Ingrid Mcdonald, an expert on Falconís history, spoke at the June meeting of the Eastern Plains Chamber of Commerce about Falconís past, as early as 1850. Mcdonald said the Cherokee Trail routed through the area just west of the center of Falcon and through the current Banning Lewis Ranch. ìThe Homestead Act in 1863 was the big precursor for movement to Falcon,î she said. ìBefore that, Falcon was part of a reservation set aside for the government for the Arapahoe and Cheyenne.î The Denver and New Orleans railroad started in the area in 1881. Every 3 miles, the railroad had small stations where the engines could refuel and take on water. One station was located on what is now The State Bank of Falcon. Francis Hill came to Falcon and bought the Kennedy Ranch property and parceled out what the town founders ñ in April 1888 ñ would call Falcon.On to businessTwo board resignations were announced. Secretary Dayna Jenkins of the Pikes Peak Therapeutic Riding Center and Kathleen Voss from Falcon School District 49 left the board in June. D 49 eliminated Voss’s position as community outreach specialist for the district because of budget cuts. Mindy Quinn from D 49 will represent the school district on the chamber. Quinn said the new district chief executive officer, Peter Hilts, will attend a chamber meeting to introduce himself and meet the business community. Members interested in filling the vacant positions should contact Connie Johnson, president, or Tom Cline, chairman.Johnson presented a donation on behalf of the chamber to Pat Jeffreys, pastor of Grace Community Church, in recognition of the churchís willingness to host the chamber meetings for more than eight years. Jeffreys said the donation would be used for the church’s programs to help disadvantaged people in the community.On July 19, a street fair and pig roast in front of Taste Buds Restaurant in Calhan will kick off the El Paso County Fair.The chamber chuckwagon dinner, scheduled for July 13, was canceled so chamber members could participate in the Falcon Business Expo and 5K run, also scheduled for July 13.The chamber announced the second annual wine festival, co-sponsored by the El Paso County Fair Corp., is planned for Oct. 19.The chamber will not meet in July because of July 4 events.
