Lyons

History

In the 17th century, the Ute Nation came to Colorado. 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 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. 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. In 1910-12 the cement industry killed the sandstone industry, 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…

Geography

Lyons is located in northern Boulder County. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which , or 1.30%, is water, consisting of St. Vrain Creek and its branches.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  22,077
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  20,971
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  20,824
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  20,743
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  19,843
• Northern Flicker

  Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  17,586
• Red-tailed Hawk

  Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  17,196
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  16,991

Most recent

• M 2.7 — 2025-06-13
  7 km SE of Erie, Colorado
• M 2.5 — 2020-10-24
  2 km ESE of Georgetown, Colorado
• M 2.9 — 2019-03-30
  7 km NE of Greeley, Colorado
• M 3 — 2016-11-06
  8 km ENE of Greeley, Colorado
• M 2.7 — 2016-11-06
  8 km ENE of Greeley, Colorado
• M 2.6 — 2016-08-23
  2 km SSE of Eaton, Colorado