Rock formations, then named as the Valley of Bagdad, in Perry Park, c. 1880s
The Perry Park area was originally inhabited by the Ute, Kiowa, Arapaho and CheyenneNative American tribes. It was not settled by American immigrants until the 1858 Pike's Peak Gold Rush near present-day Colorado Springs. Then ranchers such as Ben Quick and George Ratcliffe began settling in the area. In 1870 John D. Perry, president of the Kansas Pacific Railroad, visited Colorado and purchased the 4,000-acre (16 km2) "Pleasant Park" that would eventually be named Perry Park. Mr. Perry's son, Charles, became a permanent resident of the ranch and raised short-horn cattle in the area until his death in 1876. Charles Perry died as a result of being kicked by a horse on the ranch. In 1888 John Perry, along with a number of other investors created the Red Stone Town, Land, & Mining Company which attempted to turn Pleasant Park into a resort destination. A dam was constructed, creating Lake Wauconda. A large hotel was built southwest of the lake.
One of the investors, Charles Roberts, built one of the only homes in the new development along the shores of Lake Wauconda (even though the entire area surrounding the lake was platted for home development). The Roberts home—the Manor House—is now the clubhouse for Perry Park Country Club.
Attempts to extend the railroad running through Larkspur directly into the park failed and the resort failed to prosper. Land deed problems contributed to the failure of the resort since many parcels of land could not be legally traced to the owners. The ranch changed hands many times in the early to mid-1900s. The hotel was eventually destroyed by fire.
Geography
Perry Park is located in south-central Douglas County at the foot of the Rampart Range, the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains in this area. It is 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Castle Rock, the Douglas County seat. Perry Park Ranch is known for the dramatic array of 'red rock' sandstonerock formations. They are part of the Fountain Formation, which is found along the eastern mountain face of the Front Range. The Pike National Forest and Rampart Range neighbor the community to the west.
The Perry Park CDP has an area of 5,496 acres (22.240 km2), including 22 acres (0.091 km2) of water.[2]
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