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Colorado Springs: Did you know? — The First Christmas in the Fountain Colony (1871)

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~ Colorado Springs, CO - As the city of Colorado Springs prepares for its annual Christmas celebrations, it's easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of modern-day festivities. However, it's important to remember that this community has humble beginnings, starting with a small group of determined settlers on the open prairie. In fact, the very first Christmas in Colorado Springs was celebrated in 1871 by the pioneers of the brand-new Fountain Colony.

Founded just months earlier on July 31, 1871, by General William Jackson Palmer, the Fountain Colony was envisioned as a temperance-minded and beautifully-planned community at the foot of Pikes Peak. At the time of its first winter, the settlement consisted of only a few rough buildings, scattered tents, and a handful of families who had taken a chance on Palmer's dream. The windswept plains could be harsh and lonely, especially for the women who made the journey west. It is noted in early colony history that "but few women" were present for that first Christmas celebration. Among them were Mary "Queen" Palmer, General Palmer's wife, and Rose Georgina Kingsley, an English writer and visitor who would later document those early pioneer days.

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Despite their modest surroundings, these settlers were determined to create a sense of community and hope during their first Christmas in Colorado Springs. Local histories credit Queen Palmer with organizing the very first Christmas party and tree in what would soon become Colorado Springs. As a teacher and natural leader, Queen had opened the town's first school in October of that year and had been teaching children in one of the unfinished colony buildings. As Christmas approached, she gathered the children and families together for a celebration that blended simple frontier life with cherished traditions from their homes back East.

Details from that first Christmas have been preserved through accounts such as Rose Kingsley's writing. She described a holiday meal featuring an unforgettable combination of oyster stew and roasted antelope, a perfect representation of the settlers' resourcefulness and refinement. The Christmas tree, likely adorned with handmade ornaments and lit with candles, would have been a rare and heartwarming sight on the Colorado plains.

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It's important to remember that this small celebration took place in a settlement that was still in its early stages, little more than an idea laid out on survey maps. Yet for the families who gathered that evening, Christmas 1871 represented more than just a meal and music. It symbolized belonging, courage, faith, and the beginning of a community that would soon adopt the name Colorado Springs.

As we walk through Evergreen Cemetery today, the resting place of many of the early pioneers who shaped our city, we are reminded of their perseverance, joy, and tradition. The first Christmas in the Fountain Colony serves as a symbol of the spirit they carried with them: a belief that even in the simplest of settings, a community could be built on hope, generosity, and coming together. As we celebrate this holiday season in Colorado Springs with lights twinkling across the city and family traditions passed down through generations, let us not forget those brave pioneers who laid the foundation for our beloved community.

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