Cañon City (kănˈyən) [key], city (1990 pop. 12,687), seat of Fremont co., S central Colo., at the mouth of the Grand Canyon of the Arkansas River (see Royal Gorge); laid out 1859 on the site of a blockhouse built (1807) by Zebulon M. Pike, inc. 1872. It is a health and tourist resort in a scenic area with mineral springs. Marble and limestone are quarried, and a variety of other minerals are found in the region. Tools and cement are manufactured. A state prison is located there.
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