Director

The first Montgomery School was started in 1869 and was built on Boulder County land donated by the Montgomery family. Catherine (Kate) Gifford was one of the first teachers at the school. In 1869, she married John Reese. They had two children, Bertha and Frank. Bertha Reese married into the McConnell family, whose descendants still live in the area.1 Some of the other original teachers were J.H. Cox, Mrs. Milne, and William Wyncoop. After only five months the school ran out of money and it was closed for the year.2&nbsp;Another schoolhouse, referred to as the Old Montgomery School, was constructed east of Lyons and was completed in February of 1874. In order to pay for the building, property owners paid a two percent property tax.3&nbsp; It consisted of a single room and was constructed from locally quarried sandstone with fourteen-inch thick walls. It served the area until 1917 when the school was torn down and replaced with a new building which was built by the Loukonen and Gross families.Bonds in the amount of $3500 were used to build and furnish the new 1917 school building. It is a 30x40 foot bi-level building. The building was used as a school until the 1950s. It was purchased in 1965 by Wilbur and Hazel Wolfe, who restored and renovated the building in order to turn it into a private residence.4&nbsp;The Montgomery Schoolhouse remains on private property as a private residence. <div> </div>

The Montgomery Schoolhouse was built in 1917 and sits at the edge of town on private property. It is not within easy walking distance, but with a short drive you can view the structure. The building is a private residence and is not open to the public. Please view the building from the street. 

Montgomery School

The Lyons Historic District was created on April 29, 1980. Each of the fifteen buildings in the historic district is on the National Register for Historic Places. Every building was constructed using locally quarried sandstone and has a unique history. 

Lyons Historic District Walking Tour

Lyons walking tour

The Montgomery Home is a unique single-story sandstone building, combining features from several architectural styles. The home borrowed the extended entryway and the tall narrow windows of the Tudor Revival style. The builders also took inspiration from the Queen Anne style with the multiple gabled roofs and a conical roofline. The shape of the structure is similar to a simple foursquare house. When the home was first built in 1880 it only had two rooms, but the Montgomery family added on to the structure and constructed out-buildings as the family grew.1As is evident by the name of the home, The Montgomery Home was built by the Montgomery family. Frank and William, two of five brothers, moved from the family farm in Pella, Iowa to Colorado. Frank worked in Central City as a freighter, and William worked in Central City and Black Hawk before moving to the St.Vrain Valley to homestead.2 Their oldest brother, Alexander joined a wagon train headed to Leadville, Colorado and then became a freighter. He drove oxen teams on a route between Leadville, Denver, Central City, and Jamestown. He moved to Lyons after he married Emma Peel Ferguson.&nbsp;In 1867 another Montgomery Brother, Robert Bruce, moved west. It took him 41 days to reach the Little Thompson, and when he arrived he purchased a farm and raised livestock. In 1886 he purchased 80 acres of land east of Lyons. He not only grew grain and raised livestock, but he also maintained more than 400 apple trees. He shipped his apples into the midwestern and eastern parts of the United States.3 The Montgomery brothers owned significant portions of land in the St. Vrain Valley area.The Montgomery Home has been used as a private residence ever since it was built. <div> </div>

The Montgomery Home is a one-story house that was built in the 1880s. It was built by Lyons stonemasons using locally quarried sandstone. The Montgomery Home continues to be a private residence, as it has been since it was originally built. This home is not open to the public, please view from the road. 

