Coben Scott is a history graduate, a history buff, and he has explored and researched much of Falcon and the area’s past. Coben’s column, Yesteryear, features stories about the history of the plains.
Banning-Lewis Ranch, Part II
By Coben Scott
Through the 1920s, Ruth Banning and Raymond Lewis continued purchasing land while raising and grazing Hereford cattle. Much of the acreage had been ranched and plowed to exhaustion and was widely considered worthless.
Lewis’ banker questioned whether it was wise to keep buying more land. Both Lewis and Banning understood, however, that the land’s condition resulted from decades of mismanagement and overgrazing and believed it could be restored.
As the prairie continues to shrink, the question remains:
Will the region’s cowpunching story survive?
During the 1930s, the majority of the land that would make up the Banning-Lewis Ranch was purchased by Lewis and his banker. By the 1950s, they had accumulated more than 38,000 acres. The ranch stretched from Woodmen to Drennan roads north to south, and from Academy Boulevard to the Corral Bluffs Valley west to east.
In 1935, Lewis and his banker began a soil conservation program to mitigate drought conditions and the lighter impacts of the Dust Bowl affecting the eastern plains. By 1948, the program had transformed the land into rolling green pastures and earned recognition from the Soil Conservation Recognition Program.
During this period, Ruth Banning became the first woman elected to the board of the American Hereford Association. Another milestone came with the purchase of their bull, Dandy Domino II, whose prestigious lineage helped earn show wins at the Iowa and Illinois state fairs, the Chicago International, the Golden Jubilee Show and the National Western Stock Show. The bull brought national recognition and provided financial resources to further develop the ranch.
In the 1940s, U.S. involvement in World War II transformed Colorado, with several military bases established across the region. In support of the war effort, Lewis sold land to the federal government at a discounted price for the development of Peterson Field, which later became an Air Force base and is now the headquarters of the U.S. Space Force.
Banning joined the Civil Defense Nurse’s Aide Corps, assisting with the care of wounded troops stationed at nearby bases.
At the ranch, Lewis began a social tradition reflecting his background among the region’s elite. A railcar was craned to the top of Jimmy Camp Bluffs, where Lewis hosted an annual feast. The gatherings sometimes included live music, stories of Jimmy Camp and cowboys, and long-standing local rumors. The railcar became known as the prairie’s town hall, frequented by influential figures of the time.
By the 1950s, the ranch had reached its peak. A community of ranch hands cared for the herds, and consistent wins at stock shows and fairs helped fund operations. Before 1958, Banning and Lewis lived on North Nevada Avenue in Colorado Springs.
After Banning broke her hip, commuting between the city and the ranch became difficult. As a result, their house was moved to a site near the intersection of highways 24 and 94 along Jimmy Camp Creek, just south of the historic camp.
Their time there was brief as Banning’s health continued to decline. Eventually, they moved into a suite at The Broadmoor, where Banning died in 1962. Her service was held at the church next to the resort. In addition to her ranching legacy, Banning was active in education throughout the region and served as the second woman elected to the Colorado Springs City Council.
In 1963, Lewis sold about 24,000 acres to an Arizona-based development company. The agreement allowed the company to purchase the remaining land after his death.
Following the initial sale, the land changed hands multiple times. At one point, the city of Colorado Springs annexed much of the acreage, expanding the city by nearly a quarter. Lewis sold his entire cattle herd to Bob Norris of T-Cross Ranches, widely known as the Marlboro Man. Lewis died in 1978, leading to numerous claims and subsequent developments involving the former ranchland.
By 1988, the City of Colorado Springs formally brought the ranch within city limits. Today, the Banning-Lewis Ranch community stands as the most visible remnant of the Banning and Lewis legacy. The remaining ranch hand houses have largely been forgotten, left in ruins or in disrepair. The Percheron development north of Woodmen Road, intentional or not, serves as a tribute to the region’s horse ranching heritage and to William Banning’s original Percheron draft horse operation.
As the prairie continues to shrink, the question remains: Will the region’s cowpunching story survive?
