The Long Way
El Paso County
An outdoor gazebo with wooden beams and a tiered roof set against a blue sky.
Plate I. 7 Minute Spring gazebo, Manitou Mineral Springs. Photograph by Milan Suvajac, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Water streams from an ornate fountain with a weathered, patina-covered arch.
Plate II. Fountain spout, Manitou Mineral Springs. From visitcos.com

Manitou Mineral Springs

Manitou Springs, El Paso County, Colorado. Mineral springs.

Details

Map. Manitou Springs, El Paso County, Colorado. Larger map
Where
354 Manitou Ave, Manitou Springs, CO 80829. Directions
When
Take a self-guided tour anytime.
Getting there
Make sure to stop at the Manitou Springs Visitor Center to pick up your free Mineral Springs brochure/map, detailed content chart and sampling cup.
Fees
free Mineral Springs brochure/map, detailed content chart and sampling cup.
Access
Take a Mineral Spring Walking Tour.
Phone
(719) 635-7506, ext. 0
Website
manitousprings.org
Managed by
Mineral Springs Foundation.
Established
1871.

Each spring has its own distinctive flavor and effervescence. Centuries ago the great tribes of the plains and the Mountain Utes drank these same medicinal waters. Beginning in 1871, developers created the resort of Manitou Springs to provide the popular water therapies. Springs restored and kept running by the Mineral Springs Foundation.

Notable Events

  1. 1820Dr. Edwin James, the Long Expedition's botanist, was the first westerner to "discover" the health-giving mineral waters; Lieutenant Zebulon Pike had missed the springs at the base of his peak. manitousprings.org
  2. 1870sA gazebo made from native vegetation covered Navajo Spring; a stone springhouse and nearby bathhouse followed. mineralspringsfoundation.com
  3. 1881The springs attracted tuberculosis sufferers early, but the town did not thrive until a railroad spur was built from Colorado Springs in 1881; by the 1890s the resort town boasted seven grand hotels. manitousprings.org
  4. 1910Joseph G. Heistand drilled the well to a depth of 285 feet. mineralspringsfoundation.com
  5. 1920The Spa was designed in 1920 as a health facility with bath services; it houses the Manitou Spring, one of the earliest natural springs used for medicinal purposes. npgallery.nps.gov
  6. 1936At 283 feet, the new well struck sparkling soda water flowing at 25 gallons per minute. mineralspringsfoundation.com
  7. 1980sConcerned citizens formed the Mineral Springs Foundation after the springs had fallen into disrepair. cpr.org
  8. 1987Local residents formed the Mineral Springs Foundation to identify, restore, and reinvigorate Manitou's namesake water features. rmpbs.org
  9. 1989The City of Manitou Springs and Mineral Springs Foundation restored Wheeler Spring with a font designed by Randy Bowen. mineralspringsfoundation.com
  10. 1993After earlier restoration attempts failed, the site was developed into 7 Minute Spring Park. mineralspringsfoundation.com
  11. 1994The Mineral Springs Foundation and private owner Kerstin Ericsson restored Twin Spring; Ericsson also designed its font. mineralspringsfoundation.com
  12. The Cheyenne Spring was enclosed in a red sandstone, conical-roofed structure around the turn of the century; Manitou then had ten natural springs near the center of town and eventually more than fifty wells and springs. npgallery.nps.gov

People

  • Dr. Edwin James, botanist of the Long Expedition, first westerner to "discover" the health-giving mineral waters (1820).
  • Emma Crawford, came to Manitou in the late 1800s seeking the mineral springs "cure" from tuberculosis; her casket slid down Red Mountain and the town commemorates her with coffin races (late 1800s; died 1890).
  • George Frederick Ruxton, English military officer who wrote of the benefits of the springs in his 1846 book Life in the Far West (1846).
  • Dr. William Bell, founder of Manitou Springs (1870s).
  • Bill Burgess, co-designer of the two 7 Minute Spring fonts.
  • Don Green, co-designer of the two 7 Minute Spring fonts.
  • Maxine Green, ceramic-component designer for both 7 Minute Spring fonts.
  • Paul Rogers, designer and fabricator of Cheyenne Spring's cast-bronze font.
  • Joseph G. Heistand, developer and driller of Iron Springs Geyser (around 1900).
  • Carl Reed, designer of Shoshone Spring's stone font.
  • Winfield Scott Stratton, namesake whose Loop properties received the spring well (died in 1902).
  • Kerstin Ericsson, private owner, restorer, and font designer (1994).
  • William S. Crosby, driller of Twin Spring (1920s).
  • Jerome B. Wheeler, owner of Windermere grounds where Wheeler Spring was drilled.
  • Randy Bowen, designer of the Wheeler Spring restoration font (1989).
  • Dr. Edwin Solly, medical expert who publicized the springs.
  • J.C. Hiestand, curio shop owner who drilled the Iron Geyser (1910).
  • William J. Palmer, founder of Manitou Springs.
  • Doug Edmundson, president of the Mineral Springs Foundation.

Sources

  1. manitousprings.org/mineral-spring-water
  2. visitcos.com/areas/manitou-springs/manitou-mineral-springs
  3. commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Manitou-Springs_7-Minute-Spring_2012-10-21.JPG
  4. npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/e97f90de-7683-49f2-bc56-c23df3266085
  5. manitousprings.org/history
  6. cograilway.com/stay-play/historic-manitou-springs
  7. mineralspringsfoundation.com
  8. visitcos.com/areas/manitou-springs/manitou-mineral-springs
  9. rmpbs.org/news/science-environment/manitou-springs-minerals-colorado
  10. cpr.org/2025/07/18/manitou-springs-mineral-springs-water-fonts
  11. manitouspringsco.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1503/2d-EPC-HR-LW-MPK-PKVW-PDF
  12. mineralspringsfoundation.com/the-mineral-springs
  13. mineralspringsfoundation.com/geology
  14. usgs.gov/centers/colorado-water-science-center/science/hydrology-artesian-aquifer-near-manitou-springs
  15. mineralspringsfoundation.com/7-minute-spring
  16. mineralspringsfoundation.com/cheyenne-spring
  17. mineralspringsfoundation.com/iron-spring-geyser
  18. mineralspringsfoundation.com/navajo-spring
  19. mineralspringsfoundation.com/shoshone-spring
  20. mineralspringsfoundation.com/stratton-spring
  21. mineralspringsfoundation.com/twin-spring
  22. mineralspringsfoundation.com/wheeler-spring