Dramatizing the Garden gift story

Bonnie Frum turned herself into Alice Perkins, the daughter of the man who gave the Garden of the Gods to Colorado Springs a century ago, in the first of a series of dramatizations about that gift March 3. Bonnie Frum, dressed as Alice Perkins, displays a photo of Alice's father, Charles Elliott Perkins, who gave the Garden of the Gods to the city as a park. Westside Pioneer photo        Frum is the director of operations at the Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center. Alice Perkins was the eldest daughter of railroad magnate Charles Elliott Perkins, who wrote a deathbed note insisting that the 240-acre parcel - which he had bought as a potential home site at the suggestion of his friend William Palmer - be given to the city as a park for everyone to enjoy.        “He called it a marvel of nature,” she said. He stipulated that it not be developed and remain free and open to the public.        It was Alice and other members of the family who carried out her father's wish, even though it never actually became part of his will, Frum recounted. As a result, the park has been enjoyed by millions of people in the 100 years since the gift became official. “You'd be amazed at the amount of good one family can do,” Frum enthused.        Scheduled every Tuesday at noon by the Visitor Center, 1805 N. 30th St., the dramatization series, called “Lunch and a Look at the Garden,” will continue into April. The programs are free and open to the public. Westside Pioneer article