Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site3105 Gateway Road, Colorado SpringsHours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday until Aug. 18Admission: adults, $8; seniors, $5; students, $4; children 5 and under, freehttp://rockledgeranch.com719-578-6777Rock Ledge Ranch depicts life in the Pikes Peak region in four time periods: Ute and Plains Indians of 1775, homesteaders of the 1860s, ranchers of the 1880s and Edwardian country life in 1907.Members of the ranch’s Living History Association dress in period costume and demonstrate life in the four eras, giving visitors insight on the Plains Indians, the rigors of homesteading, the challenges of running a working farm and the elegance of Colorado Springs life in the early 20th century.The property includes three original buildings that have been restored (the Galloway homestead, the Chambers home and ranch and an estate built by Gen. William Palmer).The ranch was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and is managed by the Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department.Some GPS devices give an incorrect location for the ranch. The entrance is located across from the Garden of the Gods visitor center on North 30th Street in Colorado Springs.The Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame5867 No. Nevada Ave., Colorado SpringsHours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday until September; Tuesday through Saturday October through March. Guided tours are available Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.Admission: freehttp://themotorcyclemuseum.org719-487-8005This museum is a must-see for motorcycle enthusiasts. The collection of fully restored motorcycles includes 26 Harley Davidsonís built between 1915 and 1999, four Triumph motorcycles from the 1960s and 1970s, two Excelsior motorcycles from the 1920s and 10 motorcycles produced between 1913 and 1978 by the Indian Motorcycle Manufacturing Co. and its successors.The names and faces of the pioneers of motorcycling and their contributions are captured in photographs and biographies and displayed throughout the museum.The all-volunteer organization began collecting antique and classic motorcycles in the late 1980s, when hundreds of American motorcycles were being exported to collectors in Japan, Europe and Australia.RMMM members are also available as a resource for documentation, vintage parts suppliers, local expert technicians and advice for anyone restoring a motorcycle at home.Miramont Castle MuseumOff Ruxton Avenue in Manitou SpringsHours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through Labor DayAdmission: adults, $8; seniors, $7; children, $5; active duty military, active firefighters and children 5 and under, free; $1-off-per-admission coupons available on the Web sitehttp://miramontcastle.org719-685-1011The earliest deed for the property on which Miramont Castle was built dates back to 1862, when Col. John Chivington was listed as the owner. The property’s subsequent owners included Gen. William Palmer’s Colorado Springs Co.A French priest, Jean Baptiste Francolon, built the Miramont Castle after he arrived in Manitou Springs in 1892.Francolon spent 14 years in New Mexico converting American Indians to Catholicism. Unpopular there, he survived an assassination attempt by poison. He fled to Manitou Springs to seek a cure for his ills.The son of a wealthy and aristocratic French family, Francolon began construction of the Miramont Castle in 1895, acting as his own architect and integrating his favorite architectural styles.The result is a 14,000-square-foot structure featuring a hodgepodge of styles: Queen Anne, Romanesque, English Tudor, Flemish stepped gables, domestic Elizabethan, Venetian Ogee, Byzantine, Moorish and half-timber Chateau.Built into a hillside above the city, each of the Miramont’s four stories has at least one exit to the ground level, perhaps a testament to Francolon’s paranoia. There are hidden compartments in fireplaces, and there were underground tunnels like the Montcalme Sanitarium, which was built on the property at the same time.A loner and again unpopular with local residents, Francolon returned to France in 1900, taking along his art collection but leaving behind a mansion full of furniture. He returned to the United States in 1912 and died 10 years later in New York City, without ever returning to the castle he built.The Miramont (which means ìlook at the mountainî) remained empty until the Montcalme Sanitarium burned to the ground in 1907. Its operators, the Sisters of Mercy, moved their patients into the Miramont and continued to operate the sanitarium there for 20 years.In 1928, with the sanitarium no longer profitable, the Sisters converted the Miramont into a boarding house for the wealthy, then a vacation and retreat house for the clergy. They eventually vacated the Miramont, which stood empty until it was sold in 1946 to private owners.The Manitou Springs Historical Society purchased the Miramont in 1976 and began restoration.Admission includes a self-guided tour of the gardens and the castle’s 42 rooms (one eight-sided and one with 16 sides).The first floor includes a miniature display of Colorado Springs in the late 1800s, when the city was known as ìLittle London.î
