Divide, Colorado
is located 25 miles West of Colorado Springs, just northwest of Pikes Peak. Divide is the meeting point for Highways 24 and 67 with thoroughfare to the casino/gold mining town of Cripple Creek.
Teller County was formed from the western portion of El Paso and the northern portion of Fremont counties and officially became a County on March 23rd, 1899. Before 1890 most of what is now Teller County was uninhabited, an area that people traveled through to get somewhere else.
This area was known mostly for the old Ute Pass Trail which was an important route because it offered passage through the front range of the Rockies for Indians, buffalo, explorers, prospectors, and cowboys and their cattle.
The first permanent settlement in Teller County occurred around 1870 and was at the summit of the Ute Trail in what is now Divide. After having many names, like Rhyolite, Belleview and Theodore, Divide stuck because the Arkansas and South Platte watershed divide in this area.
As the tracks of the Colorado Midland Railroad neared Divide in 1887, boarding houses, saloons and restaurants sprang up to meet the demand of the railroad workers.
Divide was also an important lumber and supply town, also becoming well known for its high-quality, disease-free potatoes and for its fine crops of lettuce.
Each fall, produce was crated and shipped to Cripple Creek and other locations around the United States. Ice to keep lettuce fresh while being transported was cut from ponds in and around the area.
Founded in 1949 the Divide Volunteer Fire Department services the surrounding area in Fire, Rock Rescue and Medical response. Today, Divide is home to many who commute to Colorado Springs and Woodland Park. Because of the influx of people to the area the Divide Volunteer Fire Department has evolved into a very busy and involved community resource.
