Manitou Springs Sign Framing Pikes Peak, Colorado

"Manitou Springs Sign Framing Pikes Peak, Colorado" by Catherine Sherman. A green sign reading "Historic Manitou Springs" is mounted on an ornate metal archway. In the background, majestic Pikes Peak towers over lush green trees under a clear blue sky. Manitou Springs is located at the foot of Pikes Peak in western El Paso County, Colorado. The town was founded for its natural mineral springs. The main road through the center of town was one of the direct paths to the base of Pikes Peak. Barr Trail, which winds its way up Pikes Peak, is accessible from town. Pikes Peak is the highest summit of the southern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in North America. The ultra-prominent 14,115-foot (4,302.31 m) fourteener is located in Pike National Forest, 12 miles (19 km) west of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado. The town of Manitou Springs lies at its base. There are several ways to ascend the mountain. The Manitou and Pike's Peak Railway, the world's highest cog railroad, operated from Manitou Springs to the summit. Road vehicles can be driven to the summit via the Pikes Peak Highway, a 19 mi (31 km) road that starts a few miles up Ute Pass at Cascade. There are also hiking trails. My husband and I drove to the top, with my husband at the wheel. The mountain is named in honor of American explorer Zebulon Pike (though he was unable to reach the summit). The summit is higher than any point in the United States east of its longitude. Pikes Peak is one of Colorado's 54 fourteeners, mountains more than 14,000 feet (4,267.2 m) above sea level. The massif rises over 8,000 ft (2,400 m) above downtown Colorado Springs. Pikes Peak is a designated National Historic Landmark. It is composed of a characteristic pink granite called Pikes Peak granite. The color is due to a large amount of potassium feldspar. General William Jackson Palmer and Dr. William Abraham Bell founded Manitou Springs in 1872, intending the town to be a "scenic health resort." The word "Manitou" means the spiritual and fundamental life force among Algonquian groups in the Native American theology. In the lower left center you can see what looks like a streak, and which may be an eagle. Two kinds of eagers are found in Colorado -- Golden and Bald Eagles.