The original plan for the park was to “remain committed to its historic purpose, offering outstanding cultural and educational programs…” And they say they are still doing that today. The park is located at the foot of the Flatirons mountain. Not only are there many trails to hike, but there are events throughout the year and a historic inn offering cottages and lodging in buildings.
The inn started as a tent-camp, and has evolved into lodges, cottages and lecture halls. The cottages were built from 1899 to 1954. The dining hall and auditorium were constructed in 1898. The Academic building was built in 1900 and in 1911 the Missions House Lodge was constructed to house women going to the Rocky Mountain School of Missions.
According to Chautauqua.com, there was a Chautauqua movement that stemmed from a Methodist camp meeting for Sunday school teachers. The movement was nation-wide and focused on education. Today the movement still focuses on education and healing.
The Colorado Chautauqua values “lifelong learning, love of nature, voluntary simplicity, and music, oration and the arts.” The Colorado Chautauqua also recognizes that the land is “the current and ancestral homeland of the Arapaho, Cheyenne and Ute peoples.”