Perhaps it was his ability to reach all strata of society - he valued hard work, individualism and optimism. Perhaps it was his humor. He was funny. Case and point: “When I die, my epitaph, or whatever you call those signs on the gravestones, is going to read: ‘I joked about every prominent man of my time, but I never met a man I didn’t like.’ I am so proud of that, I can hardly wait to die so it can be carved.” Whatever the case may be, in the mid-30s Spencer Penrose, a rich philanthropist based in Colorado Springs, built a shrine and dedicated it to his friend, Will Rogers, the American singing cowboy and humorist.
The Shrine, called Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun, is on top of a mountain inside Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. “It is build from a single slab of granite,” explains Lori Bellingham, Vice President at the El Polar Foundation, “and no wood or nails were used at all in construction.” It stands 5 stories tall and includes a set of Westminster chimes that are played every hour - heard 20 miles away from the shrine. There is also an organ that plays music whenever it seems appropriate and it often plays music on the weekends. The story of the Shrine and of how it ended up being the Will Rogers Shrine is very interesting.
Spencer Penrose and Julia Penrose came from elsewhere but settled in Colorado Springs. It was a place they both loved. Though Penrose made his fortune in mining, he spent it in civic development and philanthropy. “Mr. Penrose loved the rockies and wanted others to see them and Julia Penrose loved the arts and contributed a lot to the arts in Colorado,” explains Bellingham. Julia was responsible to many artistic related institutions, notably the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. “Speck” financed and constructed the Broadmoor Hotel, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Pikes Peak Highway, and of course the Shrine.
Pikes Peak Highway is notable for a few reasons. First, Pikes Peak itself is over 14,000 feet above sea level, declared a National Historic Landmark, and was the spot where Katherine Lee Bates composed the song “America the Beautiful.” It is also home to a hillside road race since Mr. Penrose made the road in 1916, making it “the second oldest motorsport race in the country,” Bellingham says.
The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is the only mountainside zoo in America and when one purchases admission to the zoo, they are able to go the Will Rogers Shrine. It was built as a mausoleum because “Mr. And Ms. Penrose loved the area and wanted to stay there forever,” explains Bellingham. Therefore the lower level has a chapel and houses the bodies of Julia and Spencer Penrose. When walking in the main entrance, “you will see huge murals done by the artist Randall Davey from Santa Fe,” Bellingham says. These murals depict western aspects of western history in chronological order, starting with, “”the Spanish invasion of New Mexico,” Bellingham states. The lower level, given that it is a small chapel, feels like a church, but the rest of the building has a museum feel where many of the rooms are devoted to memorabilia related to Will Rogers.
The exact reasoning behind Penrose deciding to dedicate the Shrine to Will Rogers is a mystery, however it is known that Will Rogers and Penrose were friends and Will Rogers tragically passed in a plane accident in Alaska during construction. “Many celebrities would come and stay at the Broadmoor Hotel,” explains Bellingham,”and Penrose loved the west and the singing cowboys like Will Rogers.” Whatever the case may be, Penrose, who devoted so much of his energy and resources to the betterment of Colorado, also contributed to the legacy of Will Rogers with the Shrine. When Penrose died, he left $21 million dollars to the foundation he started called El Pomar Foundation, which Bellingham works for. “With that initial gift we were able to manage assets and give about $21-25 million a year to the state of Colorado,” explains Bellingham. The El Pomar Foundation is a general purpose foundation that gives grants to arts, health, education, civic, and just about any other worthy cause.
El Pomar Foundation manages a few legacy properties that are worthy of note. They manage the Penrose home, which is now a free-for-use conference center for nonprofit organizations. They also manage the Penrose Heritage Museum. This museum was originally called the “Carriage Museum” started by Julie Penrose because they had a collection of stagecoaches, including several presidential carriages. The free museum expanded to include many examples of western art, including Native American headdresses given to Spencer Penrose throughout the years, as well as old cars that are used in the hillclimb race.
At the top of the shrine, “You can practically see to Kansas,” Bellingham says. As mentioned it is essentially a mystery on why the shrine was dedicated to Will Rogers, but looking through Rogers’ legacy, it becomes apparent that Rogers was a man who loved the west as much as Penrose and had a similar philosophy on improving the lives of others. As Rogers said, “Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”
Andrew Malo
A graduate of Northeastern Illinois University in Education, Andrew has taught for the past decade in Chicago, New Mexico, and Japan. He enjoys tinkering with trucks and motorcycles, woodworking, reading and computer programming.
Make Sure To Stay At:
Foot of the Rockies RV Resort and Storage, which is nestled at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. The Foot of the Rockies RV Resort and Storage offers an outstanding location to discover Colorado Springs and all its attractions.