Lyons, Colorado

Lyons is located in northern Boulder County at 40°13′26″N 105°16′8″W (40.223935, -105.269013).[9]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.2 km²), of which 0.015 square miles (0.04 km²), or 1.30%, is water, consisting of St. Vrain Creek and its branches.

In the 17th century, the Ute Nation came to Colorado.[10] The largest tribes that followed were the Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Comanche, along with the Pawnee occasionally. The Utes were the last tribe to be forced into Indian reservations after the Colorado Gold Rush. The Utes were the only tribe that extensively explored the mountains and Lyons area. The Plains Indians were attracted to the vast grasslands where it was ideal for hunting bison.

In the 1860s, families came from the eastern United States and settled the foothills with their ranches and farms. The town of Lyons was founded in 1880 by Edward S. Lyon. He purchased 160 acres (0.6 km²) from H.F. and Isabelle Sawyer, noticing the potential to quarry out the red sandstone outcroppings which offered easy quarrying access in the region. Lyon platted the town in 1881; it was incorporated in 1891.[3] No record survives to account for the added "s" at the end of the town's name.

The first main building to be built was the red sandstone schoolhouse in 1881. The booming population resulted in the town adding a second floor a few years later. It was also used for church and town meetings until 1894 when the Old Stone Church was built. In 1979, it was saved from demolition and converted into the town's history museum by the Lyons Historical Society.

The town has large red sandstone mountains on three sides. Its rock, from the Permian period, about 260 million years ago,[11] is considered the hardest sandstone in the world, and has a unique red or salmon color. While E. S. Lyon established the quarrying business in the town, his business was not a big success, and he left for California. Numerous owners succeeded him and developed various successful quarries over time. Murphy, Brodie, Ohline, Loukonen and Vasquez are among the most noteworthy owners. The Denver, Utah and Pacific Railroad laid narrow gauge tracks into Lyons in 1884 to serve the quarries.[12]

In 1910-12 the cement industry killed the sandstone industry,[13] and rock production stopped. The only sandstone construction that went on during this period was the University of Colorado's new unified campus. The sandstone business was revived in the 1930s when the red sandstone started to be used more as a decorative rock than for commercial purposes. Today it is a booming industry, with sandstone shipped worldwide.

On September 12, 2013, the town of Lyons was severely affected by flooding. All access routes to the town were blocked, and sewer and fresh water service was disrupted. The National Guard began evacuating the entire town of Lyons on September 12 at daybreak. While many mountain residents had to be evacuated by Chinook helicopter, the town's residents were able to drive out in their own vehicles, as the main road through town, Highway 36, was not completely washed out.[14]

Lyons Redstone Museum

The Lyons Redstone Museum started out as the town's school house, built in 1881. Grades one through eight were taught, and graduation certificates were handed out. It was the first major building constructed in town. It stands on a small hill, overlooking the town. It is used as a guidepost for people studying old photographs of Lyons. The original 30-by-40-foot (9.1 by 12.2 m) building was made by expert stonemasons out of the local red sandstone. For the first few years, it was used for church services and town meetings. The population boomed, and in 1895 there was a need to add a second floor. It was more for practical purposes and was not as beautifully designed. When the town built an elementary and high school, the school district decided to raze the building. The Lyons Historical Society fought for three years, and it was rewarded with use of a building to establish their history museum in.

The museum is open June 1 to October 1, seven days a week. It was dedicated in 1979. It is free and open to the public on a donation basis. Its director is LaVern Johnson. The first floor has historic displays (including an old bank teller cage, re-created living room and kitchen area, quarry and small farm equipment, musical instruments, dairy equipment, and more). It has arrowhead and electric insulator collections. The first-floor work area contains the town's history archives (mainly newspaper clippings), video interviews and documentaries of its pioneer families, and a small gift and book shop. Books for sale include multiple history books of the area, and hundreds of used books from 1900 to today.

The second floor has some displays (like ice cream parlor booths), but mainly it has dozens of archival black-and-white photographs of early Lyons, from the 1880s to 1940s. Along the walls are all of the Lyons High School graduation photos, beginning in the 1930s. Since the 1881 building did not open as a museum until the 1970s, some of the records are incomplete regarding early town history, but it is extensively covered by the locally produced books and DVD documentaries. It is located at 412 High Street in Lyons.

As of the census[18] of 2000, there were 1,585 people, 672 households, and 436 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,273.5 inhabitants per square mile (491.7/km²). There were 686 housing units at an average density of 551.2 per square mile (212.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.49% White, 0.38% African American, 0.88% Native American, 0.69% Asian, 4.23% from other races, and 1.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.01% of the population.

There were 672 households, out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.0% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 36.3% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 6.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $50,764, and the median income for a family was $58,750. Males had a median income of $45,417 versus $29,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $28,276. About 6.6% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.2% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over.

• 2013 Colorado floods

• Town of Lyons official website
• CDOT map of Lyons
• Lyons Chamber of Commerce
• Lyons Recorder, town newspaper
• Lyons Redstone Museum
• Lyons History Video Project
• Lyons Arts and Humanities Commission
• High Street Concerts