OCC Historical Society

About our Society:

The Old Colorado City Historical Society began to form in 1976 when a group of local history lovers came together to honor the history of the Westside of Colorado Springs. One of their main goals was to preserve Old Colorado City's history before Urban Renewal bulldozed it like much of downtown Colorado Springs. Thanks to their hard work we now have a neighborhood steeped in history that still remains. We honor that history through the preservation of artifacts, historical research, education, and community engagement. Not only do we preserve our past, but we strive to be an active part of our community's present and future.

About our Fundraiser:

With generous support from our community, we were lucky enough to open the doors to our History Center in 1997. For nearly 30 years, it has served as a museum, archive, and community space.

As with any 140-year-old building, ours has its quirks. Ironically, it’s the "newer" 1930-1940s concrete basement addition that has become our biggest challenge. Improperly sealed windows in that section have led to water damage and structural concerns. In May 2025, our basement—which of our archive and collections—suffered flooding during a period of torrential rain. Thanks to the quick response and hard work of our volunteers, we were able to prevent damage to our collections.

Upon discovery of the flood some exhibit building materials were damaged. If left any longer, the water would have reached all rooms of the basement, and flooded certain parts more seriously due to uneven floors.

Flooding in the document and photo room threatens irreplaceable artifacts.

In order to keep our building and irreplaceable archives safe, we must repair our aging foundation. This includes structural reinforcement, waterproofing, water mitigation, environmental systems, and sidewalk repairs. Bids for repairs at the present time are $45,000-50,000, but cannot be started until after October.

Damage to the foundation caused by old patched-over windows (upper left). Water pours through these cracks during rain storms. A volunteer constructed dam (lower right) funnels water to a drain and away from rooms holding important archives.

About Old Colorado City:

Colorado City was founded in 1859, twelve years before Colorado Springs. It was a blue-collar town full of hardworking families who lived off of local industries including the Midland Railroad and multiple gold ore processing mills. Unlike the prim and proper Colorado Springs, we hosted "saloon row", complete with illegal gambling, a bustling red light district, and tunnels to keep the privacy of the Springs men coming into town for those activities.

This environment nurtured quite a host of larger-than-life characters whose stories we continue to uncover and share. We also honor the everyday lives of families who built this community. Through our work, we strive to preserve and present the authentic history of real people in Colorado’s past.