History of Lyons

A Brief History of Lyons

Much of the here is from  the Lyons Historical Society book "Lyons: The Town Below The Cliff", printed in 1977

In the shadow of Longs Peak all nestled in "as snug as a bug in a rug", lies the town of Lyons, Colorado. It is the town below the cliff. "The Double Gateway to the Rockies" – the land of the Lyons sandstone, truly in "Red Rimrock Country."

E.S. Lyon and his wife Adeline came to this area in 1880 from Connecticut at the advice of his doctor. In 1882, the town was  platted and named after E.S. Lyon but it wasn't incorporated until 1891. It didn't take long to discover the potential of the sandstone and soon quarries were doing a booming business.

Lyons claims the title of  "The Double Gateway to the Rockies," as it is the junction of the North St. Vrain Highway 36-66 and the South St. Vrain Highway 7 – both of which lead to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. The highways are named after the rivers that created the canyons: Ceran St. Vrain, an early day trader.

In September of 2013, the Town of Lyons experienced an historic flood which devastated local infrastructure and residents. Since that time, the town has worked to rebuild, restore housing stock, and improve public amenities.

At an elevation of 5,374 feet, about 2,200  people call Lyons home.

Native People of Lyons

Long before the establishment of the Town of Lyons, native people traveled through and lived in this region. These tribes included the Núuchiu (Ute), Hinono’eino (Arapaho), and Tsétsėhéstȧhese (Cheyenne).  

 In the 1800’s the US Government and resident Tribes signed treaties intending to protect Native rights and their existing claims to this land. Unfortunately, these treaties were not honored, and Native peoples were forcibly relocated to reservations in present-day Colorado, Montana, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming. The “Trail of Treaties” sculpture, located in present day LaVern M. Johnson Park, marks the approximate location of one of these numerous exodus trails. 

Railroad

In 1884, the Denver, Utah and Pacific Railroad built a narrow gauge track into Lyons, to ship the sandstone as far east as Chicago and New York. The sandstone shipments were used on their brownstone houses. Sandstone was also used as rubble for railroad ballast, flagstone for sidewalks, and curbs and gutters. Many of the beautiful buildings on the Colorado University at Boulder campus are built with Lyons sandstone, as well as many other buildings around the country.

Over the hogback to the east of Lyons, more quarries developed, to eventually be known as Beach Hill and Noland. The town of Noland had a history all its own, until concrete hit the scene. Today, very little remains of this one-time-jumping community. But in its heyday, it was serviced by the Lyons Tower Stone Railroad, Stone Mountain Railroad, Noland Land, and Transfer railroad – all the same railroad.

The Union Pacific built the wide gauge railroad into Lyons. The Burlington and Missouri, the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy and the Burlington Railroads have served the Lyons area. At one time, Lyons was an important railhead, for not only shipping sandstone, but also for shipping gold ore. The Smuggler and Golden Age Mines up the South St. Vrain canyon were successful producers of their day.

Local Industry

In 1977, the largest industry in the area was the Martin Marietta Cement Western Division (now CEMEX), just east of Lyons. Cattle raising and farming remain prevalent in the area, as well. The quarry business continues to thrive in Lyons, exporting to many regional projects in the area and throughout the country.

Businesses 

Many businesses continue to thrive in Lyons. Today, Lyons is noted for its arts, culture and outdoor recreation opportunities.  The town is proud of it's tagline "the hip little town everybody loves. " The downtown district features historic buildings, public art, independent merchants, and variety of eating and drinking establishments. Due to its idyllic landscape, Lyons has become a wedding destination and hosts numerous outdoor music festivals, adventure races, and sporting events. 

Bicentennial

Lyons was designated a Centennial-Bicentennial Community on July 4, 1975; the restoration of the Depot (built in 1885) was our Bicentennial project.