Welcome to the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum in the former El Paso County Courthouse.

The End of an Era - circa 1960 ... recognizing a century of skiing.

The former El Paso County Courthouse — Colorado Springs, CO.

Ceiling detail ... The former El Paso County Courthouse — Colorado Springs, CO.

District Courtroom where some of the Perry Mason episodes were filmed — Colorado Springs, CO.

Pikes Peak from the former El Paso County Courthouse — Colorado Springs, CO.

Historic photo and painting of Kenmuir Quarries at Derrick 11 — Pioneers Museum.

"The Eagle" L to R: Black Bull, Big Spring, and Stabs by Mistake — Pioneers Museum [Dis]Information.

Nicola Tesla did some of his early tests in Telluride, CO.

CoSprings: Pioneers Museum

January 22, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 48 °F

An overcast day that turned sunny and warm-ish as the day progressed begged to be enjoyed. After taking care of a few errands, we headed into downtown Colorado Springs to check out the Pioneers Museum, which is housed in the former El Paso County Courthouse. This small museum, which charges no admission, is “… committed to building a lasting connection to the Pikes Peak region by preserving and sharing our cultural history. …” In addition to the permanent displays that highlight regional history, there are special exhibits on various topics … including the ones that attracted our attention today: “Evidence: Finding the Facts about General William Jackson Palmer” (founder of Colorado Springs ... whose estate [Glen Eyrie] we visited not long ago) and “[Dis]Information: American Indians Through the Lens of Roland Reed.”

Another ‘attraction’ at the museum is the restored courtroom on the third floor. What made this room interesting to us is that mom enjoys watching re-runs of the Perry Mason TV show. Apparently a few of those episodes were filmed in that courtroom.

After wandering through the museum, we went to the Phantom Canyon Brewing Company for lunch. We were introduced to this brew/restaurant by our friend, Ray, when we had lunch with him here last spring. We weren’t disappointed then … nor were we today. Mom had fish and chips … a first for her; Mui ordered the squash and prosciutto salad with salmon; I got the shepherd’s pie. All tasty. We wrapped up with a cheesecake to share ... served with a maple whiskey, brown butter, and caramel sauce. Yummy!

It was during lunch that I got a text from Aylin … it was about midnight in İzmir, Turkey. They had been awakened by a 5.6 earthquake. No serious damage ... just a big scare. Needless to say, they were quite shaken [no pun intended] by the experience. I would be too. I’ve been through a number of earthquakes and know that they are downright scary ... more so when they happen in the dead of night. 🤞🏻there are no aftershocks to further fray everyone’s nerves.

(If you’d like to see more photos from today, go to my online gallery at this URL: https://eenusa.smugmug.com/North-America-US-Can…)Read more