- Seven Falls
"For the Seven Falls near
Tucson, Arizona , seeBear Canyon ."Seven Falls is a series of seven cascading
waterfall s in Colorado Springs,Colorado . The sum of the height of the seven falls is 181 feet (55.17 m) and there are a total of 224 steps on the staircase from the base of the falls to the peak.History
On December 5, 1872,
Nathaniel Colby homesteaded the convert|160|acre|km2 that included the present day Seven Falls and South Cheyenne Cañon. Colby did not want the possible value of his purchase, for nine months later he sold the land to the Colorado Springs Land Company for $1000.Later owners realized little profit from the land until 1882 when
James Hull purchased the property for $1300. Mr. Hull was a naturalist who was disturbed to note the scenic beauty of the canyon was being threatened by the felling of trees for their lumber value. Hull had already purchased convert|160|acre|km2 west of Seven Falls for $500 and later secured an additional 80 acres by preemption in 1885. With convert|400|acre|km2 including the heart of the cañon Hull became one of Colorado's earliest environmental protectors and the first owner to fully appreciate the true value of this scenic masterpiece.Hull was also a businessman, and he understood the value of the "ranch" as it was then called. He advertised the property as a scenic resort and began to improve it by constructing a road through the canyon to the Seven Falls and building a stairway along the side of the Falls. He installed a toll gate at the foot of the canyon and proceeded to do business. Access to the Falls in those days was largely by carriages, burros and saddle horses furnished by a local entrepreneur named Hunter who paid James Hull and his sons $500 for the privilege of taking passengers to the Falls for 25 cents each. Business flourished and Seven Falls became a prominent tourist attraction.
In 1900 after Hull's sons took over the property the county assessor valued the property at $80,000 while the local newspaper,
The Gazette , suggested the value at over $200,000. In 1905 the property now containing convert|1400|acre|km2 was purchased by C.D. Weimer for $250,000.ee also
*
Helen Hunt Jackson External links
* [http://www.sevenfalls.com/ Official website]
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