1948 Map of Falcon

About this map

The Black Forest dominates the northern edge of this high plains landscape just east of Colorado Springs, where ranching and early aviation define the postwar era. At the center of this 1947-1948 survey lies Peterson Field, a vital military and civil airfield that would soon become a cornerstone of regional defense. The expansive open range is divided into family-named operations like the Banning Lewis Ranch, Wolf Ranch, and Old Orr Ranch, tracing a lineage of cattle and agriculture along ephemeral waterways like Jimmy Camp Creek and Sand Creek. The industrial backbone of the area is the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific railroad, which runs parallel to the Falcon Highway through the small settlement of Falcon. In the south, water management is evident at Big Johnson Reservoir and Little Johnson Reservoir, supporting the semi-arid grasslands of the Colorado Front Range.