Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun

Cut-off Date: 25 March 1999
Number of Burials: 4
Volunteers: Milton D. and Mary Lou Lake
Special Thanks: R. Thayer Tutt Jr.

Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun is located southwest of Colorado Springs, above the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo at more than 8,000 feet, in the Broadmoor area. Take exit 138 from Interstate 25 and go west on Lake Avenue for three miles. At the entrance to the Broadmoor Hotel, turn right on Lake Circle and go about five blocks. Turn left on Mesa Avenue. At the stop sign, turn right on El Pomar Road, then turn left on Penrose Boulevard and continue for one mile. The gated entrance to the shrine is next to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and there is an admission charge. According to GPS-derived geolocation (accurate to within 10 meters), the shrine's coordinates are latitude 38°46'20.8"N and longitude 104°51'45.4"W.

The tiny chapel that houses the markers can be reached via the stairs on the left side of the shrine. The shrine was dedicated September 6, 1937. Spencer Penrose's ashes are interred here, next to the bronze casket of his wife, Julie. Penrose, a well-known Colorado Springs philanthropist and Broadmoor Hotel founder. Speck: The Life and Times of Spencer Penrose, by Robert C. Olson, says Devereux and Leonard were the first two friends Penrose made in Cripple Creek, where the philanthropist made his fortune. Devereux lived in the Broadmoor the last few years of Penrose's life. He had no money. Shrine records list Devereux's birth as July 1859 and death August 24, 1937. The markers read:

Horace K. DEVEREUX 1859 - 1937

William H. LEONARD 29 MAR 1873 - 29 JUN 1947

Julie Villiers LEWIS PENROSE 12 AUG 1870 - 23 JAN 1956

Spencer PENROSE 2 NOV 1865 - 7 DEC 1939