Montgomery Home

The Cunningham/Weese Home is a two-story building that was constructed out of local sandstone in the 1890s. The majority of the structure is sandstone. It has a sharply gabled roof with two windows near the roofline. The original inhabitants of the home most likely moved to the area in order to take part in the town’s growing economy.&nbsp;During the late nineteenth century, people moved to the St. Vrain Valley to homestead, work in the quarry, or improve their respiratory health. As the population grew, opportunities expanded. Farmers were able to sell their produce in town and men were able to find work in the quarry. While the American West is often romanticized through cinema and novels, in reality, early life on the frontier was difficult. There is some evidence that the first people in the St. Vrain Valley were the Ute and other Native American tribes. They would have traveled through the area, possibly staying for short periods of time.1 Unfortunately, archaeological evidence of these tribes has not been studied by a qualified archaeologist, or it has been removed from its original location. The first homesteaders would have arrived in the 1860s, with the quarries drawing more settlers in the 1880s and 1890s. Many men moved to the Lyons townsite to work in the quarry. It was dangerous work that often led to an early death.2The Cunningham/Weese Home was most likely built by an individual who moved west to treat a respiratory illness or to homestead. It would have taken several weeks to reach the area by stagecoach. During the late nineteenth century, the townsite was still being developed and mostly consisted of quarry workers.&nbsp;The Cunningham/Weese Home is currently a private residence.&nbsp;<div> </div>

The Cunningham/Weese Home at 413 Seward Street was built as a private residence in the 1890s. The beautiful home combines skilled craftsmanship and Lyons sandstone. The home is currently a private residence and is not open to the public. Please view from the street.

Cunningham/Weese Home 

Alexander Chisholm traveled to Colorado for the first time in 1876 but did not settle. In 1880, he returned to Colorado and settled down in the Lyons area. Edward S. Lyon had recently purchased property in the area and had discovered limestone and sandstone that could be quarried. Alexander Chisholm found that his skills as a Blacksmith were in demand due to the quarries. In 1889, he purchased the land that the Chisholm house now sits on for $125.00.In 1893, he married Mary Hinkley and they had two sons, James and John. Alexander Chisholm was an active member of the community. He was elected to the first board of trustees of the Old Stone Church on April 25, 1889.1 He and his wife were active members of the church and attended services every Sunday. In 1894, He was the mayor of Lyons, and he served on the school board for a short period.&nbsp;Chisholm was considered an expert Blacksmith in Lyons, he built his home to be used as a residence as well as a Blacksmith shop.2 This is evident from the 18-inch exterior walls. They are made up of two stone walls which are separated by an air space. This was a building method used to create insulation for the structure. The house has many other features that are common among the buildings built in Lyons during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.&nbsp;The roof is gabled which was a common architectural feature in Colorado. Gabled roofs prevent snow buildup during a heavy snowfall. Roofs that were flat, or had a less of a pitch had difficulty withstanding the weight of snow. The house has a single-window near the roofline, which would have been used for both decoration and to bring light into the upper part of the house. The style of the house is similar to that of an I-House, which were common in rural areas of Colorado between 1875 and 1910. The main features of an I-House are a gabled roof, a rectangular floor plan, and an unadorned exterior.3

The Chisholm Home is one of three historic residences on Seward Street that are still standing. It was built in the 1890s by the Chisholm family. The historical integrity of the home has been maintained by its owners. The Chisholm Home is currently a private residence. 

Chisholm Home

Edward S. Lyon had arrived in the area in 1880 as one of the first permanent settlers. He purchased property from Hiram T. Sawyer in the Red Hill area, now called Lyons. Lyon discovered limestone and red sandstone on his land and joined with Hiram Sawyer and Griffith Evans to form two companies, the Evans Townsite Co. and the Lyons Red Rock and Lime Quarry Co. Shortly after starting his quarry, he traveled back to his hometown of Putnam, Connecticut to search for investors and to bring his family to their new home in Colorado.1 Upon returning, he named the townsite Lyons, though it was not officially incorporated as a town until 1891. More settlers moved to the area, and the population grew to the point Lyon needed to begin building. He gathered members of the community to build the first major structure out of local sandstone, the 1881 Schoolhouse. In 1884, Edward S. Lyon built the Stone House at 426 High Street. It was a two-story building that served many purposes. Soon after construction was completed, Thomas J. Thorne opened a general store in the building. The Stone House functioned as a post office while Edward S. Lyon served as postmaster from 1889 to 1893. Local surveyor C.H. Dieterich used the second floor for his office, and the building was used as a stagecoach stop as well.2 The building was a source of convenience for the town. People were able to pick up a few groceries, their mail, and catch up on information from stagecoach travelers all in one stop. Edward S. Lyon began experiencing financial difficulties in the early 1890s. He failed to pay taxes on the building, and in 1898 the Boulder County Treasurer sold it for back taxes. J.H. Gilfflin purchased the Stone House that year, though there is no record of how he used the building. In 1903, C.P. Wilcox purchased the building and used it as a grocery store. He renamed the store C.P. Wilcox Groceries and Notions.3 After he opened his store, Wilcox installed a Howe Wagon Scale in front of the building. He would have used this scale to weigh the coal and seed sold at his store. He may have also charged farmers to weigh their commodities as well. The Stone House has had six owners over the years and was purchased by the Ralston brothers, Steve and Dick, in 1974. Each of the owners maintained the historical integrity of the building and the Ralstons applied for National Landmark Status for The Stone House. The building still houses Ralston Brothers Antiques.

