Stratton Open Space
History and Description
Efforts to protect the Stratton Property date back to at least 1980 when Dr. Richard Beidleman of The Colorado College called for protection of the property. By 1995, a local grassroots organization called Cheyenne Commons developed a document demonstrating public support for the open space preservation of the Stratton. The group collected over 1,000 signatures in support of the protection of the property.
In 1997, the City of Colorado Springs passed a Trails Open Space and Parks Tax Initiative (TOPS) to provide funding for the acquisition of significant open space lands in and around Colorado Springs. The Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national non-profit brought the City of Colorado Springs and Cheyenne Commons group together and worked with the landowner, the Myron Stratton Home, to find a way to protect the property in perpetuity for the citizens of Colorado Springs.
In early 1998, the TOPS program committed over four million dollars to the project and the TPL was able to secure purchase options on the three parcels of the property, comprising 306 acres. TPL and Cheyenne Commons committed to raise one million dollars from various sources to see the land protected. Final funding for the acquisition came from Great Outdoors Colorado in the form of a $502,000 grant to the City of Colorado Springs. The grant required that a conservation easement be placed on the property and held by the Palmer Land Trust. The purchase of the property by the City of Colorado Springs became official in July 1998.
Today, the property hosts a wide variety of natural habitats that include shrublands, riparian zones, ponderosa pine, and Douglas fir forests and areas of mixed grass prairie. The Stratton provides significant recreational areas, open space values, and scenic values.
Driving Directions to Stratton
Head west on Highway 24 (Cimarron Street) from the intersection of Highway 24 and Interstate 25. Turn south on 21st Street, which becomes Cresta Road. Approximately three miles south, Cheyenne Mountain High School is on the right side and the property is located to the west and south of the high school of of La Veta. Take a right on La Veta, which will lead you to the Stratton parking lot and trailhead. The property may also be accessed from Cheyenne Road and Ridgeway Drive.