Please join us to hear Toni Hamill on Thursday, October 16, 2025. Toni will give an illustrated talk about her book called People of the Garden. Toni’s interest in history and archeology led  her to write this book. Since prehistoric times, the Garden of the Gods has been a source of fascination for a wide variety of people, ranging from prehistoric hunter-gatherers to modern-day visitors.

    Toni will speak about the Garden of the Gods’ history, its archaeology,  geology, and Ute lore. We hope you will join us to learn more about this fascinating place.

    Since the Garden of the Gods became a city park in 1909, millions of people from all over the world have come to gaze in wonder at the beautiful and unusual rock formations, often finding a spiritual aspect to their visit.

    Please bring a friend or two and stay afterwards for light refreshments. Toni’s book will also be available for sale. Program is FREE and open to the public. All ages welcome.  Newcomers to the area always are welcome.  Sure to be a fun time.

Thank you to everyone who came to the September program.

Leah Davis Witherow  Presented “What’s New and Old” at the Pioneers Museum on Thursday, September 18, 2025.   7:00 PM – 8:30 PM (Doors opened at 6:30) Palmer Lake Town Hall, 28 Valley Crescent Street, Palmer Lake, CO. FREE and open to the public.

   Please join us to hear Leah Davis Witherow, curator of the Pioneers Museum in Colorado Springs, who will share “What’s New and Old”.  This illustrated talk will share a bit of history about the 1903 former El Paso County Courthouse – now the museum’s most  important artifact – as well as updates to our permanent exhibits and highlights from the collection.

    Founded by the El Paso County Pioneers’ Association in 1896, the CSPM now houses 70,000 artifacts, 80,000 photographs, and approximately 7,000 cubic feet of archival materials. With a mission to collect and share the history and culture of the Pikes Peak region, the CSPM offers a robust series of exhibits and programs that center on storytelling to explore our unique and complex past and help us understand our present day.

     Leah Davis Witherow is the Curator of History for the CSPM and has taught American History and Museum Studies at UCCS for the past 25 years. She is on the statewide Board of Colorado Humanities, and was selected as the UCCS College of Letters, Arts and Sciences “Outstanding Lecturer of the Year”, and a Colorado Springs Business Journal’s Woman of Influence in 2018.  

    We hope you can join us for this special event.  Please bring a friend or two and stay after the program for light refreshments.  All ages welcome. FREE and open to the public.

    The Palmer Lake Historical Society is an educational  501 (c)(3)  nonprofit organization serving the Palmer Divide area since 1956. The Society hosts monthly programs usually on the third Thursday of the month. Programs are FREE and open to the public. We welcome newcomers to the area. Our memberships start at $20 per year. We appreciate all our members and guests.

    Look for our 2026 Tri-Lakes Historical Calendar coming out in November. If you are interested in advertising contact us at 719-559-0837.

Thank you to all who joined us on August 23, 2025 at the Western Museum of Mining and Industry for their “Farming and Ranching Day” featuring the Reynolds Ranch from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm. There was no monthly PLHS program in August. We hope you are enjoyed the summer! Get out and explore the local museums in the area. Our Lucretia Vaile Museum is open on Saturdays from 10:00 am – 2:oo pm and on Wednesdays from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm. Come see our gift shop for local ornaments, mugs and books.

Thank you to all who attended our: “Power of Print” Graphic Arts Expo ~ In the Chautauqua Style on SATURDAY, JULY 19, 2025    12:00 PM — 3:00 PM. It was a great success.

Letterpress Depot ~ “Hands -on” Printing Demonstrations, Denver Postcard Club ~ Postcard Exhibit, Don Goodman ~ Fine Artist,  Bob Smith ~ Vintage Cameras

Palmer Lake Town Hall, 28 Valley Crescent Street, Palmer Lake, CO FREE and OPEN to the Public

All Ages Welcome ~ “Hands-on” demonstrations of letterpress printing by Letterpress Depot. Smocks, ink and paper will be  provided. We hope you can join us, bring a friend or two. Children really enjoy printing their own art on the press.

SUNDAY JUNE 15, 2025 – FATHER’S DAY ICE CREAM SOCIAL 2-4 PM  (RAIN OR SHINE)

Join us on for our annual Father’s Day Ice Cream Social held at the Palmer Lake Town Hall and Village Green. Free and open to the public. Bring a lawn chair or blanket to enjoy the music, ice cream and pie. Bring your family or a friend or two. Tables will also be set up inside the town hall for your comfort. Enjoy a relaxing day with your loved ones. This event is sponsored by the generous donation by John Spidell with the Spidell Foundation. We hope you will join us. Held Rain or Shine.

Thursday, May 15, 2025

Please join us to hear Patric Ryan who will share his research information for why Nikola Tesla chose Colorado Springs CO. This Experimental Station, built in 1899 by the inventor for his study of the use of high-voltage, high-frequency electricity in wireless power transmission.