The Ralston Brothers Antique store was originally The Stone House and was built in 1884. The town founders used it for many purposes including a general store, a post office, and a surveyors office. 

The Stone House

Lyons, Colorado was built around the quarries. Before Edward S. Lyon moved to the area, homesteaders had been working the land for nearly two decades. Some of these homesteaders quarried sandstone and sold it, however, there is no evidence that it was anything more than an occasional side operation.1 When Edward S. Lyon discovered limestone and red sandstone on his land, he realized that he had an opportunity. He, along with Griffith Evans and Hiram Sawyer, formed the Evans Townsite Company and the Lyons Rock and Lime Quarry Company.&nbsp;Lyon came across one major issue -- the Colorado Central Railroad would not build a line into St. Vrain Valley. Lyon and Evans had to figure out a way to transport the stone all the way to Longmont. It took twenty double teams of men to move the product.2 The quarries boomed in 1885, when the Denver, Utah, and Pacific Railroad built a narrow-gauge line into town and up to the St. Vrain Quarries. Hugh Murphy had purchased the St. Vrain Quarry&nbsp;and was sending stone pavers to growing Midwestern cities.3 During the quarries heyday, sandstone and limestone were being shipped to the east coast. The stone was used for buildings, monuments, and sidewalks. Buildings at the University of Colorado at Boulder were constructed with Lyons sandstone as well. As the quarries became more lucrative, more families began moving to the area. Sandstone and limestone had become vital parts of the economy.&nbsp;The Dynamite Storage Building is an artifact from that era. Quarry workers used dynamite to blast through the canyon and break apart oversized boulders. Once they reached the sandstone, they used tools such as drills and 'plug and feathers' to break the slabs of stone into the desired sizes. Most of the men who lived in Lyons during the 1890s worked in the quarry. The storage building would have helped keep the dynamite dry and away from possible ignition. <div> </div>

This small sandstone building was constructed in 1890. It was once used to store dynamite for the quarry workers. It was a part of the town's economic boom. 

