# Elephant Rock

- URL: https://palmerdivideresearch.com/places/elephant-rock/
- Also known as: Castle Rock (1820); Arched Rock; Phoebe's Arch
- Kind: Landmark rocks, buttes and mountains
- Status: Living today
- County: El Paso County, Colorado
- Point: 39.1187, -104.8911 (USGS GNIS point for the feature itself (a few hundred feet))

- Updated: 2026-10-07

## What we know

Sandstone landmark east of Palmer Lake. Samuel Seymour drew it as 'the Castle Rock' for the Long expedition on July 11, 1820, the day the party collected the blue columbine; later called Arched Rock and 'Phoebe's Arch' (probably Dr. Thompson's name, about 1887), and Elephant Rock by 1894 (McFarling in Sabin, S-0019, pp. 11-12, 22). A favorite Chautauqua picnic (Freed & Barber, S-0101); the Chamber of Commerce put a marker for it on Highway 105 after 1956.

## Where it was

USGS GNIS summit 'Elephant Rock', El Paso County (2021 Colorado file); the 1976 survey's 'elephant rock, 1½ mi. e. & s. of palmer lake' (B56, S-0101) agrees. Good to a few hundred feet.

## Sources

- S-0006: https://palmerdivideresearch.com/sources/#s-0006
- S-0019: https://palmerdivideresearch.com/sources/#s-0019
- S-0073: https://palmerdivideresearch.com/sources/#s-0073
- S-0101: https://palmerdivideresearch.com/sources/#s-0101

## Nearby

- [Pine Crest](https://palmerdivideresearch.com/places/pine-crest/): 1.0 mi southwest
- [D&RG icehouses, Palmer Lake](https://palmerdivideresearch.com/places/d-and-rg-icehouses-palmer-lake/): 1.2 mi west
- [Ben Lomond Ranch](https://palmerdivideresearch.com/places/ben-lomond-ranch/): 1.3 mi northwest
- [Santa Fe section foreman's house](https://palmerdivideresearch.com/places/santa-fe-section-foremans-house/): 1.4 mi west
- [Palmer Lake Town Hall (1914)](https://palmerdivideresearch.com/places/palmer-lake-town-hall-1914/): 1.4 mi west
- [Palmer Lake](https://palmerdivideresearch.com/places/palmer-lake/): 1.4 mi west

Source numbers (S-0000) refer to https://palmerdivideresearch.com/sources/. Compiled by Michael Christensen for Palmer Divide Research; CC BY 4.0.