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The End of an Era in Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs History — Palmer’s Legacy
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By 1901, with the population of Colorado Springs about 25,000, General Palmer was ready to take it easy as he entered his later years in life.
Antlers Hotel in Colorado Springs – burned to the ground
In 1898, a huge fire threatened all of Colorado Springs. Firemen from as far away as Pueblo and Denver came to aid the city. When it was finally put out, the Antlers Hotel stood no more. It had burned to the ground. General Palmer in London at the time, said a new and better hotel would immediately be built. In 1901, the new Antlers opened with 200 rooms and it was made as fire-proof as possible. At the same time, Palmer received $6,000,000 for his Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. He was only expecting $5,000,000 and had the extra million split among the Rio Grande Western employees. At about this time, he decided to start giving away his money. He started building a system of parks including the Austin Bluffs (now Palmer Park) and Monument Valley Park. He also built 85 miles of roads, boulevards and trails for the benefit of the citizens of Colorado Springs. General Palmer actually paid for the up-keep of the parks and trails at his own expense and even after he died, left money for their up-keep for many years.
In 1903, he started a huge building project on his original wooden Glen Eyrie home into the castle we see today. When done, it had 67 rooms, formal gardens, its own power house to produce heat and electricity, fire hydrants and its own bowling alley. Life was grand for Palmer and he wanted some fun in his life. After all, he had an income of $30,000/month to spend.
In 1906, tragedy struck while riding his horse. He fell off after his horse lost its footing and he fell on his head essentially paralyzing him. After a few months of waiting to die, Palmer decided that he was still fit to live. He ordered a wheelchair and even purchased an electric automobile (he hated cars and hated the smell of gasoline even more) to get around in. He hired a driver for it and could be seen riding all around town. He even had a road built to Grand View Point in Palmer Park as he wanted to go there for the view. The roads there today still follow the original grade of Palmer’s road.
In 1907, he had a raucous reunion with his regiment from the Civil War. It wound up costing him $75,000. Inside the Antlers, some of these veterans hung an original Jefferson Davis reward sign. In a letter to The Gazette, a woman objected to it. Turned out the letter was written by Margaret Hayes, the only living child of Jefferson Davis and now a prominent socialite. Palmer did apologize for it being put up, but did qualify it by saying these veterans did everything they could to capture one of the distinguished leaders of the Southern Cause.
Glen Eyrie
His daughter Elsie married at Glen Eyrie in January 1908. His daughter Marjorie was to marry in September of that year in England, so the whole family left for England in May 1908. Marjorie confessed to her father that she was in love with Dr. Watt who had been attending to Palmer’s physical needs since the accident. The wedding was off but they all had a grand time travelling Europe instead but on the way home, Palmer hit his head on a brass rail aboard ship and thereafter declined in health. He died March 13, 1909 and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery on the 17th after a brief funeral without music or flowers. A large boulder from Ute Pass was his simple marker that he had picked out years before. His wife joined him in November 1910 with no fanfare and she too, lies under a Ute Pass boulder albeit a smaller one.
Colorado Springs Parks — Palmer’s Legacy
Today, we can still see evidence of Palmer’s foresight with all the parks we enjoy within our fine city. In 1929, the citizens of Colorado Springs honored Palmer when a bronze statue was placed at the intersection of Platte and Nevada. Anyone, who’s attended Palmer High School or who’s tried to turn left there knows about that horse. But, Palmer’s statue overlooks Acacia Park and the mountains he so loved and there it will remain. Our founder still watching over his beloved city.
For more information about General Palmer, visit The Pioneer Museum or check out The Tutt Library of Colorado College.
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