Dynamite Storage Building

Edward S. Lyon and William Griffith arrived in the area now known as Lyons in 1880. The two men were permanent settlers who were seeking land. Edward Lyon purchased 160 acres of land with the intention of raising cattle, however, he discovered the potential for quarrying sandstone and limestone.1&nbsp;As more people were settling in the area, Edward Lyon began to worry for the local youth. He had built the schoolhouse in 1881 but he felt that there was a need for a permanent pastor, “because the town has many saloons and the kids have to have some spiritual upbringing.”2 Reverend H. E. Thayer, a pastor from Longmont, began gathering a congregation and a church was organized on March 8, 1889. On October 27, 1889, a meeting of selected laymen and ministers from surrounding Congregational Churches was held at the Lyons School House. On that day, the First Congregational Church of Lyons, Colorado was officially established with Reverend S. A. Williams of Los Angeles, California as the first official pastor. By the end of the first year, the church had 17 members including A. P Weaver, Mrs. Milton Tucker, Mr. and Mrs. T. J. Thorne, and Edward Raymond Thorne.3&nbsp;&nbsp;As the congregation grew, the Reverend Williams, Reverend H. E. Thayer, and Reverend Henry Harris, who was brought from Michigan by E.S. Lyon, decided that the town required a permanent church building. Construction began in 1894 and was supported by the members of the church and town.4 Rev. Henry Harris and Rev. H. E. Thayer led the project with the assistance of Alex Chisholm, Charles P. Wilcox, and E. E. Norton.5 The building was constructed using Lyons sandstone and was completed in only seven months. Several features of the building exhibited excellent workmanship that was praised by architects. The east and south sides of the building include stone arches and circles that required precision cutting and fitting.6 These near-perfect architectural features still stand.&nbsp;Between 1895 and 1945 there was a high turnover rate for pastors. The First Congregational Church of Lyons had twenty-three pastors serve the church, with an average of about 18 months per pastor.7 This may have been due to the fact that these years encompassed the two World Wars as well as the Great Depression. Money for the pastor’s salary was difficult to collect. Between 1942 and 1945, there was no regular pastor. The church was held together by the members and laypeople. The church was supported by the Ladies Aid Society as well as the Sunday School.&nbsp; These two organizations operated without interruption and played an important role in continuing the First Congregational Church of Lyons. The Ladies Aid Society provided financial aid to the church, while the Sunday School offered a religious education center.&nbsp;Reverend D. I. Hammond served at the church in 1945 as well as 1948. He began improvements on the church by redecorating the sanctuary and painting the walls. Reverend W.O Rogers took over in 1948 and had a new heating plant installed.&nbsp;Over the years, clergymen and members of the church continued to improve the building. The Old Stone Church is one of Lyons’ iconic historic buildings and services are still held every Sunday. <div> </div>

The church was built in 1894  using locally quarried sandstone. It was the first permanent church in the Lyons townsite. Services are still held every Sunday. 

Old Stone Church 

The schoolhouse was built in 1881 using sandstone donated by town founder Edward S. Lyon. It was one of the first buildings constructed after Lyon arrived in the area. He purchased 160 acres and began planning the townsite in 1882. The plans were modified by P.G Putnam in 1885, and the town was finally incorporated on April 10, 1891.1 In 1895, the school was expanded and a second story was added using wooden construction. It was braced with timbers on the east side. However, when the wind blew from the west, the upper story swayed. In 1902, the school board decided to remodel the building, expanding and reinforcing the top floor. The construction was completed in October of 1902. Four 30’x40’ classrooms awaited students at the start of the school year. The first floor of the building is locally quarried sandstone, the second floor of the building is tin-covered wood.The building was used as a school until 1977. Many Lyons residents remember sliding down the metal tube fire escape during fire drills in the building and taking their school photos in front of the stone archway that used to be in front of the school. The archway was relocated to the bottom of the hill in 1993. Local stonemason Andy Maestas was hired to dismantle the arch and rebuild it in its current location.As a new elementary school was being constructed, there were questions over what to do with the old building. The Lyons Historical Society began working to save the 1881 Schoolhouse from the wrecking ball in 1975. A three-way lease between the Lyons Historical Society, the St. Vrain Valley School District, and the Town of Lyons was signed in 1977.Manuel Weiss, a historian, led the restoration process using funding from a CETA grant. While the building was being restored, Weiss noted that the east side of the building only had four windows, even though early photos show five windows. He could not discern any area that had been removed. The missing window is a museum mystery to this day.During the restoration process, the slate chalkboards were removed. Underneath were the original chalkboards that were painted onto the walls. You can still find one student’s math equation that was preserved beneath the slate board in the first-floor exhibit room.The grand opening of the museum was July 13, 1979, during the town’s Good Old Days celebration, and it was officially dedicated November 18, 1979. The first exhibit in the museum included 62 photographs of Lyons titled The Double Gateway - 60 Years in Review - 1885 to 1945.The Lyons Redstone Museum was awarded $93,272.00 for restoration in 2006, and construction began in 2009. The Lyons Historical Society raised an additional $17,000.00 for the project. Their goal was to repair various features of the building, such as the roof while maintaining its historical integrity. As the renovation project was underway, several additional issues were found with the building. The Lyons Historical Society and Museum Director LaVern Johnson still work to continually raise funds to restore the historic building.The Lyons Redstone Museum is operational thanks to grants and donations from the Lyons Community Foundation, the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, the Town of Lyons, the St. Vrain Valley School District, and private donors. These funds pay for exhibits, programs, collection management, and museum operation while keeping the Lyons Redstone Museum operating and available to the public.&nbsp; The Museum is open weekends in May, daily June through September, and by appointment during the winter. Admission to the museum is free. Donations are welcomed.

