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CHAPTER 1-B |
SECTION
4.0 HISTORIC RESOURCES |
- BACKGROUND
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- The County’s
historic sites and structures are abundant and
diverse. While the County may not be as active in preserving
or restoring its historic sites as other Colorado communities,
one notable exception was the community-wide initiative in 1970
to preserve the old County Court House, now the City of Colorado
Springs Pioneers Museum. The Museum’s preservation effort
involved a cooperative arrangement between the County and the
City. Most preservation initiatives are generally privately funded,
adaptive reuses or historic restorations
occurring most frequently in municipalities.
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- Many early settlements
were located along migration and hunting trails that were used
for many centuries by Native American tribes including the Comanche,
Ute, Apache and Pueblo. Settlements such as Colorado City and
Colorado Springs were able to succeed due in part to traffic
generated from several intersecting regional trails. Although
the era of the Old West has ended, preservation of pioneer tales
and remnants of historic sites ensure that the County’s
colorful past will endure as part of the nation’s history.
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- Historic
Sites
and Structures of El Paso
County completed
in 1976, provides an inventory of many County historic
sites and structures.
The inventory was conducted in four of the County’s principal
geographical regions: The High Plains, the Divide, Ute Pass and
Cheyenne Canyon. These data have been transferred onto the County’s
GIS System.
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- Issue 4.1 Preserve
the County’s historic
sites, structures and
artifacts.
- Although historic
preservation is included to some degree in each of the County’s
Small Area Plans, there is no central organization to monitor
historic sites and buildings. Organizations that support historic
research and preservation include the Colorado Historical Society,
Friends of the Library and the Daughters of the American Revolution,
but it is largely up to individuals or special interest groups
to protect historic sites
and structures. There are
many sites that are part of the County’s past that could
be considered for preservation. One example is Corral Bluffs
which was once used by Native Americans for hunting buffalo and
then later by cowboys to corral their herds at the end of long
cattle drives.
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- Penrose Community
Library has an extensive local history section. Much has been
written about settlement and pre-settlement history but more
research is needed to document and preserve the past.
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- Although public
funding for historic preservation activities has traditionally
been limited, The State’s Limited Impact Gaming Revenues
now represent a significant source of funding for qualifying
projects.
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- A considerable
amount of the region’s history lies buried and archaeologists
continue to unearth artifacts
of earlier cultures. At the present there is no central data
base or systematic way to document artifacts so it is possible
that key artifacts will be lost or go unrecorded.
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- Goal 4.1 Encourage preservation and enhancement
of historical resources.
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- Policy 4.1.1
- Support a systematic
inventory to identify and categorize historic
sites, structures and
artifacts.
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- Policy 4.1.2
- Encourage individual
research, documentation and preservation of the County’s
legacy.
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- Policy 4.1.3
- Encourage proposed
developments to consider scale and use of innovative siting and
design techniques to preserve significant historical and visual
resources.
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- Policy 4.1.4
- Consider preservation
of significant historic
and visual resources when siting roadcuts, utility lines, outside
storage and water tanks.
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- Policy 4.1.5
- Support local incentives
for historic preservation
and adaptive reuse.
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- Policy 4.1.6
- Encourage reporting
of all artifacts unearthed
during construction of roadcuts, utility lines, outside storage,
water tanks and buildings.
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- Policy 4.1.6
- Comply with applicable
requirements of the federal Archaeological Resources Protection
Act of 1979 (as amended) (16 U.S.C.470, et. seq.), National Historic
Preservation Act, Historic
Sites Act (16 U.S.C. 461, et. seq.), and State Statutes governing
historical, prehistorical, and archaeological resources (C.R.S.
24-80-401, et. seq.) and registration of historic places 9C.R.S.
24-80-101, et. seq.).
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