Palmer's legacy of conservation continues to benefit Colorado Springs KOAA 5 A portrait of Colorado Springs founder General William J. Palmer is on display at the COS@150 exhibit at the Pioneers Museum. and last updated 2021-07-23 21:30:41-04 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado â There is a lot to learn about the history of Colorado Springs and its founder General William Jackson Palmer at the COS@150 exhibit at the Pioneers Museum, but a great way to appreciate that legacy is to simply take a walk outdoors. "To know and understand Gen. William Jackson Palmer, you have to understand how much he loved nature," said Leah Davis Witherow, the museum's curator of history. "He believed that people needed nature for their physical, mental, spiritual wellbeing."