Before UCCS, Austin Bluffs Parkway, traffic signals and the Theory of Relativity, there was the Cragmor Sanatorium. Edwin Solly began its construction in 1902, and the campus officially opened in 1905. Since then, Cragmor Sanatorium evolved into the Colorado Springs Center of the University of Colorado and eventually became the campus we know today.  

 While Cragmor wasn’t officially recognized as part of The University of Colorado until 1972, this photo contains the first sign for UCCS titled “The Cragmor Sign.” It marked the beginning of the driveway onto campus that connected to Cragmor Road, as Austin Bluffs Parkway wasn’t built until 1979.  

Aside from Cragmor Village, the only place to go on the road was campus. The Cragmor Sign both literally and figuratively marked the beginning of UCCS.

“The Cragmor Sign” 1966. Photo courtesy of the UCCS Archives.