Eastern Plains: Calhan, Ellicott, Falcon, Hanover, Peyton, Ramah,

Linda Ferguson

Heading out east from Colorado Springs, a traveler passes abruptly from the foothills of the Rockies to the rolling hill country that introduces the great Eastern Plains of Colorado. The agriculture here centers on livestock - range cattle, dairy cows, horses - and the land is given to range rather than farmland.

To the eye of someone just passing through, the grasslands seem to stretch endlessly, an unremarkable sea of sameness. Hard to imagine that within a single square yard of range, more than a dozen different varieties of grass can flourish. The seemingly unremarkable landscape is, in fact, a wonderland of diversity.

Likewise, the passer-through may barely notice the little plains communities along the way - Falcon, Peyton, Calhan, Ramah and Simla on Highway 24; Ellicott, Yoder and Rush on Highway 94; and hanging out by itself in the southern "banana belt," Hanover.

Some mighty interesting little towns sit within spitting distance of the Springs.

These rural communities are almost as diverse as the range grasses. They began as railroad stops or way stations or crossroads. Today, some still are barely more than that. Can they even properly be called towns?

A more accurate term might be "township." Among country folks, this concept extends even to "real" towns. A person "from Simla" might be from within the town limits, or from seven miles south.

Beyond that, each town is unique. Falcon, for instance, is a frontier town, with one foot planted in Safeway and the other in Farmer Jim's Feeds. Peyton and Ramah, behind their highway facades, are charming old-timey villages. Calhan, home to the El Paso County Fair, bristles with business and growth.

Rush is a peaceful destination for savvy pilgrims, who travel miles just to dine there. Hanover is very community-driven, while nearby Ellicott is a quixotic refuge of individualism.

The people also are fairly diverse. Much of the Calhan and Ramah areas were settled a century ago by Eastern Europeans, whose legacy includes numerous road names that challenge the unfamiliar tongue. And today, many upright residents are first-generation from the likes of Greece, Holland and Mexico.

Even the weather varies greatly within the region. Ramah may suffer a devastating hail storm, while five miles away in Simla, the folks are praying for any kind of moisture at all.

The towns, of course, have many commonalities. With few exceptions, they all have a post office, a volunteer fire department and a school. And every rural grocery store has a meat counter or deli, reflecting perhaps the importance of meat and diary to the local economy.

To the passer-through, none of this may seem very remarkable. But no city develops in a vacuum; the character of Colorado Springs can be read in the land that underlies it.

And just "passing through" can become so much more meaningful if one takes time to stop and smell the grasses.

Eastern Plains

CALHAN

Altitude: 5,507 feet

Population: 896

Avg. household income: $41,875

Median home price: $95,982

Location: 35 miles east of Colorado Springs on U.S. Highway 24.

ELLICOTT

Altitude: 6,010 feet

Population: unincorporated

Avg. household income: $41,875

Median home price: $95,982

Location: 17 miles east of Peterson Air Force Base on Colorado 94.

FALCON

Altitude: 6,830 feet

Population: unincorporated

Avg. household income: $59,867

Median home price: $151,538

Location: 15 miles east of Colorado Springs on U.S. Highway 24.

HANOVER

Altitude: 5,546 feet

Population: unincorporated

Avg. household income: $42,762

Median home price: $105,263

Location: 15 miles southeast of Fountain on Peyton Highway.

PEYTON

Altitude: 6,780 feet

Population: unincorporated

Avg. household income: $63,261

Median home price: $149,121

Location: 25 miles east of Colorado Springs on U.S. Highway 24.

RAMAH

Altitude: 6,094 feet

Population: 117

Avg. household income: $34,866

Median home price: $47,500

Location: 40 miles east of Colorado Springs on U.S. Highway 24.

RUSH

Altitude: 6,010 feet

Population: unincorporated

Avg. household income: $34,699

Median home price: $114,286

Location: 33 miles east of Peterson Air Force Base on Colorado 94.

SIMLA

Altitude: 6,029 feet

Population: 663

Avg. household income: $34,688

Median home price: $56,429

Location: 50 miles east of Colorado Springs on U.S. Highway 24.

YODER

Altitude: 6,020 feet

Population: unincorporated

Avg. household income: $34,699

Median home price: $114,286

Location: 25 miles east of Peterson Air Force Base on Colorado 94.

UTILITIES

Electricity

Mountain View Electric Association, 495-2283.

Water

Calhan, 347-2586

Ramah, 541-2163

Simla, 541-2468

Gas

Propane, private contractors; check phone directory.

Cable

Big Sandy Telecom, 541-2261; serves Calhan and Simla.

