Local history resources
The historical societies, museums, libraries and record offices that keep the history of the Palmer Divide and its three counties. Much of this project's research rests on their work.
Coming up: their talks, tours and meetings are gathered on the history events calendar.
Our Sources page credits the work of theirs that we use. Each link was checked in October 2026. Know one we've missed? Tell us.
Historical societies and museums on the divide
- Palmer Lake Historical Society, Palmer LakePromotes and preserves the history of the Palmer Divide area and runs the Lucretia Vaile Museum. Monthly history programs; its website carries history pages and back newsletters.
- Larkspur Historical Society, LarkspurSouthern Douglas County's history: programs, maps and the society's historical site-survey binders, which Douglas County Libraries has scanned. Its links page started this list.
- Castle Rock Historical Society and Museum, Castle RockCastle Rock's history museum, with monthly presentations and walking tours of downtown and Cedar Hill Cemetery.
- Historic Douglas County, Inc., Douglas CountyWorks to widen public awareness of Douglas County history through education and by coordinating the county's history groups.
- Parker Area Historical Society, ParkerParker's history: talks, outings and the Tallman/Newlin Cabin, the town's last log building.
- Elbert County Historical Society and Museum, KiowaElbert County's museum, on Comanche Street (Highway 86) in Kiowa. Open in summer.
- Western Museum of Mining and Industry, North Gate Blvd., Colorado SpringsThe mining and industrial history of Colorado and the West, with working machinery, a model mine drift and gold panning. Open since 1970.
- Limon Heritage Museum, LimonA historical complex on the eastern plains, at the far eastern end of the divide.
- Black Forest history pages on dawog.net, Black ForestThe Black Forest Community Club's history of the area and of its hall (Anna Mae Hawkins, 1986), with chapter 2 of the 1987 Black Forest Preservation Plan update (dawog.net/BFPP/chap_2.htm).
Elsewhere in El Paso County
- Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, 215 S. Tejon St., Colorado SpringsThe Pikes Peak region's history museum. Its Starsmore Center for Local History holds the archives, and the collection database is online.
- Old Colorado City Historical Society, 1 S. 24th St., Colorado SpringsThe history of Colorado City and the west side of Colorado Springs, with a History Center.
- Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site, Colorado SpringsA historic ranch site beside the Garden of the Gods.
- Manitou Springs Heritage Museum, Manitou SpringsManitou Springs' free history museum and research center.
- Pikes Peak Genealogical Society, Colorado SpringsGenealogy for the Pikes Peak region. Its members transcribed the stones and sexton records of 71 cemeteries in El Paso and Teller counties.
- Colorado GenWeb: El Paso CountyVolunteer genealogy pages for the county: community lists, histories, cemeteries and records.
Libraries and archives
- Pikes Peak Library District: Regional History & GenealogyThe library district's local-history department: books, county and town plans, maps and photographs. It sends free copies of newspaper articles found in its index.
- PPLD Digital Collections and Pikes Peak NewsFinderThe index to the Gazette and other Pikes Peak papers from 1870 on, many articles with the scan attached, plus photograph collections.
- Douglas County Libraries: HistoryThe county library's history research center and digital collections, among them the Larkspur society's site-survey binders.
- Colorado College Special CollectionsTutt Library's special collections, including Colorado Springs newspapers on microfilm from 1873.
- History Colorado: ResearchThe state history agency's research library and collections, including the Colorado Magazine.
- Denver Public Library: Western History CollectionPhotographs, maps, manuscripts and genealogy for Colorado and the West, much of it digitized.
- Colorado State ArchivesTerritorial and state records, among them the incorporation books of 1862 to 1957.
- Colorado Historic Newspapers CollectionFree, searchable Colorado newspapers from 1859, the Palmer Lake-Monument News of 1965-71 among them.
- Colorado EncyclopediaReference articles on Colorado history and places.
- ORCA: Online Resources for Colorado Archaeology and Historic PreservationGuides to Colorado archaeology and historic preservation.
Land records and maps
- BLM General Land Office RecordsFederal land patents, survey plats and field notes: who first patented the land, and when.
- National Archives: post office site reports (M1126)Every post office's site location reports, 1837-1950. Ours for the divide are bundled by office on the Research page.
- USGS topoViewEvery historical USGS topographic map, free to view and download.
- Douglas County historic resource map (2012)215 historic sites in ten layers, compiled by the county, Douglas County Libraries and the county's Historic Preservation Board, posted on Google Maps by the Larkspur Historical Society.
- El Paso County Clerk and RecorderDeeds and plats. Document images are online from 1996; older records are at the Citizens Service Center.
- El Paso County AssessorParcel records and sales.
Local history writing online
- Our Community News, Tri-LakesThe volunteer newspaper for Monument, Palmer Lake and the Tri-Lakes area. It reports the Palmer Lake Historical Society's programs.
- Colorado Restless NativeRob Carrigan's blog, with many reprinted local-history columns on Monument, Palmer Lake, Greenland, Eastonville and their neighbors.
- Larkspur Sentinel, LarkspurLarkspur's community news site.
Suggested reading
From the Larkspur Historical Society's links page, as it lists them.
- Douglas County, Colorado: Prehistory to 2020, by Weber and Schlupp (2022)
- Douglas County (Images of America), by the Castle Rock Writers (2017)
- D. C. Oakes: Family, Friends & Foe, by Perkins (2009)
For the documents themselves (maps, gazetteers, post-office records and early histories that are free to reuse), see Research files.