Monument

History

Monument's first homesteaders arrived in 1865 to mark out the town's preliminary shape, but settlement increased when Monument became a stop along the Rio Grande Railroad in 1872. The area was incorporated as a town called Henry's Station, after prominent settler Henry Limbach, on June 2, 1879, and the first town meeting was held July 3, 1879. However, three years later the name was changed to Monument after Monument Creek and Monument Rock in the west. The first records of the town can be found in various volumes in the El Paso County Courthouse dating back to 1872. With the help of the railroad, which brought in necessities, people started small businesses and started to create a town.

Geography

Monument is located north of Colorado Springs and the United States Air Force Academy, and east of the Rampart Range, which is the eastern front range of the Rocky Mountains. Monument Creek, a gentle mountain stream beginning in the Rampart Range, eventually tumbles down through Palmer Lake and the west side of Monument to become one of the main waterways flowing south through Colorado Springs. The town of Monument is situated on the southern slope of Palmer Divide, a significant geographical feature which separates the Arkansas and South Platte basins. According to the United States Census Bureau, Monument has a total area of , all of it land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Black-billed Magpie

  Pica hudsonia (Sabine, 1823) · Aves
  8,481
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  8,280
• Dark-eyed Junco

  Junco hyemalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  7,045
• Northern Flicker

  Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,951
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  6,753
• Mountain Chickadee

  Poecile gambeli (Ridgway, 1886) · Aves
  6,730
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  6,306
• Steller's Jay

  Cyanocitta stelleri (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  5,795

Largest nearby schools

• The Classical Academy Charter
  Elementary · COLORADO SPRINGS · 1,874 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• Pine Creek High School
  High · COLORADO SPRINGS · 1,815 students · 18.1:1 ratio
• Liberty High School
  High · COLORADO SPRINGS · 1,647 students · 18.3:1 ratio
• Rampart High School
  High · COLORADO SPRINGS · 1,454 students · 16.9:1 ratio
• Air Academy High School
  High · USAF ACADEMY · 1,329 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• Lewis-Palmer High School
  High · MONUMENT · 1,181 students · 21.9:1 ratio
• Palmer Ridge High School
  High · MONUMENT · 1,094 students · 19.9:1 ratio
• Discovery Canyon Campus High School
  High · COLORADO SPRINGS · 1,087 students · 18.7:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3 — 2025-10-17
  11 km NNE of Black Forest, Colorado
• M 2.5 — 2021-06-26
  19 km WNW of Cañon City, Colorado
• M 2.5 — 2020-10-24
  2 km ESE of Georgetown, Colorado
• M 2.6 — 2008-07-26
  13 km NE of Cotopaxi, Colorado
• M 2.9 — 2008-02-26
  29 km WNW of Westcreek, Colorado
• M 3.1 — 2008-01-26
  12 km NE of Cotopaxi, Colorado