Phone

Qwest, (800) 244-1111

All 478 and 683 exchanges: El Paso County Telephone Co., 683-2501

Garbage

There are several companies that provide residential garbage services, including:

D&L Sanitation, (Falcon, Peyton, Calhan, Ellicott and Elbert), 632- 0291

Team Green Recycle and Sanitation Inc. (Falcon), 634-0055

U.S. Waste Industries (Falcon), 591-5000

Waste Management (not Rush), 632-8877

POST OFFICES

Calhan, 655 Cascade St., 347-3269. Open 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m.-noon Saturdays.

Peyton, 13055 Bradshaw Road, 749-2997. Open 7:30 a.m.-1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and 7:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays.

Ramah, 2 S. Commercial St., 541-2709. Open 7:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. and noon-4 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m.-11 a.m. Saturdays.

Rush, 455 N. Rush Road, 478-3855. Open 8 a.m.-noon and 12:30 p.m.- 4:30 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays.

Simla, 611 Caribou St., 541-2490. Open 7:30 a.m.-noon and 1:30 p.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m.-11 a.m. Saturdays.

Yoder, 475 Yoder Road, 683-2626. Open 8 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays and 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturdays.

VEHICLE REGISTRATION

El Paso County Department of Motor Vehicles, Centennial Hall, 200 S. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs, 520-6240.

DRIVER'S LICENSE

Colorado Driver's License Office, Shops at the Bluffs Mall, 3650 Austin Bluffs Parkway, Suite 188, Colorado Springs, 594-8701.

GOVERNMENT

El Paso County Commissioners, 520-6444. County clerk, 520-6200.

Calhan Town Hall: 556 Colorado Ave., 347-2586.

Council members: Mayor John Cullyford, Gary Reimers, Eric Meyers, Byrel Woolsey, Margie Miller, Karen Johnston.

Ramah Town Hall: 541-2163.

Council members: Mayor Lewis Nordine, Protem Mayor Tamra Herrera, Shawn Tompkins, Francine Cozzolini, Virginia Gurule-Baker, Jim Bauer, Tim Smelser.

Simla Town Hall, (Elbert County), 325 Pueblo Ave., 541-2468.

Council members: Mayor Lester Berry, Jerry Allen, Brenda Atwell, Edward England, Jim Kissam, Charles Hawker, Larry Reeves.

Emergency services

For all emergencies, call 911.

Police departments

Calhan, 347-2586

Simla, 541-2468

Sheriff

El Paso County Sheriff's Office, 520-7100

Fire

Calhan Volunteer Fire Department, 347-3057

Ellicott Volunteer Fire Department, 683-2345

Falcon Volunteer Fire Department, 495-4050

Hanover Volunteer Fire Department, 683-3473

Peyton Volunteer Fire Department, 749-2255

Simla Volunteer Fire Department, 541-2296

JUSTICE

Calhan Municipal Court, 556 Colorado Ave., 347-2586.

Simla Municipal Court, Town Hall, 541-2468.

CHURCHES

For a complete list of churches in the Pikes Peak area, please see page 54.

SCHOOL DISTRICTS

Big Sandy School District 100J, Simla, 541-2291.

Calhan District RJT-1, 347-2541.

Edison District 54J, 478-2125.

Ellicott District 22, 683-2700.

Falcon District 49, 495-3601.

Hanover District 28, 683-2247.

Miami-Yoder District 60 JT, 478-2186.

Peyton District 23JT, 749-2330.

SENIOR ASSISTANCE

Goldenrod Senior Center, 325 Pueblo Ave., Simla, 541-2525.

Human Services East, Box 147, Calhan, 347-2221.

Paulson Senior Center, 406 Cheyenne St., Calhan, 347-2616.

Rural Area Meal Preparation program, contact the Visiting Nurse Association at 577-4448.

PETS/ANIMALS

Calhan animal control, 347-2586.

Simla animal control, 541-2468.

Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region, 633 S. Eighth St., 473- 1741.

LIBRARIES

Simla Branch Library, in the municipal building, 541-2573.

Bookmobile services, Pikes Peak Library District, 531-6333, Ext. 2312 or 2313. Call for schedule.

NEWSPAPERS

Ranchland News, Simla, 541-2288

PARKS

Calhan Municipal Park, Park Lane.

Simla Municipal Park, Pueblo Ave.

Ramah Municipal Park, Commercial St.

PLACES OF INTEREST

El Paso County Fairgrounds, Calhan.

Ramah Reservoir State Wildlife Area, four miles west of Ramah on U.S. Highway 24. Hunting, warm water fishing, wildlife observation.

Big Sandy School, Simla. Built in 1968 in a design of five round buildings connected by walkways.

ANNUAL EVENTS

Calhan

Days of Yesteryear Show, El Paso County Fairgrounds, June

El Paso County Fair, El Paso County Fairgrounds, July.

Simla

Labor Day celebration. Hamburger fry, music, games.

Copyright 2002
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.