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First visited in September 2000
~.~ The Soda Spring c. 1903 ~.~
Photograph courtesy of Old
Colorado City Historical Society
Chief Manitou resides here today in spirit, as
a keeper of these waters. "Come," he
says, "and worship your God as my people worshipped
their God of all Spirits.
Come heal your bodies just as my people did when
they bathed and drank from
this sacred spring. This is sacred ground,
no Indian wore war paint on this spot.
So lay aside your cares, your tears, your hatreds,
for the God of all Indians,
Manitou, dwelling beneath this sacred spring.
~.~ written around the inside of the gazebo ~.~
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The Soda Spring is a natural spring inside the Manitou Spa Building,
a 3 storey stucco building,
at 934 Manitou Avenue. It stands in a plaster gazebo in a room decorated
with paintings of the different Indians who were the first to discocer
the healing and health-giving qualities of the mineral springs. The Spa
Building, which dates from 1920, originally contained rooms for drinking
water and socializing and bathing rooms where people tried various water
therapies. The water for bathing didn't come from the Soda Spring
but was piped from nearby Navajo Spring.
The Spa Building is currently closed for renovation. On re-opening it
is rumoured it will contain a restaurant, internet cafe, yoga centre and
art gallery. During the work the Soda Spring is being piped out into the
Fountain Creek river.
~.~ note the mineral build up around the spring ~.~
Update January 2001
Soda is still being piped out into the creek but
a pool of spring water now lies in the mineral basin although none of us
had the nerve to taste it. It was hard to tell how far the renovation of
the Spa building had progressed since September although work was definitely
going on.
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Seven
Minute ~ Twin
Link ~ Navajo
~ Wheeler
~ Stratton
~ Iron Geyser
~ Cheyenne
& Shoshone
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