Hotel history: The Broadmoor hotel, Colorado Springs
May 26, 2018
For over a century, dreamers, farmers, investors, and even a Prussian Count have held a vision of the magnificence in store for the Colorado Springs area. It took the foresight, dedication and incredible vision of one man, Spencer Penrose, to bring the dream to reality… and to make it wonderful enough to last 100 years in the form of The Broadmoor hotel.
Even before it was the Broadmoor Dairy Farm, the land at the base of Cheyenne Mountain was a ranch where corn was grown for making brooms. Willie Wilcox, who came to the area seeking his fortune and hoping to find a cure for his tuberculosis, bought the land in 1880 and established a small dairy. Unfortunately, Wilcox’s inexperience with animals soon became evident, and he realized that without significant investments the project would not be a success, so he began negotiations to sell the land.
“Sitting around doing nothing, spring comes and the grass grows by itself.” Zen proverb
Spring is nearly upon us, and things are getting frisky in the yard. One morning my spouse the Binmeister came in from retrieving the Times-Union from the driveway and announced “the birds are making a racket, and I can hear things growing.” He was elated.
March is National Umbrella Month, so named because it brings gusty winds, rain and cold nights. Flocks of robins fly in they were early this year leaves emerge and pollen coats cars. Instead of March Madness, at the Rooney Bin we call it Mulch Madness. Binmeister loves to fling mulch hither and yon, although for the last couple of years he has hired professional mulch flingers.