COBWEB CORNERS: What were they thinking?

By Mel McFarland

       Last time I talked about the railroads, and I need to point out some mistakes some people make. My first has to do with the City of Colorado Springs and its Midland Trail project, which does not use the Midland right of way at all, but the Rio Grande's! Ever been to the Manitou Springs swimming pool? Did you know it was designed to open up its roof in the warm summer? Well when it was built they used the mechanism similar to the one for the cog trains, but they opened and closed it so often the first few weeks, just to show it off, they broke it! Now it is permanently closed.
       Street names are a good topic. I have mentioned that the street names and numbers in Colorado City were changed at least five times between 1885 and 1917. The streets in Colorado Springs also changed, but not all of them. When Colorado Springs and Colorado City joined, that's when the last big change came to Colorado City, but Colorado Springs liked the names of some of our streets. Huerfano Street became Colorado Avenue all the way to Manitou. There are other interesting ones like Limit, near 8th Street. It was the border between the two towns. Colorado Springs started its numbering at Cascade, but did not change the street names, like Spruce, Walnut and Cooper, until 7th Street. Do you know where First, Second, Third and Fourth are? Near Fillmore and Hancock. Why? Well, they were for a town called Papetown.
       I always get a chuckle when these come up. Yes Airport Road used to go to the airport, when the terminal was on the north side, where Peterson AFB is located. Fountain Boulevard used to be the road to Fountain. Palmer Park Boulevard used to go to Palmer Park's south east entrance. In the 1950s, it was changed when the houses north of Constitution were built. Also, Maizeland, was originally part of Palmer Park Boulevard until the same time. Actually at one time there was a town called Maizeland near where Maizeland Road and Academy Boulevard meet. Union Boulevard was named for the Union Printers Home, Institute was named for the Deaf and Blind Institute (now Deaf and Blind School), and Woodmen for the Modern Woodmen of the World Sanitarium, in Woodmen Valley.
       Now, do you know where Main Street is?