Trail Historian Eric Swab: Where’s Fisher Canyon?

Fishers Canyon Homestead Claims

by Eric Swab ©2024

 

Fishers Canyon is a little-known gouge in the rocks at the northeast end of Cheyenne Mountain, between the “antenna farm” and the Broadmoor’s “Cloud Camp” resort. If you have hiked the MacNeill trail north to the point where the trail crosses a saddle from the east to the west side of the mountain, you were standing at the head of Fishers Canyon. Looking down from there the canyon looks steep and forbidding. Below, the mouth of the canyon is much more inviting. Hopefully, in the future it will be part of a connecting trail between North Cheyenne Canon and Cheyenne Mountain State Park.

 

More than 100 years ago, the canyon was a destination for hikers and equestrians. The 1916 and 1918 editions of “Mountain Trails of the Pikes Peak Region”, trail maps drawn by Manly Ormes, shows a trail climbing up Fishers Canyon.[1] Ormes describes the hike under half day trips, “Take street car to the end of the Broadmoor line, go south on country road one mile then follow it west one-fourth mile, go through gate on left and take the road known as the Eisenminger road; go south to the end of the road, and take the trail just beyond the end of it to Fisher’s cabin, on the slopes of Cheyenne Mountain.”[2] That trail also passed Eisenminger’s cabin, and near the end of the trail, past Fishers Cabin, the map shows a picnic ground.

 

The canyon attracted homesteaders as early as 1873, just 2 years after the establishment of the Fountain Colony (Colorado Springs). The following claims were made within what we now call Fishers Canyon.

 

  • Richard E. Gaines, the son, filed a claim for 160 acres on May 12, 1873. At age 25, he was issued a patent for the land on April 20, 1874.
  • Richard Gaines, the father, filed a claim for 120 acres on November 19, 1873. At age 64, he was issued a patent for his property on July 30, 1874.
  • David Stephenson, filed a claim for 160 acres on June 2, 1874. At age 53, he was issued a patent on May 15, 1876.
  • Joshua Fisher, filed a claim for 160 acres on September 11, 1907. At age 69, he was issued a patent on January 11, 1910.
  • Spencer Penrose, and Frank M. Arbour, filed a claim for 120 acres on September 18, 1916. They were issued a patent on September 24, 1917. Penrose was 51. Arbour assigned his interests in the property to Penrose.
  • Bert L. Swisher, filed a claim for 360 acres on July 15, 1921. At age 39, he was issued a Stock Raising patent on May 15, 1926. Most of his land was on top of the mountain, but part of it dropped a short distance into the canyon.

There are at least two cabin ruins in the canyon. One of the cabins is on Joshua Fisher’s land the other occupies land Richard Gaines’ (the father) homesteaded. A map of the “Penrose Pipelines” shows the property claimed by Gaines was owned by C. H. Eisenmenger (sic) in 1916, and a trail map from the 1920s identifies the cabin as Eisenminger’s. There could be other cabin sites in the canyon, yet to be discovered.

 

The Gaines/Eisenmenger cabin ruin is unusual. The walls of are completely gone, leaving only an excavated pad and the remains of a stone fireplace. The chimney, instead of raising straight up from the fireplace, was located 15 feet away. The fireplace and chimney are connected by a stone flue built on the ground. It appears the design was intended to vent the smoke and sparks away from the cabin.

 

Richard Gaines (1810-1879)
Richard Gaines was born in Georgetown, District of Columbia. He grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1854 he moved with his wife Jane, and four children to Fairfield, Iowa. There he acquired a large tract of land and built a brick home. In 1870 he moved his wife and by then ten children, to Fountain Colorado, where he raised cattle. He was a Royal Arch Mason.[3]  He was a director of the El Paso County Library, a Justice of the Pease, and a member of the board of the Bates Ditch Company. At age 62 he and his wife had their 12th child. When he died at age 69, nine of their children were still living.

