History
Divide, Colorado sits nestled on the north slope of “America’s Mountain”, Pikes Peak. The same regional splendor that inspired Katharine Lee Bates to write “America the Beautiful” has drawn people to Divide to make it their home.
Originally named Hayden’s Divide after Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden, (a surveyor, geologist and paleontologist who helped to map the region), local settlers in the 1880’s just called the area Divide because major water run-offs divided to the north, south, east and west at this point.
Over the past 100+ years of settlement in the region, Divide has seen a range of activities from ranching and farming (iceberg lettuce and potatoes being the most notable crops), to tourism (Mueller State Park, Pike National Forest).
The Midland Depot in Divide played a significant role during the heyday of train travel in Colorado. Significant not only for its location between the thriving gold camps of Cripple Creek and Victor and Colorado Springs, but significant as well for the tourist industry that, with the advent of railroads, was able to thrive in the region as well. The proximity of the train station to Coulson Lake also allowed the farming industry to boom. Ice was cut from the lake and lettuce was packed for export, made less perishable with the cold storage opportunity.
Divide is the gateway to many of Colorado’s outstanding State and National Parks. Annual visitors are awed by the proximity to wild beauty and pristine vistas.
Divide is also a thriving community of local residents and businesses. Divide is home to about 4,000 year-round residents. The area is protected from uncontrolled development by a regional growth plan that protects view corridors and the types of development that are appropriate for a rural community.
Located at the central crossroads of Teller County, Divide is affectionately called “The center of the known universe”. This is the place where Teller County’s past intersects the future.