| Garden of the Gods is one of the most | | | | there was seen the kneeling figures of two |
| interesting and worth seeing rock formations in | | | | camels with lips pressed together in a deathless |
| the state of Colorado. It is located in Colorado and | | | | kiss of love." The old timers of the city of |
| Manitou Springs. The founders of Colorado Springs | | | | Colorado Springs, especially native Americans |
| named it Garden of the Gods because believed | | | | believe in this legend and try to pass it to future |
| that it was a gathering place for Gods. It was also | | | | generations, so the myth of Kissing Camels will be |
| a place where Pueblo Indians lived. In 1879, | | | | always alive. |
| Charles Perkins, who was a president of the | | | | Another interesting one is the double formation. |
| Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad at that time, | | | | Its name depends on the side that people look at |
| purchased much of the land of modern Garden of | | | | it from. If one looks from the east he or she |
| the Gods. After his death, at his request, his | | | | would name it the Siamese Twins; looking from |
| family gave the land to the City of Colorado | | | | the south the two rocks seem to line up to form |
| Springs to be used as a park. | | | | one, and together with a nearby rock become |
| The geology of Garden of the Gods goes back in | | | | Punch and Judy. |
| history for about a billion years ago when the | | | | What kind of Garden of the Gods it would be |
| Pikes Peak Granite was formed. The development | | | | without a cave? Of course, it has a cave. The |
| of present Garden of the Gods owes to three | | | | cave discovered by Spaulding gained its popularity |
| major mountain-building pulses that happened in | | | | over the years. In the summer of 1858 the |
| history. First one took place about three hundred | | | | Lawrence Party of gold seekers used it as shelter |
| million years ago with the development of | | | | from the afternoon thunderstorms. In 1859 a |
| Ancestral Rockies; Fountain Formation was | | | | young gold seeker from Illinois crawled up the |
| deposited then also. The second one happened | | | | narrow passageway into the great cave; he |
| during Paleocene period that was sixty-seventy | | | | wrote that his whispers echoed off the cavern |
| million years ago with the tilting up of the | | | | walls like the sounds of thunder. |
| Sedimentary formations of the Garden of the | | | | The cave's dark passageways were explored by |
| Gods. Finally, the third mounting-building pulse was | | | | the visitors for the next half a century; and it |
| during Miocene Period (twelve-twenty three million | | | | almost became a tradition for the visitors to |
| years ago) and it resulted the erosion in Rockies. | | | | carve their names on the walls of the cave. By |
| The final shaping of modern Garden of the Gods | | | | the end of the century, the entrance of the cave |
| happened during Holocene Period due to the | | | | became covered with bushes and the because of |
| forces of erosion like wind and sand (because of | | | | that the cave kind of disappeared from visitors. |
| them Garden of the Gods has a landscape of red | | | | However, in 1935 the entrance was re-discovered. |
| rocks). | | | | The park authorities planned to allow visitors inside |
| Probably, the most exciting rock formation in the | | | | the cave but due to the falling rocks they had to |
| whole Garden of the Gods is Kissing Camels. It is | | | | change their minds and the entrance was sealed |
| a very unique rock that looks like two kissing | | | | forever. The only way to learn about the |
| camels. It is like a symbol of Garden of the Gods. | | | | Spaulding's cave is to use earlier visitors' notes. |
| The story tells that two Indian lovers named | | | | Garden of the Gods with its myths and legends is |
| Alpha and Omega, each was from a different | | | | the inseparable part of our state's history which is |
| tribes that were in war. One day they were | | | | a component of the history of our nation. Just like |
| caught hugging each other. They were carried to | | | | old timers of Colorado tell us the stories about |
| the top of North Gateway Rock, where they | | | | our state we will have to tell these stories to the |
| were burned to death in separate funeral pyres. | | | | future generations. So, we should all keep these |
| "And in the morning," so the legend ends, "when | | | | stories and not let them die. It should be a lot |
| the sun looked on the smoke blackened cliff, | | | | easier to find stories like the ones I wrote about. |