 

Mr. Gaines’s second child, Richard Edward Gaines (1848-1919), homesteaded 160 acres located just south of Fishers Canyon Basin. In February of 1876, he sold his land to his father for $200. The south half of this property became part of the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Base. He and his family moved to Hermosa, Colorado, near Durango. He died there at age 70. His wife Cora (1852-1936) lived to be 84.

 

David Stephenson (1823-1882)
David Stephenson was born in England. He was a Captain in the 51st King’s Own Light Infantry. His service took him to India and South Africa. While in India he met and married Susan Chadwick Brown (1830-1902) in 1846. Their first child was born in India, the next three in South Africa, and their youngest in France in 1870. The family immigrated to the United States in 1871, spending a short time in New York and Virginia before settling in Colorado Springs. David enjoyed hunting and exploring in the Rocky Mountains. He is buried in Evergreen Cemetery. By 1900, Susan was living with her daughter’s family in Box Elder, Wyoming where she died.[4]

 

Joshua Fisher (1841-1919)[5]
The remains of Joshua Fisher’s cabin is easy to miss, consisting of only a course or two of rotting logs resting on a stone foundation. Joshua was born in Ohio. He was a veteran of the Civil war. He married Catherine West in 1864. In the late 1870s they moved to Missouri. Five of their eight children were born in Ohio and the remaining three in Missouri. Around 1900 he and his wife became estranged. By 1907, he had moved into the canyon that would eventually take his name, and was living in a tent while he built his 10’ by 12’ cabin. In his homestead testimony, the 67-year-old laments the fact that he couldn’t convince his wife to come live with him. Joshua Fisher is listed in the Colorado Springs City Directory for the years 1909, 1914, 1916 and 1917. The fact that the canyon is named after him, suggests he may have spent a significant amount of time there.

 

Spencer Penrose (1865-1939)
Spencer Penrose was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the fifth of seven children of Richard Alexander Fullerton Penrose and Sarah Hannah Boies. He came to Colorado Springs in 1892, partnered with his friend Charles L. Tutt Sr. (1864-1909). They became millionaires investing in Cripple Creek District real estate. They were joined by Charles M. MacNeill (1871-1923) and the three invested in the mills to process gold ore, and in railroads to bring the ore to their mills in Colorado City. Penrose next invested in copper mining in Utah and became wealthy. He then turned to Colorado Springs intent on making it a tourist destination for affluent health seekers. In 1915 he improved the degraded wagon road to the summit of Pikes Peak for automobile traffic. In 1916, the first year the highway was open, he initiated an automobile race to the summit that is still run to this day. That same year he purchased the Mount Manitou Incline, the Broadmoor Casino and the surrounding 450 acres of land. He completed the Broadmoor Hotel in 1918. In 1925, he purchased and began the improvement of the Pikes Peak Cog Railroad and summit house. His 1917 homestead patent on Cheyenne Mountain was certainly not for a residence, but most likely to secure water for his new hotel. At the time he filled for the water rights in Fishers Canyon he already owned 440 acres along the pipe line route.[6]

 

Bert L. Swisher (1887-1970)
Bert Leroy Swisher and his twin sister, Lera Beryl were born in Saint Joseph, Missouri, third in the line of five children. Their parents were James Madison Swisher and Mary Ann Graves. The family moved to Colorado Springs in 1900. Bert was a plumber, and worked for several firms before establishing his own business in 1928. By 1923, Bert’s family was living in Manitou. Bert and his father enjoyed hunting on Cheyenne Mountain. Bert also outfitted and lead hunting parties on Pikes Peak and Cheyenne Mountain. His love of the mountain undoubtedly led to filling a homestead claim on March 19, 1917, for 160 acres on the top of Cheyenne Mountain. Unfortunately, 80 acres of his claim had also been claimed by Thomas Dixon. Mr. Dixon’s claim pre-dated Swisher’s and Bert lost half of his claim and the improvements he had made. Bert’s wife, Myra and two daughters, Mildred and Marion lived on the claim for 9 months of the year, in order to meet the homestead residency requirement. While Bert was working, he stayed in town during the week, coming to the mountain on weekends. Family legend has it that Myra would build a fire where the smoke could be seen from Manitou to tell Bert the family was OK. If there was no smoke, Bert would ride his bicycle from Manitou, up the Stage Road, stopping part way and hiking up a steep trail to the top and his homestead.

