Cañon City, Colorado, United States

🇺🇸 Cañon City is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Fremont County, Colorado, United States. Cañon City is the principal city of the Cañon City, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area and is a part of the Front Range Urban Corridor. Cañon City straddles the easterly flowing Arkansas River and is a popular tourist destination for sightseeing, whitewater rafting, and rock climbing. The city is known for its many public parks, fossil discoveries, Skyline Drive, The Royal Gorge railroad, the Royal Gorge, and extensive natural hiking paths. In 1994, the United States Board on Geographic Names approved adding the tilde to the official name of Cañon City, a change from Canon City as the official name in its decisions of 1906 and 1975. It is one of the few U.S. cities to have the Spanish Ñ in its name, others being La Cañada Flintridge, California; Española, New Mexico; Peñasco, New Mexico; and Peñitas, Texas.

History Cañon City was laid out on January 17, 1858, during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush, but then the land was left idle. A new company "jumped the claim" to the town's site in late 1859, and it put up the first building in February 1860. This town was originally intended as a commercial centre for mining in South Park and the upper Arkansas River.

1860s to 1900 In 1861, the town raised two companies of volunteers to serve with the Second Colorado Infantry during the American Civil War. This regiment fought in skirmishes in nearby New Mexico and as far east as the Indian Territory (Oklahoma) and Missouri before ending its organization in 1865.

In 1862, A. M. Cassaday drilled for petroleum 6 miles (10 km) north of Cañon City, close to a known oil seep. Cassaday struck oil at the depth of 50 feet (15 m), and he completed the first commercial oil well west of the Mississippi River. He drilled five or six more wells nearby, and he refined kerosene and fuel oil from the petroleum. Cassaday sold the products in Denver.

A number of metal ore smelters were built in Cañon City following the discovery of gold at Cripple Creek in 1891.

Historical designations The Cañon City Downtown Historic District is an historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Geography Cañon City is located in eastern Fremont County at an altitude of 5,332 feet (1,625 m). It sits primarily on the north side of the Arkansas River, just east of where the river exits from Royal Gorge. It is bordered to the south by the unincorporated community of Lincoln Park. Via U.S. Route 50, Pueblo is 39 miles (63 km) to the east and Poncha Springs is 62 miles (100 km) to the west. Colorado Springs is 45 miles (72 km) to the northeast.

At the 2020 United States Census, the city had a total area of 7,939 acres (32.127 km²) including 7.9 acres (0.032 km²) of water.

Neighborhoods As Cañon City has grown, the city has both annexed surrounding communities and developed new subdivisions to create the city that exists today. • Dawson Ranch • Eagle Heights • Fireman's Bluff • Four Mile Ranch • Gold Cañon • Meadowbrook • Orchard Park • South Cañon, a historic neighbourhood located on the west side south of the Arkansas River • Sunrise Mesa • Western Meadows • Wolf Park • Five Star Mobile Home park.

City-owned parks • Centennial Park, commonly known as "Duck Park" • Denver & Rio Grande Western Park, commonly known as "Depot Park" • Greydene Park • Magdalene Park • Margaret Park (originally Margarette Park) • Mountain View Park, home of the city's skate park • Red Canyon Park, a 500-acre (200 ha) park located 10 miles (16 km) north of the city • Royal Gorge Park, home of the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park • Rudd Park • Temple Canyon Park • Veterans Park, known for Entertainment in the Park concerts during the summer

Cañon City Area Recreation and Park District The Cañon City Area Recreation and Park District, commonly called the Rec District, was created in 1965 to better serve the community's recreational needs with parks, the R.C. Icabone Pool (a public swimming pool), a dog park, an archery range and a ropes course along with a rec district office with a community room.

The following parks are operated and owned by the Rec District: • John Griffin Park, located near the Sell's Avenue Trailhead of the Riverwalk • Harrison Park, the former playground of the former Harrison Elementary School which had been relocated to a newer, larger school building housing both elementary and middle school students • Pathfinder Regional Park, a joint-managed park located in the county between Cañon City and Florence • Rouse Park.

In addition, the city maintains the Tunnel Drive Trail, a four-mile long out-and-back trail that follows the course of an old irrigation canal. The trailhead is located at the west end of Tunnel Drive, just inside the city limits.

