Note from Nico to Leah: I wrote this before our phone call, but I figured I'd include it in case anything within might be of interest.
The Gay Underground
In the 1950's and 1960's, LGBTQ+ people could not yet have dedicated public spaces to form community and meet one another, but there are records of locations that were considered places to "cruise," in which gay men could find one another. We can find records of places that were known by those in the community as places to convene. These locations are sourced from International Guild Guides of the 60s and 70s, and the accounts of activists like Donaciano Martinez.
The Chief Theater
The men's bathroom at the Chief Theater at 21 E Pikes Peak Ave was a cruising spot for the gay community in the 1950's, according to accounts from local activist and Gay Liberation Front of Colorado Springs founder, Donaciano Martinez. Gay men would meet in the bathroom under aliases.
Acacia Park
Acacia Park in Downtown Colorado Springs was a known cruising location, included in the International Gay Guild Listing Guides, a guide for gay mean on locations that were known to the community as places to gather.
Other locations listed in the guild guide include The Alamo Hotel, The Manhattan Restaurant, Jinx's Place, Gimlet Lounge, and Melba's Shamrock Lounge. [^1][^2]
La Cuchara
While accounts of places that lesbians would gather are more difficult to find, Donaciano speaks about the Chicana lesbians that would gather at the bar his mother worked at, La Cuchara, which was located on Cucharras street, across from where the Pioneer's Museum is now.
"...there was a small segment of very masculine looking butch Chicana lesbians that would come in there and they would roll their sleeves up and put their cigarette packs in the sleeve...they'd slick their hair back just like a man, and they would bring their guitars in the bar and sit there and sing Mexican music." - Donaciano Martinez [^3]
References
- International Guild Guide 1965. Vol. 2. Washington D.C.: Guild Press Ltd., 1965. Archives of Sexuality and Gender (accessed February 20, 2026). https://link-gale-com.turing.library.northwestern.edu/apps/doc/AACDGW184634142/AHSI?u=northwestern&sid=bookmark-AHSI&xid=42b14893&pg=29
- edited by Ronnie Anderson. Guild Guide 1972 USA & International. Vol. 9. Washington D.C.: Guild Press Ltd., 1971. Archives of Sexuality and Gender (accessed February 20, 2026). https://link-gale-com.turing.library.northwestern.edu/apps/doc/AAGKNQ689651501/AHSI?u=northwestern&sid=bookmark-AHSI&xid=96ec2fb1&pg=38.
- Donaciano Martinez. “Interview with Donaciano Martinez Part 1.” Interview by David Duffield. (Denver Public Library), Western History Department, April 25, 2012. https://lgbtqcolorado.cvlcollections.org/files/original/fbafc5a2a303d919a8600c5ace7c05b5.WMA.