 

Carl Herman Eisenmenger (1887-1941)
Carl Eisenmenger did not homestead in the canyon. However, by 1916 he owned at least 200 acres at the mouth of the canyon, which included the 120 acres homesteaded by Richard Gaines. At the time Manly Ormes was creating his trail maps of the area, Carl was well enough known to have a road and cabin named for him. In 1913 he married Lucile Muhlberg in Manhattan, New York. 1914 is the only year the Colorado Springs City Directory listed Carl and Lucile. They were living at 1815 Wood Avenue. Carl was born in Washington D. C. to Carl and Magdalene Eisenmenger. He was educated in Germany. When his father retired as president of the Bavarian Brewery, his mother took over the position, her son in law, John F. Hehl, became vice-president and Carl became a director.  In 1911, Carl became president, a position he held until 1935 when the company went out of business. During prohibition Carl kept the company afloat by producing “near beer”. Carl was listed as the president of the Cheyenne Mountain Land Company when the company filed for the water rights to a couple springs on the northeast side of Cheyenne Mountain. One of those springs was in Fishers Cayon. Work on constructing the pipe lines was begun at the end of 1911. Carl split his time between Wilmington and Colorado Springs.

 

Penrose Pipe Line[7]
The greatest number of artifacts found in the canyon are remnants of a pipeline built by Spencer Penrose. In 1916 he applied to the Colorado State Engineer for the rights to the water from several springs in the canyon. He laid the pipe that brought that spring water to a reservoir for use at the Broadmoor Hotel and golf course in 1917. A 1919 modification increased the pipe’s size and straightening some of its curves. The trail that exists in the canyon today, follows this abandoned pipe line. Part of the system is a large concrete vault near the Gaines/Eisenmenger cabin, as well as a smaller concrete sump, located below the Fisher cabin, where several pipes come together. Also part of the pipe line is a stone structure above the Fisher cabin. All along the route can be found abandoned pipe and water valves. The purpose for this pipe line must have been to quench the thirst of the future guests Broadmoor Hotel which would open in 1918.

 

B-24 Crash[8]
A more recent artifact found in the canyon near the Gaines/Eisenmenger cabin is a landing gear from a B-24 Liberator bomber that crashed in the canyon in August of 1943. The plane, built in Fort Worth, Texas, was delivered to the U.S. Army Air Forces on June 14, 1943, at a cost of $306,592.00. It had only flown 287 hours. The cause of the crash was believed to have been caused by the pilot showing off for his sister who was staying at the Broadmoor Hotel. His sister was a witness to the crash. An aeronautical archeologist believes the crash was more likely caused by the tail falling off the plane. He claims there was a design flaw that existed in a short production run which was later corrected. Three such tail failures happened in Colorado.

 

It is likely that once the canyon is made accessible to the public, more history will be discovered, and maybe the picnic ground will be located and restored!

 

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[1] Manly Ormes, “Mountain Trails of the Broadmoor Region, The Pikes Peak Camping and Mountain Trail Association”,” 1920s.

[2] Manly Ormes and Sawyer & Garstin, Enginers, “Mountain Trails of the Pikes Peak Region” (Pikes Peak, Colorado: The Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce, 1916), Special Collections, Pikes Peak Public Library.

[3] “Death of Mr. Richard Gaines,” Colorado Springs Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo., September 2, 1879).

[4] “Death of Pioneer Citizen Recalls Interesting Past,” Top O’The World – WCU (Gunnison, CO, February 22, 1928).

[5] “National Archive Land Entry File for Joshua Fisher, Section 4, Township 15 South, Range 67 West” (United States Government, January 11, 1910).

[6] H. I. Reid, “Map of the Penrose Pipe Lines, El Paso County Colorado,” July 1916, Web site, Colorado Division of Water Resources.

[7] Ibid.

[8] “Army Bomber With Ten Men Crashes, Burns Here,” Colorado Springs Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo., August 29, 1943).

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