Cascade, Colorado facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cascade, Colorado
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 Cascade, Colorado
Location in Colorado
Cascade, Colorado
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  State of Colorado |
| County | El Paso County |
| Established | 1886 |
| Elevation | 7,379 ft (2,249 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP code |
80809
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| Area code(s) | 719 |
| Highways |  US 24 |
Cascade is a small community in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It's not an official city, but an unincorporated community. It has its own U.S. Post Office with the ZIP Code 80809.
From the 1880s to the 1920s, Cascade was a popular resort town. It had three hotels where tourists could stay. Visitors would travel through Ute Pass by train on the Colorado Midland Railway. They enjoyed amazing views of Cascade Canyon and its waterfalls. Carriages also took tourists up Pikes Peak to its very top.
However, things changed when the Manitou and Pike's Peak Cog Railway opened in 1892. This new train took people to the top of Pikes Peak from Manitou Springs. This made fewer tourists come through Cascade.
When cars became popular in the 1920s, tourism changed again. Fewer people needed big hotels. Two of Cascade's three hotels were torn down by 1926. Today, Cascade is still a place for tourists. People stay in cozy inns, bed and breakfasts, and guest houses. The entrance to the Pikes Peak Highway is right here in Cascade.
Contents
History of Cascade
Early Settlers in Cascade
In the 1880s, a woman named Eliza Marriott Hewlett moved to Colorado from New York. She brought her two children to Cascade before it was even a town. It was unusual for women like her to move to Colorado back then. Some people think they came because writers like Helen Hunt wrote about the beautiful Pikes Peak area.
The Marriott-Hewlett sisters claimed most of Cascade Canyon. Other people came to the area for their health or to start farms. In the 1880s, some people in Cascade Canyon also ran businesses. They used mule trains to deliver supplies to mining towns like Leadville and Cripple Creek.
Trains and the Pikes Peak Carriage Road
After 1887, the Colorado Midland Railway started offering train service. It ran from Old Colorado City (now Colorado City) west through Ute Pass. In 1888, the railway built a train station, a dining hall, and a water tank in Cascade.
The train ride through Cascade Canyon offered many beautiful sights. Passengers could see McGregor Falls, Lullaby Falls, Dome Rock, and many other waterfalls. The canyon itself was described as very deep and full of trees, plants, and flowers. The water in the falls came from melting snow on Pikes Peak.
Thousands of tourists also traveled up to Pikes Peak's summit on the Pikes Peak Carriage Road. This road was also called the Pikes Peak Wagon Road. Carriages picked up passengers at the train stop and took them to the top of the mountain. The Cascade Town Company opened this road in 1888. It closed in 1902 because the Manitou and Pike's Peak Cog Railway became more popular.
How Cascade Was Founded
The Cascade Town and Improvement Company was started in 1886. It worked with Eliza Hewlett to help pay for the Pikes Peak Carriage Road. The company bought land from the Marriott-Hewlett sisters in 1886. Soon after, they planned out the village's roads.
The town of Cascade was officially established in 1886. It was named for the many waterfalls in the area. Other nearby towns like Chipita, Green Mountain Falls, and Crystola were also developed around this time.
Eastholme, a small inn and boarding house, was built between 1885 and 1887. Eliza Marriott Hewlett and her sisters built it. The Cascade Canyon House opened in 1887. The Ramona House, a very important building for the town, was built in 1890 and opened in 1891. Hotel Ramona was a three-story hotel with balconies. It was named after the book Ramona by Helen Hunt.
People loved to visit Cascade in the summers. It was a place where families would return year after year. They enjoyed hiking and picnics in the canyon. They drank mineral waters from Deer Lick Springs. On Saturdays, they danced, and on Sundays, they listened to music at the Ramona hotel.
The town had natural, pure, cold water springs and mineral springs. One spring near the Fountain had carbonic acid, potassium, and iron. Another spring up the canyon had a lot of iron. There were also two or three "pure, cold water" springs near the Hotel Ramona.
The Cascade Post Office opened on August 16, 1887. Mrs. Hewlett also had a church built in the area.
Changes in Tourism
Eastholme was no longer used after 1918 when the Colorado Midland Railway closed. The big hotels started to disappear in the 1920s. In Cascade, the train station, dining hall, and large hotels like Cascade Canyon House and Hotel Ramona were torn down by 1926. A community building was built where the Cascade Canyon House used to be.
In the 1920s, many tourists started traveling by car instead of by train. Eastholme and the Red Cloud Inn, which opened in 1921, welcomed these new travelers.
Waldo Canyon Fire of 2012
In 2012, the Waldo Canyon Fire started very close to Cascade. Volunteer firefighters from Cascade were among the first to help fight the fire.
Geography of Cascade
Cascade is located at 38°53′49″N 104°58′18″W / 38.89694°N 104.97167°W. Fountain Creek flows from the slopes of Pikes Peak through the town. It then turns southeast into a canyon. US 24 also goes through Cascade. It runs next to Fountain Creek through the canyon until the exit for Manitou Springs.
Cascade Creek flows down the canyon and joins Fountain Creek in Cascade.
Plants and Animals
Cascade Canyon has many different types of plants. There are at least 200 kinds of plants, including about 50 types of perennials (plants that live for more than two years), 25 types of shrubs, and several types of spruce, juniper, and pine trees. You can also find wild flowers, flowering shrubs, moss, and many kinds of wild berries here.
Animals like grouse, squirrels, birds, and other wild creatures live in the canyon.
Places to Stay
If you visit Cascade, you can find several places to stay. These include Adobe Inn at Cascade, Eastholme in the Rockies bed and breakfast inn, Rocky Mountains Lodge and Cabins, Cascade Escapes, and Happy Trails Vacation Rentals.
Parks and Trails
Heizer Trail
The Heizer trail leads to waterfalls in the Cascade Community Park. The trail starts on Anemone Hill Road in Cascade. It goes up the side of Cascade Mountain to its top. This is an old trail with great views of Pikes Peak and the North Pole Amusement Park. The round trip is about 6 miles long.
Hikers can also find French Creek trail #703 by following pink-orange ribbons on trees. There is a steep part to reach this trail, which connects to Barr Trail.
Ute Pass Regional Trail
The Ute Pass Regional Trail is a planned trail that will connect Manitou Springs to Woodland Park. It will go west through Ute Pass. Sometimes, the trail will run next to U.S. Highway 24. In 2012, there were some discussions about a 3-mile part of the trail. This section was planned to include a starting point along a US Highway 24 frontage road in Cascade.
Local Organizations and Attractions
The Ute Pass Library is located on Severey Road. It offers programs for children, teens, and adults. The building also has free wireless Internet. The U.S. Post Office is on Ute Pass Avenue.
Cascade also has a gourmet popcorn store and the North Pole amusement park, which is a fun place to visit.
Pikes Peak Highway
The Pikes Peak Highway is a 19-mile (31 km) toll road. It starts in Cascade and goes all the way up to the summit of Pikes Peak.
