the
Iift, the tract shall continuously and
brewer be designated as The Gar
len OF the Gods" and shall be main
aimed and used as a public park,
rec TO all: no Intoxicating liquors
hall ever be manufactured, sold or
ltherwise dispensed upon the prem
aes: and no buildings other than
hose necessary for the care of the
property shall ha erected, The tract
comprises $50 acres and according to
ne valuation OF the Colorado Springs
ark commission, il worth S200.0 600.
The marvellous and fantastic rock
formations Of the Garden Of the Gods
save long been objects OF admiration
md study by travellers. tourists and
biologists the world over, Once the
Horshipping place of the Indian. who
gAw In the upiifted rocks the forms
ind temples Of his dicty. the Garden
81 the Gods is today a point OF pill
Erimage for the white man OF all
sr&eds and nationaiiiies. Here,
nmbled riotously into the large nat
iral garden at the foot Of Pixies Peak
Ire rock> Of grotesque and wonder
FHl shape. taking the form Of almost
very conceivable animate and mani
nate object Chief of ali the groups
d the Gateway" II is formed by
.wo immense slabs OF red sandstone,
which tower to q height 81 more than
100 feet. twice that OF Niagara Falls
Lmd lock down on the Lehoider with
Of -cnnntless ages of geo
cgical transformatin. Between them
stands a smaller. . sentinel. as II
\ VII W Eh3t1 t&fF IesENdEt way. re
FOND appears the majestic. snow-clad
snmmit OF Pixies Peak Passing
through the gigantic rock portals. one
snters a region where titanic forces
1ave been at play while the earth
was in it's making. Strange weird
sKures are intermingled with mag
nfficenr and stately monuments TO the
1ges. Here are the slender "Cathe-
irai Spires. the ruins ~ great tenn
pie; sander IL the Tower Of Babel:
near by The Three Graces"; and in
ptheT places 1.-THE Shipwreck." the
''Himaese Twins" many representa-
Ifons OF man and beast and hundreds
ps rocks for which the Imagination
r@adily finds Ii name, Adjoining the
Garden Of the Gods, hut not Il part
10 the tract given by the Perkins
family. is Mushroom park. containing
many interesting formations chief Of
which is the balanced Rock weigh
Ing SO tons and supported on bas,.
Four By Eve feet III size
1 COLORADO Springs possesses what j.
probably the most unique park Svs-
TEN in the world. the GaE7len OF
The GODS being one ~ it, chief fea-
tures The syston covers a total
area Of 5000 acres, which Is consid-
eFabiy In eAcess III that owned by
many cities With ten or twenty times
khe 80. 900 population of Colorado
EpriHgs This system Includes.
Nnrtn 4. shegsHne canon. With liz high
4rlFe through Bear Creek canon; sew
Arag mountain trails; Palmer park
Northeast Of the ltty, Monument Val
lky park IN the heart OF the city:
HE rasee and Palmer bouieyaras.
Nfikh several smaller spaces and miles
M reads and trails leading to places
- 0zsnaS