Aug. 12, 1859-Mar. 28, 1929
Purple Mountain Majesties: The Story of Katharine Lee Bates and "America the Beautiful" by Barbara Younger, illustrated by Stacey Schuett (Turtleback Books, 2002)
Where do ideas come from? In this case, from majestic scenery. Inspired by view from Pikes Peak, Katharine Lee Bates began to write a poem that would become a national treasure.
View images from Pikes Peak Web Cam operated by the city of Colorado Springs, Colorado, for a sense of Bates' wonder.
