Manitou Springs: a spa town built around its mineral springs

Manitou Springs exists because of its water. The natural mineral springs there bubble up carbonated, and Native peoples knew and valued them long before the town was platted. The name comes from “Manitou,” tied to the idea of a great spirit’s breath in the water.

In the 1870s, General Palmer and Dr. William Bell developed the site as a scenic health resort, the kind of place where Victorian visitors came to “take the waters.” Rail service from Colorado Springs brought tourists and health seekers, and the town filled with hotels, bathhouses, and shops tucked into the narrow canyon at the foot of Pikes Peak.

That heritage is recognized in two different ways, and it helps to keep them straight. Much of the town is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. That listing is an honor and a record; by itself it does not control what owners do with their buildings. Separately, the City of Manitou Springs runs its own local historic preservation program. Inside the city’s local historic sub-districts, visible changes to a building’s exterior go through city preservation review.

For a newcomer, the short version is: this is a small, walkable historic town with mineral-spring fountains you can still drink from. If you are buying an older home or building, ask the city whether the address sits in a local historic sub-district and what review would apply. For the documented history, see History Colorado, and for preservation rules, see the City of Manitou Springs official site.