The 1881 sandstone building was one of the original structures in the Lyons townsite. It was originally a schoolhouse and currently houses the Lyons Redstone Museum. 

1881 Schoolhouse

The Turner-Stevens Building was constructed in 1917 to house the Bank of Lyons. It is on the corner of 4th and Main and was built with locally quarried sandstone. The building is an interpretation of twentieth century commercial architecture. It has a recessed entrance with slight corbels on decorative columns. The building has a small cornice along the roofline as well. Notice the stone above the original entrance that has the date of construction as well as the name of the man who built it.&nbsp;The Bank of Lyons was established circa 1904 by George Stickney. After his death, son-in-law Marvin Turner continued bank operations. In 1921 O.J. Ramey became associated with the bank and it became the State Bank of Lyons, which operated until the 1930s. The Great Depressions ravaged the United States Economy during the early 1930s. People were losing confidence in the banking system and were withdrawing their savings. In March of 1933 the United States Congress passed the Emergency Banking Act in an attempt to stabilize the banking system.1 March 9 through 13 was declared a four day national banking holiday. All banks, including the Federal Reserve, closed. “On March 15, banks throughout the country that government examiners ensured were sound would reopen and resume business.”2 For the most part, the Act was a success. When the banks reopened, people were lined up to redeposit their cash savings.&nbsp;The State Bank of Lyons did not survive the financial crisis in the United States. However, O.J. Ramey continued working in the building as a real estate professional and then an insurance professional until his death in 1970. In August 1972, the Centennial State Bank provided the Lyons residents with a much-needed facility. The Turner-Stevens building has housed several businesses including the Art Bank and the Left Hand Trading Co, and S20 Whitewater Design and Engineering. It is currently an art studio and still has the original bank vault inside. The original bank teller cage is housed in the Lyons Redstone Museum.<div> </div>

The twentieth-century sandstone structure was named after banker Marvin Turner and garage owner C.E Stevens. It was originally built to be a bank but has housed many businesses over the years.

Turner-Stevens Building

In 1881, Hiram Sawyer built a one-story sandstone building with a basement. The building housed McAllister Saloon for five years. Saloons were a common business in mining towns. “On the western mining frontier, the saloon was ‘the poor man’s club,' functioning to provide a social sphere for a man far from friends and family.”1 Many men were moving to the St. Vrain Valley area to work in the quarries. After the Denver, Utah, and Pacific Railroad built a narrow-gauge line to the quarries, business boomed. The quarries drew hordes of workers, even though the jobs came with major health risks. Historian Elliot West referred to saloons in the American West as “the social heart-center of the camp.”2Single men who worked in the quarry would have gone to McAllister saloon for both a drink and for camaraderie. They may have been far from their homes without any family. They would have also been able to share information and news while sipping a whiskey or beer after a long day of work in the quarry. Hiram Sawyer eventually lost interest in maintaining a business in Lyons and in 1886 the building and lot were sold to Thomas G. Putnam for $4.50 in back taxes.3 Then in 1890, Nicholas Frank purchased the building and turned it into a meat market. N. Frank &amp; Bros. Meat Market offered dressed meat of all kinds from animals that were slaughtered at the Nicholas Frank homestead. Frank also owned and operated the Lyons Club Room which sold wine, liquor, and cigars.4In September of 1891, Charles Bradford purchased the property and opened the Bradford Saloon. On December 20, 1892, John Kearney and Thomas Walen finished a days work at the Hugh Murphy Quarries in Noland and headed into Lyons with their pay. After drinking and gambling, they headed to the Bradford Saloon in the early hours of the morning. John Kearney sat down for a game of poker. At four o’clock in the morning, William C. Watt arrived having left Bucherdee’s Saloon. It was reported that Kearny drank seven hot whiskeys in less than twenty minutes. John Kearney and William C. Watt played a game of poker, though both men were so drunk that they had to have another man deal the cards for them. Kearney was winning. After John Kearney won yet another hand, William Watt pulled out his .38 Smith &amp; Wesson and pointed it at Kearney. The gun went off but missed Kearney. Watt shot two more times while others tried to stop him. Kearney was taken to the local doctor with a bullet wound in his left groin. The doctor removed the bullet, but Kearney died on December 28, 1892, from an infection. William C. Watt was arrested, charged, and convicted of voluntary manslaughter. He was sentenced to eight years in the State Prison at Canon City.5 You can still see the bullet hole in the Newton Thomas painting of the two men on horseback. In May of 1901, Bradford sold the building and lot to Charles and William Frank. There were several legal battles over the land between Elisha S. Johns, F.D. Sandy, J.H. Gilfillan, A.C. Van Deren, and Nicholas Frank. On June 19, 1909, William and Charles Frank claimed full rights to the building and the lot.5  In 1927, the building was converted into a pool hall which had several different owners. The building was eventually renovated into a restaurant in the 1960s and has remained a restaurant throughout many different owners. It currently houses The Fork, and maintains its historic character.

