West Colorado Springs in Manitou Springs in El Paso County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Garden of The Gods Trading Post
Photographed by Sandra Hughes Tidwell, August 8, 2025
1. Garden of The Gods Trading Post Marker
The Garden of the Gods Trading Company began in the early 1900s when teenager Charles E. Strausenback began selling his carved gypsum figures at Garden of the Gods' east gateway in front of Fatty Rice's beer hall.
In 1924, Strausenback began building "an Indian Pueblo curio museum" so tourists not traveling further southwest would have a chance to study the Pueblo structures. In this case, the museum was a private business, much like today's gift shops. Pueblo Indians were employed to dance and make baskets and pottery.
Navajo Indians wove blankets and created silver jewelry. Native Americans plied their trades at the Trading Post through the mid-1950s. In 1979, T.A.T. Enterprises, Inc. bought the Trading Post and began a series of additions, leaving the main structure much as it was in earlier days. Paintings and photographs by Strausenbeck, historical photos, and memorabilia recalling the property's history can be seen throughout the building. Wrought iron fixtures, designed and created by Strausenback, remain on the entry doors and around the fireplace.
Erected 2004 by Manitou Springs Historic Preservation Commission with the assistance of the Colorado Historical Society's State Historical Fund.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities
this page online
Location. 38° 51.843′ N, 104° 53.55′ W. Marker is in Manitou Springs, Colorado, in El Paso County. It is in West Colorado Springs. It is on Beckers Lane south of Garden Lane, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 324 Beckers Ln, Manitou Springs CO 80829, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Colorado’s Front Range and in Pikes Peak Region. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Comancherνa.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Garden of the Gods Trading Post (within shouting distance of this marker); The Amazing Balanced Rock (approx. Ό mile away); Goerke & Son Photography (approx. Ό mile away); A Plentiful Harvest (approx. Ό mile away); One Seed Juniper (approx. Ό mile away); Indian Trail (approx. 0.9 miles away); George Eber Duclo (approx. 1.1 miles away); An Early Adventurer in Manitou (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Manitou Springs.
Photographed by Sandra Hughes Tidwell, August 8, 2025
2. Entrance to the location
Photographed by Sandra Hughes Tidwell, August 8, 2025
3. Nearby indoor signage
Credits. This page was last revised on September 5, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 24, 2025, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 109 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 24, 2025, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
