Garden of the Gods - A Spiritual Connection

Garden of the Gods, Colorado

"Once upon a time there was a great flood which covered all but the top of Manitou's Mountain. When the water subsided, the Great Spirit turned the floating carcasses of the drowned animals into sandstone, and rolled them down into a garden valley below where they remained as mute evidences of the Great Flood." ~ Indian Legend

Down in Colorado Springs, beneath Pikes Peak, the site of that supernatural catastrophe can still be seen. In this special valley you'll discover 300 million-year-old rock formations with names like Balanced Rock, Cathedral Spires and the Kissing Camels. It's known as the Garden of the Gods but to the Southern Ute Indian tribe it's the Garden of Eden. They believe the creation of their people occurred at this sacred place.

Great White Mountain (Pikes Peak) was the center of the Ute's world. They believed that on the summit of the thunderous peak stood the Western Gates of Heaven and there dwelt the supreme Manitou. The holy garden below inspired reverence and the Ute's formed a spiritual connection with the reddish, sandstone formations.

In late fall, family units came down out of the mountains, gathered at the Garden of the Gods and camped there during the winter. It was a joyful occasion. Large herds of elk on the nearby mesa were hunted for food. There were lots of festivities, storytelling and marriage arrangements. Come spring, the separate families dispersed until reuniting again the next winter. It was an annual migration pattern that had been followed for centuries.

Then, in the 1870s European settlers flooded into the Front Range by foot, horseback, covered wagon and railroad. The Ute Indians considered the whole of Colorado their home so they resented the white man for pilfering their hunting grounds. Colorado earned its statehood in 1876 and newspapers of the day demanded the removal of Utes off of land that could be mined, farmed or ranched.

The situation escalated into the Meeker Massacre of 1879 at the White River Indian Reserve. Shortly thereafter, all Ute people were forcibly placed on reservations in Utah and Southern Colorado. That same year railroad magnate, Charles Elliott Perkins, purchased the Garden of the Gods with the intent to build a summer home on the property. After seeing the magical place, he was inspired to leave the land in its natural state and preserve it for future generations.

Upon Perkins death, his children deeded the property to the City of Colorado Springs in 1909 with the provisions that "it shall remain free to the public, where no intoxicating liquors shall be manufactured, sold or dispensed, where no building or structure shall be erected except those necessary to properly care for, protect, and maintain the area as a public park."

Garden of the Gods is in Colorado Springs

Reddish sandstone formations

The Kissing Camels

The park was dedicated in 1909

300 million-year-old rock formations

The garden is a magical place

Southern Ute Indians wintered here for centuries

The landscape is otherworldly

A spiritual connection with the rocks

The garden inspires reverence

The park shall remain free to the public

Pikes Peak was the center of their world

Manitou's Mountain

Comments

  1. ClaudineOctober 12, 2013 at 9:51 AM

    Gorgeous !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dan MillerOctober 15, 2013 at 5:30 PM

      Thank you Claudine, it's a very beautiful, unique landscape. I think you would like it. If you ever come visit Colorado we'll go down and have a look.

      Delete
  2. sandyOctober 13, 2013 at 1:29 PM

    WOW, your pictures are breath taking and so is that country. It's been years, but we enjoyed camping out there; nothing like it. I had forgotten the legend and was happy to read about it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dan MillerOctober 15, 2013 at 5:32 PM

      Thanks Sandy, it really is pretty country. I'm so glad it brought back some good memories for you. You'll have to come back and visit sometime.

      Delete
  3. judi October 15, 2013 at 6:31 AM

    I can see why they call it Garden of the Gods - Absolutely stunning - your photos are amazing as always!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dan MillerOctober 15, 2013 at 5:33 PM

      Thanks Judi, it's another amazing place out here in Colorado. You'll have to put it on your bucket list.

      Delete
  4. Xea BaudoinJuly 4, 2019 at 6:19 AM

    Absolument magnifique!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dan MillerJuly 29, 2019 at 9:02 PM

      Thanks so much Xea! I always enjoy seeing your work on Instagram and Facebook!

      Delete
  5. denver-tourMay 11, 2021 at 2:18 AM

    I like this article. I was searching on the search engine and found your blog about nature. I get more knowledge and I read a lot of interesting content here. keep doing it. what to do in denver

    ReplyDelete
  6. tripmegamartMay 12, 2021 at 10:09 PM

    Extremely useful information which you have shared here about nature beauty. This is a great way to enhance knowledge for us, and also beneficial for us. Thank you for sharing an article like this. B2B White Label Travel Portal design company online

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  7. Shannon DukeDecember 21, 2021 at 11:35 PM

    They're an accessible group with a highly flexible working style. go outside

    ReplyDelete

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