Patric is an author and historian writing the play and book series, Mark Twain and the War of Wizards. It is about Nikola Tesla’s rivalry with Thomas Edison and narrated by Mark Twain. Patric is a U.S. Army combat veteran with a Fine Arts degree from the University of Georgia.

Patric dedicated the headstone for Lewis Latimer’s grave in September 2023. Lewis Latimer was Thomas Edison’s patent clerk. Lewis had been in an unmarked grave for the last 95 years. Patric and is currently working on marking the grave of Nikola Tesla’s  assistant Kolman “Coleman” Czito. His grave has been located and has been  unmarked for the last 95 years as well.

We hope you can join us for this special event. Please bring a friend or two and stay after the program for light refreshments and socializing. Newcomers to the area are welcome! Please join us!

Thursday, April 17, 2025

J.v.L. Bell  “Women of the Colorado Gold Rush Era”

Explore the lives of four unforgettable women who called Colorado home during the turbulent years of the Pikes Peak Gold Rush.

Katrina Murat was one of Colorado’s first Anglo settlers. She was an adventurous spirit who lived in Palmer Lake at the end of her life.

Amache a Cheyenne woman, married an Anglo man and spent her life navigating between two cultures as she became a successful businesswoman.

Maria Dolores Ballejos an early Colorado pioneer settled in the San Luis Valley and spent her life fighting to retain the land she cultivated.

Clara Brown a former enslaved woman, became a successful business owner and was one of Colorado’s most beloved pioneers.

Please stay afterwards for light refreshments and   socializing. The Palmer Lake Historical Society is an educational 501 (c)(3)  nonprofit organization serving the Palmer Divide area since 1956.

Thursday MARCH 20, 2025 “An Evening with General William Jackson Palmer”

General William Jackson Palmer and the Palmer Lake Historical Society request the honour of your company  Thursday, March twentieth, twenty twenty five at seven o’clock until eight thirty in the evening,

Dave Harmon portrays General Palmer. Bring a friend and stay for light refreshments and socializing.  Town Hall,  28 Valley Crescent Street, Palmer Lake, Colorado   

7:00-8:30 at the Town Hall, Palmer Lake, CO

  The Palmer Lake Historical Society will be hosting General William Jackson Palmer portrayed by Dave Harmon. General Palmer will share stories about his Quaker upbringing, the civil war and his contributions to the expansion of transportation in the American West during the late nineteenth century.

General Palmer is also well known for his philanthropy. Please bring a friend and stay afterwards for light refreshments and socializing. Program is FREE and open to the public. All ages welcome.

    The Palmer Lake Historical Society is an educational 501(c)(3)  nonprofit organization serving the Palmer Divide area since 1956.  We welcome newcomers to the area.  In case of inclement weather, and follow school district 38 weather closures.

CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER 2/20/25

“Donald G. Stratton USS ARIZONA SURVIVOR”

Presented by his granddaughter, Nikki Stratton

WHEN: Thursday, FEBRUARY 20, 2025

7:00 PM  — 8:30 PM (Doors open at 6:30)

WHERE: Palmer Lake Town Hall 28 Valley Crescent Street  Free and Open to the Public

Please join us for this special event. Nikki Stratton will share the powerful story of her grandfather, Donald Stratton, whose courage and determination have  inspired generations. A survivor of the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor, he defied unimaginable odds to ensure his story—and those of his  shipmates— would never be forgotten.

In case of inclement weather, we follow School District 38 weather closures so everyone can be safe. The Palmer Lake Historical Society is an educational 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization serving the Palmer Divide area since 1956.

FREE and open to the public. All ages welcome. Bring a friend or two and stay afterwards for light refreshments and socializing.

Palmer Lake a Historical Narrative by Marion S. Sabin

This edition is truly the Best Book About the Remarkable History of the Town of Palmer Lake.

This 148 page book tells the story of the Town of Palmer Lake, Colorado, from before its beginning until about 1989 which was the centennial of the incorporation of the Town. Sabin did extensive research, and her work is well documented with cross-references. The history of Palmer Lake closely parallels the early development of the Denver & Rio Grande and Santa Fe Railroads. The rise and fall of railroad passenger service and the new automobile changed the town in many ways.

The book is extensively illustrated with over seventy-five new or re-scanned photographs and illustrations. The person index now covers all chapters in the book. Where known, facts that were in error have been researched and corrected.

Pine Crest: From Columbine Park to a Methodist Camp, 1897-1973

The Palmer Lake Historical Society presents Occasional Paper No. 5 Pine Crest: From Columbine Park to a Methodist Camp, 1897-1973, written by Daniel W. Edwards and published August 2020. 

This 52-page, spiral-bound publication is illustrated throughout with black and white photographs and draws extensively on the historical materials held in the archives of the Iliff School of  Theology in Denver. The essay traces the history of the park from its development in 1897 as a small recreational site, through its development and later sale to the Methodist Episcopal Church, and ends with the Methodist church’s sale of the property in 1973.