The McAllister Saloon was one of the first structures built along what is now Main Street. It is a single-story building that was constructed by Hiram Sawyer in 1881. 

McAllister Saloon

This two-story building was constructed in the late 1890s. It is a simple two-story structure with a flat roof. It has a slightly recessed entryway and a decorative cornice at the roofline. The building was originally meant to be a general store as well as residential space. The first floor would have been the store, while the top floor would have been apartments.&nbsp;During the late nineteenth century, the sandstone and limestone quarries were one of the two main industries in the town, the other being sanitariums. The General Store would have served the growing number of people who moved to the area for work or for health reasons. “The clean, cool air of the high plains and foothills, sunlight, good rich food, rest, and high altitude was thought to provide a cure for most respiratory diseases, especially pulmonary tuberculosis.”1 Edward Lyon’s daughter, Lillie Lyon Thorne, opened the Thorncroft Sanitarium with her husband Thomas J. Thorne.&nbsp;As the town’s population grew, the town required more businesses and services beyond saloons. The General Store was the result of that need. However, it did not remain a general store and has housed many different businesses. At one time, George Stickney opened a bank in the space.2 After Stickney’s bank closed, the building was turned into a department store. When that business closed, E.P Lass opened Kandy Kitchens in the building. James McCain and his family then turned the space into a barbershop. Next, Otto and Clara Brown turned the building into a leather store. In 1967, after the Lyons Drug Store burned down Glen and Mabel Jernigan decided to temporarily move the drug store to this location. Dragonwood Antiques and Rocky Mountain Stoveworks have also occupied the space.3 Currently, South Creek Ltd. Bamboo Rods is occupying the first floor of the building.

This two-story sandstone building was constructed as a commercial and residential space on Main Street. It has several common features of nineteenth-century commercial architecture and has been the location of several businesses throughout Lyons history.

