First visited September 2000



A  beautiful art deco bronze girl collects water from this spring at the corner of Manitou Avenue and Ruxton Avenue. 

At one time this site was the junction of several early Indian trails. Today it is marked by a good Mexican restaurant named for the “loop” where the Stratton Trolley Line reversed and returned to Colorado Springs.

A warning to British and other non- American vistiors who aren't familiar with the licensing laws - the waitress asked for my passport before she'd serve me a beer here and I'm 36! 
The spring was drilled in 1936 by the Myron Stratton foundation: it has a controlled flow of two gallons per minute and is drilled to a depth of 167 feet.

Winfield Scott Stratton was a carpenter and building contractor in Colorado Springs. He became the first millionaire from the Cripple Creek gold strikes and when he died in 1902 he left his fortune to the care of the county’s needy children and elderly in a fund named in honour of his father.

Stratton seems very popular, perhaps because of its strategic location or because of the little pavilion which makes it a lovely place to sit and relax. While we were there several people - both tourists and locals - stopped to drink the water or fill up bottles.

The Stratton Spring was restored in 1989 by a grant from the El Pomar Foundation and volunteer assistance from the citizens of Colorado. It is the only spring with information in braille.

Update January 2001

Stratton had been turned off because, despite the forget-me-not blue skies and the
dazzling sunshine, Colorado temperatures easily reach 15º (celsius) below freezing
and this spring is right on the pavement.
 

Stratton Spring bathed in the warmth of September sunlight outside the restaurant
where they wanted my passport before beer.
 

Seven Minute ~ Twin Link ~ Navajo ~ Wheeler ~ Iron Geyser ~  Soda ~ Cheyenne & Shoshone

 

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