ROCK LEDGE RANCH, COLORADO SPRINGS, CO 7-12-09

On Sunday, July 12, we headed back to Garden of the Gods for a visit to Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site where the spirited history of the West comes to life. Here you can explore the lifestyles and homes of the Pikes Peak Region's early inhabitants.

Our first stop was the 1775-1835 American Indian area, complete with authentic elk and buffalo-hide tipis and a wide variety of tools and items demonstrating the life skills of their culture. The Indians were sheltered from the hot Colorado sun as they were repairing their tipi which had been damaged by a severe storm a few days ago.

The man was cutting rawhide strips to repair the tipi. He is from Oklahoma, not a native Colorado Indian. The woman had wooden needles that they would use to sew the tipi back together.

The 1860s Galloway Homestead illustrates the life of a family in their first year of homesteading in the arid west. The cabin was "chinked" with the abundant red mud and had to be replaced at least once a year as the sun dried it out and it would crack and fall from between the logs.

The crude, one room cabin probably held up to 10 people in the family. On display were cooking utensils, a loom for weaving rugs, and several children's toys. It was probably only about 12 x 15 or 20 feet. Not a lot of privacy!!

The next people to live in this beautiful area beside Garden of the Gods was the Chambers family from Pennsylvania, founders of Chambersburg, PA. Mr. Chambers first wife had died from tuberculosis, and his second wife was showing signs of the disease, so they moved to Colorado for the clean, pure mountain air. It must have helped as the second Mrs. Chambers live to an old age.

Here is an unusual Silver Maple tree with four trunks.

For the first year the Chambers lived in a one room cabin, still attached to the back of the new stone house that was built the following year. The walls were over 12" thick and, despite the Colorado heat of July, the house was cool. This house was known as the Rock Ledge House.

The dining room was just off of the old cabin, now used as a kitchen. The Chambers house was not only a family home but also a boarding house.

In 1907 the Orchard House, a gracious Edwardian country-style estate, became Colorado Springs' first "suburban" home. The original home was built for the sister-in-law of William Jackson Palmer, one of the founders of Colorado Springs.

This is formal dining room where (up to 15 course) dinners were often served to guests, taking several hours to eat. It's hard to see, but there were 4 forks, 4 spoons, and 2 knives in the place setting. A servant would stand in the corner beside the "dumb-waiter" and keep constant eye contact with the hostess, who would be seated in the chair to the left.





The sitting area in the master bedroom. Unlike most married couples of that day, the Chamber's shared the bedroom.










That's Bill off to the blacksmith shop. You know Bill, he's interested in anything to do with tools!

The blacksmith had many tools and decorative items displayed. Here he was making a hook to hang clothes on.

He also made this intricate rose as a decorative holder to hold curtains open.

I couldn't resist this picture taken from inside the blacksmith shop looking out the door at the rock formation in Garden of the Gods. It was magnificent!

The Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site is owned by Colorado Springs.