Colorado Nature Narratives

Dinosaur Fossil Discovered, then Forgotten
In 1878, Professor James H. Kerr of Colorado College discovered a dinosaur skull “in one of the ridges east of the red rocks of the Garden of the Gods.” A few years later, the famous dinosaur collector O.C. Marsh obtained the fossil skull, identified it as a Camptosaurus dinosaur, and shipped it to the Yale Museum in New Haven, Connecticut.

Then, somehow over the decades, knowledge of the 1878 dinosaur discovery became lost to the Colorado Springs community. While the dinosaur fossil languished in relative obscurity in the Yale Museum, it was forgotten about locally – until 1995.

Dinosaur exhibit at Garden of the Gods Visitor Center

Rediscovery – 117 years later
In 1995, Lenore Fleck and I (then City Park Interpreters at Garden of the Gods) were researching and writing many of the new exhibits for the Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center (then under construction) and were trying to find out what kind of dinosaurs may have lived in this area. Local geology information did not have any record of a dinosaur fossil ever being found within the Garden of the Gods.

However, when we contacted expert paleontologists Kirk Johnson and Ken Carpenter at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Ken Carpenter completely surprised us when he said, “I think I have an article in my files about a dinosaur fossil that was found in Garden of the Gods. If I find it, I’ll send it to you.”

Luckily, he found it! The article was written in 1891 and stated: Camptosaurus amplus No. 1887, Yale Museum, consisting of portions of the skull and lower jaw. It was collected…from deposits in the Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado. With this specimen was found the following note in Professor O.C. Marsh’s handwriting “Part of this animal and various Sauropoda bones were taken out by Professor Kerr in 1878.” Continue Reading »

Few communities can boast that the symbol of Rocky Mountain wilderness grazes within their city limits. But that is exactly the case in Colorado Springs where Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep are often spotted on the ridges north of Garden of the Gods Park.

Origins of the Bighorn Festival
In late 2005, John Koshak of the Colorado Division of Wildlife encouraged the staff of Garden of the Gods Park, Visitor and Nature Center to organize an event to celebrate our official State Mammal. A “Bighorn Sheep Festival” would also highlight the 60th anniversary of the re-introduction of Bighorn Sheep to the Colorado Springs area. The inaugural Bighorn Festival was held on the Saturday of Presidents Day weekend in 2006. Even on a frigid day with single-digit temperatures, over a thousand people attended that first Festival. They were excited to gaze through powerful telescopes to observe the majestic Bighorn Sheep grazing on the rocky ridges of their natural habitat.

Bighorn Ram photo by Bret Tennis

In February 2010, I enjoyed attending the 5^th Annual Bighorn Sheep Festival as a citizen, instead of being on the park staff. As in the last four years, the Bighorns attended their own Festival, basking in the winter sun on east-facing hillsides in clear view of the Visitor Center. In addition to observing huge bighorn rams, we visitors watched a separate herd of about 50 bighorn ewes grazing on sparse winter grasses farther up the mountain. Continue Reading »

Rediscovering The Sunset Ritual and Migration Drama
of the
White-throated Swifts in Garden of the Gods Park

Swifts and the National Natural Landmark Designation
Throughout 2009, the Centennial Celebration of Garden of the Gods Park in Colorado Springs gave us the opportunity to reflect upon the Park’s “magnificence as a common treasure” and to learn more about its natural and cultural history. One of the highlights of the celebration was Dr. Richard Beidleman’s Centennial Lecture about our Park’s National Natural Landmark designation. Dr. Beidleman is a renowned ecologist and Colorado College Professor Emeritus of Biology. In 1969, after years of field study, Dr. Beidleman wrote and submitted our Park’s application to the Department of Interior. Two years later in 1971, the Garden was officially designated as a National Natural Landmark (NNL).

Gateway Rocks of Garden of the Gods Park and Pikes Peak

During Dr. Beidleman’s Centennial Lecture, he described how the Garden, with its outstanding geologic formations and scenic grandeur, met the official NNL criteria. However, one of the criteria for becoming a NNL is not as well known: a seasonal haven for the concentrations of native animals, or a vantage point for observing concentrated populations, such as a constricted migration route. The NNL documents state: “The Garden of the Gods affords one of the best habitats in Colorado for White-throated Swifts. One of the largest summer and migratory roosting sites for the White-throated Swifts along the Rocky Mountain Front Range is located at Gateway Rocks. It is a concentration point during fall and spring migration for the Swifts.” Continue Reading »