The Guy U. Hardy Award for Service to Outdoor Recreation was created in the name of Guy U. Hardy to recognize people in the community who "help preserve, protect and advocate for providing outdoor recreation opportunities". Hardy had a significant impact on outdoor recreational opportunities in the Royal Gorge area.

Economy The area being situated along the Arkansas River has allowed for soil suitable to orchards, ranching, and farming, but has largely grown to rely on the large number of state and federal prisons in the area, as well as to tourism, education, manufacturing, medicine and many other sectors.

Major employers Cañon City depends on the Colorado Department of Corrections and federal prison system, and its tourism industry which includes the Royal Gorge Route Railroad, Royal Gorge Bridge and Park, Red Canyon Park, The Abbey winery, and various other attractions. The major local employers include downtown shops, the entrepreneurial TechSTART initiative that attracts major technology-based entrepreneurs, and Centura Health (owner of St. Thomas More Hospital and the Progressive Care Center).

Prisons Prisons have served an important significance to both Cañon City and the surrounding areas of Fremont County, as well as to the state of Colorado. The Museum of Colorado Prisons has been given the role of preserving and presenting the past of the state's corrections system. Colorado Department of Corrections operates the Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility in Cañon City. In addition to several correctional facilities near Cañon City in unincorporated areas in Fremont County, Colorado State Penitentiary, the location of the state death row and execution chamber is in Fremont County. Other state prisons in Fremont County include Arrowhead Correctional Center, Centennial Correctional Facility, Fremont Correctional Facility, Four Mile Correctional Center, and Skyline Correctional Center.

Tourist Industry From Cañon City's Downtown Historic District located in the heart of the city to the Royal Gorge Bridge, there are many places to see and visit in the area.

Media Cañon City is home to a daily newspaper, called the Cañon City Daily Record; an FM radio station, Star Country 104.5 FM; and a long-running AM radio station, known as KRLN NewsRadio 1400 AM.

Transport Transportation in the Cañon City area consists of cab service, shuttle bus service, and a downtown wagon ride. The Royal Gorge Bridge trolley had also been used during special events (it was destroyed in the Royal Gorge Fire, but it was reserved for use by the Royal Gorge Bridge & Park. Jeep tours and Segway tours are also available to explore local parks such as Red Canyon Park or scenic places such as Skyline Drive.

The town is served by the Fremont County airport (1V6) which is 6 miles to the East and currently has no scheduled passenger service. Within an hour's drive is the Colorado Springs airport with daily service by major airlines.

Major roads and highways The area is served by one state and one U.S. highway with a mix of city and county roads to navigate the city or connect to neighboring areas.

State and national highways • U.S. Highway 50 - named Royal Gorge Boulevard from 1st Street to 15th Street in downtown Cañon • State Highway 115 - connects the city to nearby Florence and Penrose, ending in Colorado Springs

City and county roads • 4th Street - connecting Downtown with South Cañon, Oak Creek Grade, Prospect Heights, and Capitol Hill • 5th Street - serves as a north-south connector from Downtown north, allows traffic from Skyline Drive to return to U.S. 50 • 9th Street - serves as a carrier of CO 115 from the roundabout to the junction with U.S. 50, heads north and ends at Washington Street • 15th Street - main route north to the hospital, a fire station and a small cluster of businesses • Orchard Avenue • Raynolds Avenue/Ash Street - runs from centre of East Cañon to CO 115 via a county road, changes to a gravel road and becomes Chandler Road • MacKenzie / Four Mile Lane - routed to connect from CO 115 as a carrier of CR 20 until the city limits, at Hwy 50, heads north as Four Mile Lane

Bus service • Cañon City is part of Colorado's Bustang network. It is on the Alamosa-Pueblo Outrider line.

Scenic routes • Skyline Drive, major scenic route overlooking Cañon City that was originally built by local inmates at the Territorial Prison

Railroads • The Union Pacific Railroad mothballed the Tennessee Pass line in 1997. In 1998 Rock and Rail LLC was formed, and began operating on the former Union Pacific track between Cañon City and Parkdale. It also operates between Pueblo and Cañon City on lines purchased from the UP Railway. The tourist line Cañon City and Royal Gorge Railroad also operates on the RRRR's track.