Seven Falls | History | Scenic Wonders

Concentration of Scenic Wonders

Pillars of Hercules

A Tennessee native, Albert Galatyn Hill, lived in Colorado as a youth and attended Colorado College where one of his classmates was Melvin Weimer. On occasions, Mr. Hill, with a group of college friends, visited the canyon on moonlit nights so he realized the unique beauty of the canyon at night. Though some say that no one can improve nature, Mr. Hill, a Dallas resident, did when he purchased the Falls in 1946.

Nature shuts off the light with the setting of the sun. Mr. Hill turned it on with the dusk. He did not improve the natural scenery, of course, but by lighting many of the outstanding formations in South Cheyenne Canyon, he made it possible for spectators to enjoy the nighttime view.

Then, with Hill’s construction of the “Eagle’s Nest”, an observation platform on the south wall of the canyon, for the first time, all of the Seven Falls could be seen at once.

A funicular carried guest to the platform for many years. In 1992, it was replaced with an elevator.

The Pillars of Hercules

The Pillars of Hercules tower on either side of the narrow confines of the picturesque gorge. The Seven Falls tumble riotously in seven distinct cascades down the granite head of the canyon. 224 steps by the side of the falls lead to flower-decked banks by the crystal stream above the canyon. Spruce and pine trees form a never-to-be-forgotten scene of the Rockies that visitors carefully preserve in their memory. Far above the canyon the hiker comes to the former grave of Helen Hunt Jackson (author of Ramona) located where she often times sat and gazed at the mountains and plains she loved so well. All of this attracts tourists by the thousands.

By Harry Johnson—Gazette Telegraph, May 17, 1942