Canon City, city in southern Colorado, located on the Arkansas River. The seat of Fremont County, Canon City lies about 61 km (about 38 mi) west of Pueblo and about 55 km (34 mi) southwest of Colorado Springs. The city developed as a mining center and still contains coal mines and marble and limestone quarries. The Colorado State Penitentiary is located in Canon City and federal prisons are nearby; Canon City also produces model rockets. The Royal Gorge Suspension Bridge, located 13 km (8 mi) west of the city, is the highest suspension bridge in the world; it spans the Grand Canyon of the Arkansas River at a height of 321 m (1053 ft). Cultural institutions in the city include the Canon City Municipal Museum and the Colorado Territorial Prison Museum and Park. A downtown historic district features architecture from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Canon City was founded in 1859 as the gateway to nearby mines. It was incorporated in 1872, and the Denver and Rio Grande Railway reached the city in 1874 to carry freight from nearby coal mines. Canon City took its name from the Grand Canyon of the Arkansas River (cañon is Spanish for canyon). Population 13,037 (1980); 12,687 (1990); 15,431 (2000).
