In the early 1900s, a weekend outing at the mouth of Cheyenne Cañon began on a streetcar. Winfield Scott Stratton built a park at the end of his trolley line for those outings, and he also invested in the city's trolley network that carried people there. The park was finished in 1902. It covered about 20 acres and had a creek, a pond, walking trails, play equipment, pavilions, bridges, and a music pavilion at the trolley stop. According to a 2025 Gazette history piece, the stop was part of a 30-mile scenic streetcar tour that also passed through Manitou Springs and Broadmoor.
What is left of that park sits at 1819 W. Cheyenne Road. It is 8.48 acres of creek, pond, and forest, and most people nearby know it as the old P.E.O. Chapter House grounds. On September 10, 2026, the Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Advisory Board approved a Master and Management Plan for the property and gave it a formal name: Old Stratton Park. The City expects to open it to the public in 2027.
The City paid about $2.3 million for the land and plans to spend less than $95,000 to open it. That ratio shows what kind of park this will be for the next decade.
How a 20-Acre Streetcar Park Became 8.48 Acres
Stratton died the same year his park was finished. His estate went to the Myron-Stratton Home, and over time pieces of the original park were sold off for homes. The last 8.48 acres were sold in the mid-1960s to become the P.E.O. Chapter House. The new owners managed the land to keep its natural setting intact.
So the property did not have to be restored from a lawn or a parking lot. It stayed wooded for roughly 60 years under one owner. Most of what made it worth buying back came from that quiet stretch.
Three Futures the Property Almost Had
In 2021 the P.E.O. offered the land for sale. Over the next few years, three very different plans came and went.
- A writers' retreat. In August 2021, The Gazette reported that the Colorado P.E.O. Sisterhood had agreed to sell the property for $2.2 million, with a writers' retreat planned for the site. The City had shown interest but had not made a formal offer. In that same article, neighbors said they were glad to see development avoided.
- An Asian heritage center. In the end, the P.E.O. chose a $2.3 million offer from the Golden Lotus Foundation. The City Council record describes a deal where the City would buy and own the land in partnership with Golden Lotus, whose plan included an Asian heritage center, botanical gardens, and a tea house. Council approved the acquisition in late 2021. The money came from park land dedication ordinance fees, with a $2.305 million supplemental appropriation that covered transaction costs. In a January 2022 Gazette story, Golden Lotus founder Cynthia Chung Aki put the redevelopment at an estimated $40 million.
- A neighborhood park. The final plan says the City and Golden Lotus still had not finalized an operating agreement after three years. The City kept the property for park use.
Planning for that third option started in 2024. Each earlier plan would have added buildings and visitors. The one that got approved adds a trail.
What the First Phase Actually Buys
Appendix F of the Master and Management Plan lists everything needed to open the park, item by item.
| Phase I item | Quantity | Estimated cost |
|---|---|---|
| Soft-surface trail, minimum range | 2,400 linear feet | $24,000 |
| Creek lookouts with clearing and a low visual barrier | 3 | $10,500 |
| Primary entrance sign | 1 | $5,500 |
| Fencing | 640 linear feet | $30,720 |
| Operational signs | 10 | $3,500 |
| Formalized parking along the W. Cheyenne Road frontage | 1 lump sum | $10,000 |
| Re-created P.E.O. nature signs, as funding permits | 1 lump sum | $2,000 |
| Subtotal | $86,220 | |
| 10% contingency | $8,622 | |
| Total | $94,842 |
The total is about 4 percent of the $2.3 million purchase price, and a sliver of the $40 million once proposed for the site. The plan calls these figures estimated contractor costs and says the work is often done with existing City resources. The total also assumes the low end for the trail. If the 3-foot path needs imported material, the trail line rises to $64,800 and the total goes up by $40,800.
The City says its parks department has found funding for these opening improvements. Everything else in the plan will be added "as funding and resources allow." The plan labels Phase I a one-to-two-year effort, and the City's public target is 2027.
The Rules Come From the Size of the Site
The City describes the park as a quieter, lower-impact place to walk, experience nature, and learn the site's natural and cultural history. It is not meant to be another spot for active recreation. The rules follow from that:
- No dogs. The City says the natural area is too small and sensitive for them.
- No bicycles or e-bikes. Adaptive mobility devices are allowed.
- No general vehicle access inside the park. Only authorized vehicles may drive in, so visitors park on the street along West Cheyenne Road.
- Marked boundaries. Markers and post-and-dowel fencing will separate park land from neighboring private property.
The rules protect what is already there. The plan places Cheyenne Creek along the northern edge of the property and a small pond on the east side. It describes the pond as disturbed but still valuable habitat for birds and other wildlife. Animals seen or expected on the site include mule deer, black bear, raccoons, cottontail rabbits, red-tailed hawks, great horned owls, garter snakes, and bull snakes, plus the small aquatic invertebrates living in the creek.
Public comment cut one trail loop and added parking work to the first phase. KOAA reported on the draft-plan review, which included an August 18 community meeting and an August 23 feedback deadline. In the questionnaire that ran August 10 to 23, parking and neighborhood access came up 22 times. Funding and implementation came up 14 times, and so did safety, security, and enforcement. After that feedback, the City shortened the western trail loop to protect natural resources and moved the street parking work into Phase I.
That is why the $10,000 parking line sits in the first budget instead of a later phase. Parking was the top concern, and it got funded first.
Old Stratton Park offers "a quieter place to walk, experience nature and learn about the natural and cultural history of the site," Lonna Thelen, the City's Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Design & Development Manager, said in the City's September 29 announcement.
The Building Is the Open Question
Phase I does not touch the former P.E.O. Chapter House. The plan rates the building in poor condition and leaves two options for later: tear it down completely, or tear down part of it and renovate the rest. The City says it will evaluate the building first. That decision will shape what comes next on that part of the site, which could include community gathering space, nature play, or educational programs.
The plan will guide management and spending for the next five to 10 years. For now, the 2027 park is the trail, the three creek overlooks, the kiosk, and the curbside parking. The building and any gathering space will come later, if they come at all. Progress updates and the full plan are posted at ColoradoSprings.gov/OldStrattonPark.
For neighbors near West Cheyenne Road, a long stretch of quiet stewardship is giving way to public access, and it is happening slowly and on a small scale. If you own a home near the park and want to talk through how its phased opening fits with your own plans for the property, Trish Ingels is glad to arrange a private consultation. She brings more than 30 years of following this corner of Broadmoor.
