Manitou Springs may be known for its proximity to Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods but it is also home to another geologic wonder: naturally filtered mineral springs that rise deep from the ground.
While there are multiple mineral springs throughout the city, most of the publicly available ones are scattered throughout the downtown area, with the furthest one located near the public entrance for the Pikes Peak Cog Railway and Manitou Incline.
Monica Rozelle, the visitor information specialist and volunteer coordinator for Manitou’s Chamber of Commerce, said visitors are surprised by these public springs and even more surprised by their unique tastes.
“They all have different mineral compounds so they all taste very different,” Rozelle noted.
For example, Iron Spring, known as "the strongest of tonics," is heavy in iron and has a coppery taste to it. Across the way, Wheeler Spring tastes to some like Alka Seltzer.
But if you want to start with a less jarring water to taste, Rozelle recommends 7-Minute Spring.
“7-Minute Spring is the most mild so it's basically well water with a hint of mineral flavoring to it,” Rozelle said.
Currently, eight springs are publicly available thanks to the nonprofit Mineral Springs Foundation, which maintains the springs and the artist-decorated fonts accessible to the public for tasting the water.
While the springs had a heyday in the late 1800s and early 1900s when they were used as tonic water and for healing methods, they later fell into disrepair when modern medicine came in and people turned their backs to old ways.
Douglass Keithley Edmundson, the foundation’s director, said the mineral springs were frowned upon as “quackery and dubious claims of natural healing methods.”
In the decades that followed, the springs ended up being an eyesore and a hassle, Edmundson said.
But in the late 1980s, a group of concerned citizens sought to preserve the city’s spring history and came together to form the foundation. Its first project was the 7-Minute Spring which was nothing short of a “swamp,” Edmundson said.
Since then, the foundation has raised thousands of dollars to re-drill, develop, maintain and expand the springs for public use.
Edmundson, a fourth-generation Manitou resident, said he is motivated to do this work in preserving an ancient resource because of his roots in the community and his passion as an amateur geologist and environmentalist.
“Most of all, what it means to our community and how it makes folks feel when they come to Manitou Springs to see a town that cares so much about its history and its resources.”
Explore Manitou’s 8 public mineral springs
When it was drilled in 1909, a geyser would erupt every seven minutes. It tastes most like regular water. Located at 7-Minute Spring Park, 422 Washington Ave.
It may contain the greatest amount of deep-seated water rising from the aquifer system. It has some of the highest amounts of mineral content. The well is protected inside an 1890s structure built of locally sourced red-orange sandstone. Located at 902 Manitou Ave.
This spring was near the Ute Trail Pass and drank by the Ute and other tribes. The water is naturally carbonated with gas and was the main ingredient in cola drinks bottled and shipped by the Manitou Mineral Water Co. nationwide. It is found on the back of the outside wall of Patsy’s Candies, located at 930 Manitou Ave.
Its springhouse is also made of red-orange sandstone which stores a historic carbon-dioxide gas collector and cistern. In the 1870s it was part of the larger Soda Springs Park, along with Navajo and Shoshone.
[Tip: Take the pedestrian bridge over the river to check out the Soda Spring inside the Spa Building (Manitou Bath House) that features historical photos. You’ll also find a public restroom on the other side of the building]
Across from public restrooms, this spring was named after Jerome B. Wheeler, a banking, mining and railroad magnate and city philanthropist. It was drilled around 1920. The carbonation in the water used to cause eruption at regular intervals. Located at 25 Park Ave.
This spring was named after the area’s first self-made millionaire, Winfield Scott Stratton, who left his wealth to the county’s low-income children and elderly residents. Soda water was struck in a drilled well in 1936. Located at 955 Manitou Ave.
This spring was drilled in the 1920s and originally flowing from two depths and into one. It went through multiple font designs. Located at 121 Ruxton Ave.
It is known as the “strongest of tonics” for its iron-rich waters that drew tourists and health-seekers. The spring was drilled in 1910 to increase its supply. The font is housed under the original pavilion. Located at Ruxton Avenue, at the intersection with New York Avenue and Winter Street.
Planning on visiting the mineral springs? Stop by the Manitou Chamber of Commerce, located at 354 Manitou Ave., to pick up a map and purchase a collapsible tasting cup. Proceeds go to the Mineral Springs Foundation.
