A few years after gold was discovered in Cripple Creek, political differences between area miners and mine owners, many of whom lived in Colorado Springs, resulted in the division of El Paso County. Created in 1899, Teller County was carved from the western slope of Pikes Peak, and was named after United States Senator Henry M. Teller. Within five years of its formation, Teller County became the scene of a dramatic labor struggle called the Colorado Labor Wars.