Wheeler Town Clock

Wheeler Town Clock. . , Jerome Wheeler donated this clock in 1889 for the opening of the Manitou Mineral Water Bottling Company. The clock, cast by the J. L. Mott Iron Works of Trenton, New Jersey, was also a fountain. Water flowed from stylized dolphin heads into bowls; the lower bowls allowed "man's best friend" a drink. The statue on top is of the Greek Goddess Hebe (pronounce HEEbee), daughter of Zeus and Hera. Hebe was the keeper of the elixir of eternal youth for the gods of Mt. Olympus, which was served from the pitcher she holds at her side. The selection of Hebe represented the healing properties of the City's mineral water., Born in 1841 in Troy, New York, Wheeler came to Colorado after serving in the Civil War and marrying Harriet Macy Valentine. He was a vice president of the family business, New York's Macy's department store, until coming west in 1883 for Mrs. Wheeler's health. Wheeler became a millionaire from Leadville and Aspen mining investments. He founded banks in Aspen, Colorado City, and Manitou Springs, helped organize the Manitou Mineral Water Company, the Colorado City Glass Factory, the Manitou and Pikes Peak Railway, and the Colorado Midland Railroad. Wheeler lost much of his fortune in the 1893 Silver Panic and through lawsuits. As a testament to his integrity, Wheeler made sure that when his bank failed he repaid his investors dollar for dollar. He also sent the City $10,000 in aid following a 1913 flood., In 1991, the Historic Preservation Commission and the Colorado Centennial Chapter #100 of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors restored the Clock using donations from local citizens and businesses. Restoration included repainting, recreating stained glass faces from historic photos, recasting missing dolphin heads, and creating new interior works/illumination. New landscaping completed the little park., The Wheeler Town Clock is listed as contributing to Manitou Springs' 1983 National Register and 1980 Local Historic Preservation Districts.