Manitou's Mineral Springs

“Doing what you like is freedom, liking what you do is happiness.” ~Anonymous

The mineral springs in Manitou Springs are a vital part of what makes this area special. There are eight distinct naturally-carbonated mineral springs in town and each has a slightly different taste. While we wandered through town we looked for each one and had a little taste...I thought they all tasted about the same.

The source of these famous mineral waters lies deep underground in a system of cavernous aquifers. As the ancient water erodes the surrounding limestone, carbonic acid is created, which gives the Manitou springs their effervescence. This natural carbonation forces the water back to the surface through cracks in the rocks, where it absorbs high concentrations of sodium bicarbonate (soda) and other minerals, including Lithium!

7 Minute Spring gets its name from the fact that when it was drilled, it produced a “geysering event” every seven minutes. It has the lightest, least mineral taste of all of the springs and is located near a gazebo in 7-Minute Spring Park.  

Shoshone Spring came highly recommended by early physicians for its high mineral content and curative powers. The water boasts the highest mineral content of any of the downtown springs and has a very strong, but not unpleasant mineral taste.

Navajo Spring is now located beneath a popcorn and candy store, where it still provides sweet soda mineral water to all who stop by. This spring has a salty, bubbly taste, second lightest after the 7-minute spring. Once the most popular spring in Manitou. This sweet-tasting water became so popular that it was used in beverages made by the Manitou Mineral Water Company, including their world-famous Manitou Ginger Champagne and other popular cola drinks.

Cheyenne Spring is a sweet soda spring, and tastes the best of the mineral springs in Manitou. It’s also one of the oldest in the area, dating back 20,000 years. This spring is among the highest in both magnesium and potassium content, both essential minerals for a healthy body and brain.  

The Wheeler Spring was created in 1920 and donated to the city by the family of Jerome Wheeler. This spring is high in copper and has a saltier taste than the other springs.  

Stratton Spring is located at the “Loop”, an old turnaround for the trolley. It was drilled in 1936 by the Stratton Foundation. It’s part of a bronze and stone sculpture of a woman gathering water. The water is very effervescent and has a higher mineral taste than Twin Spring, but less than Shoshone Spring. 

Twin Spring has been known by many names, but one thing that hasn’t changed is its incredible flavor. It originally began as two springs whose waters merged into a single flow. The sweet waters were popular in making lemonade (Manitou Lemonade and Manitou Mojitos). It's the locals’ favorite spring for its sweet taste.   

Iron Spring: Physicians prescribed the waters from the upper Ruxton Creek, known as “The Strongest of Tonics”, to patients for iron deficiencies and other ailments long before this spring was drilled. The original structure still stands today and may be among one of the oldest constructions sheltering a mineral spring in Colorado. It was once the most popular spring in Manitou.