John Lennox Sr. was a print cutter by trade, but there was no demand for his occupation in Iowa at that time, so he and Agnes settled on a farm in Graham Township which they homesteaded from the government. The boys would often spend time hunting buffalo on the plains, and on one occasion in December of 1871, brought home 10 buffalo! By that time a larger home had been constructed, but when the railroad was expanded through their land in 1872, they made other plans. They contemplated moving out to California at that time, but heard about a new colony being formed south of Denver, Colorado, by some men from Chicago, including General William Jackson Palmer (the founder of Colorado Springs). Reports of the place were so ideal that John Sr. decided to pay the $50 to join the Colorado Springs Colony. Each family who became a member was entitled to a lot and use of a one-room portable cottage. The Lennox family headed west to Denver with as many belongings as they could pack into train cars. From Denver, the three women traveled with their household goods on a narrow gauge railroad, the only road into Colorado Springs at that time. John Sr. followed the next day while William and John Jr. stayed in Denver to drive their livestock the 75 miles to the Springs.

The Lennox family's arrival in town was something out of an "old west" movie. When Mother and the two daughters arrived in town, they were escorted to their primitive hotel. As they walked to their hotel, a man rushed out of a building and shot another man rushing toward them. He fell wounded just beyond them. According to Elizabeth Lennox, "Our first impressions of the wild and wolly [sic] west were anything but pleasant." If this was not enough of a welcoming, what greeted them next was even worse! Their room at the hotel consisted of one bed in a room with a married couple, and to make matters worse, to reach that room, the three women had to pass through a divided area with about a dozen men. The partition between this room and theirs extended only about half way up, so as they undressed, many heads popped up above the partitions to have a look. They soon doused the light and tried to get some sleep, but were joined by some other unwanted guests-bed bugs!

Within the first year they purchased a ranch at Edgerton on the west side of Monument Creek, eight miles north of Colorado Springs, which they named Glenwood Ranch. Today this property is part of the 18,000 acre complex of the U.S. Air Force Academy. The Lennox family continued to make their home at Glenwood Ranch in Monument Creek until John's accidental death on May 21st, 1880. His wife Agnes then moved to Colorado Springs where she lived until her death in 1909. In the spring of 1872, William (age 24), and John Jr. (age 21) moved into Colorado Springs and went into business together. The two girls remained on the ranch until their marriages in 1877 (Agnes) and 1880 (Elizabeth).