General Store 

When Edward S. Lyon, Hiram Sawyer, and Griffith Evans first started quarrying limestone and sandstone, there was no rail line into Lyons. They had to haul the heavy stone by wagon all the way to Lyons in order to send them the Denver. In 1885, the Denver, Utah, and Pacific Railroad built a narrow gauge track into Lyons. That same year, the train depot was built.&nbsp;Mark W. Boyd of Longmont received the building contract for the depot in the summer of 1885. The building was a simple design. It was a one-story building with a bay window. The station agent would have used the window to see up and down the track. The depot’s walls were built out of Lyons sandstone and were 18 inches thick, and the roof was made of galvanized metal. The building was divided into three rooms; a waiting room for passengers, a small middle ticket office used by the station agent, and a baggage storage area.&nbsp;The Lyons Train Depot was the hub of the community for many years. The trains transported stone, supplies, lumber, and eventually tourists. The extension of the train line and the construction of the depot helped boost the town’s economy. By the late nineteenth century, tourists were traveling to Lyons to spend time in the parks. They were also taking the stagecoach from Lyons up to Estes Park or to resorts up the north and south St. Vrain river Canyons.&nbsp;In July of 1908, construction of the pavilion on the east side of the depot began. On July 16, 1908, the Lyons Recorder Described it as being “about 16x48 feet, with a roof space of 22x50 feet. It will be a convenience that will be much appreciated by the patrons of the road.”1 Several local carpenters worked on the Pavilion and it was completed by the end of the month.&nbsp;The Train Depot closed in 1960 and was up for sale in 1974. The Lyons Historical Society formed by Dorothy Paxton, its first president, to save the historic building. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in December of 1974. The Town of Lyons purchased the building and it was restored through volunteer hours, multiple grants, and donations. It was converted into a library and its doors opened in October of 1977.&nbsp;The Baggage Claim/Freight building was originally located between two sets of railroad track going through Meadow Park, now called LaVern M. Johnson Park. After the railroad closed in 1960, the building was moved for private use. In 1984, the building was donated to the Lyons Depot Library by the Gouge family in memory of their son Jim. A foundation was built and the building was moved and connected to the Lyons Depot through grants, community donations, and volunteer hours. The addition was turned into a children’s reading area.&nbsp;The Flood of 2013 damaged the building. Emergency and Flood Relief grants helped stabilize the structure while volunteers formulated a plan for historic treatment. In Spring of 2014, additional funds were secured to rehabilitate the Depot to historic standards. Construction was completed in April of 2016.2&nbsp;The Lyons Regional Library chose to not use the building anymore. The Train Depot now houses Town of Lyons staff offices.

The Train Depot was built in 1885 and is a standard design for a nineteenth-century train depot. The introduction of a train line boosted the town’s economy. 

Train Depot 

Before the quarries opened, homesteaders had been farming and working the land in the St. Vrain Valley for more than two decades. The valley had flat parcels of land as well as a river, making it an ideal location for farming. Before the homesteaders, Arapahoe and Ute tribes traveled through the valley. Teepee rings and campfire sites have previously been identified in the area. Oral histories from early settlers to the area, such as Charles Smead, mention of the presence of Native Americans.William Sites ran a dairy farm east of Lyons. The milk from his farm was cooled by the spring water that ran through the milkhouse. Dairying was an evolving industry during the nineteenth century. While commercial dairying was becoming more common in the Northeast, in the rest of the United States “dairying was a noncommercial activity performed to provide milk, butter, and cheese for the farm family. The rural character of most areas kept local markets small and the perishability of milk and poor, non-refrigerated transport prevented much expansion beyond local markets.”1 William Sites would have most likely been supplying only locals with his milk due to the difficulty of transporting it to Longmont or anywhere else in Boulder County. However, due to improvements in American dairying between 1850 and 1910, he may have had a well-producing farm. Even though “farmers throughout the country continued to prefer--often quite rationally, given their economic goals and conditions--beef-bred or dual-purpose beef-dairy breeds (for example Shorthorns or Devons) whose potential milk yields were considerably lower than specialized dairy cattle,” they had improved feeding techniques.2 By 1910, American dairy farmers had adopted a scientific approach to feeding their cattle, rather than relying on pastorage alone. Commercialized feed became available for purchase and dairy farmers were able to create a balanced diet for their herds. Milk-producing animals require a base number of calories for body maintenance, feed consumed beyond that point is converted into milk. Therefore a balanced diet can increase cows milk production without leading to an increase in the animals’ body weight.3 A dairy farm in Lyons would have needed high production to serve the number of families who had moved to the area to work in the quarries. Site’s sold the property to Pioneer John Reese’s son Frank Reese. His sister, Bertha, was married to James Albert McConnell. The two-story building was used for storage and then living quarters. Since then, the Sites Milkhouse has been on private property.

Sites Milkhouse was built by William Sites, who was one of the first farmers of the St. Vrain Valley. He used this building to store dairy products. This building is on private property and is not open to the public. Please view from the road.

Sites Milkhouse 

Charles Bradford was born June 7, 1844, in Astor, Long Island, New York. He was raised and educated in Chicago, Illinois until 1860. He enlisted in Company 1, Third Illinois Cavalry during the Civil War and remained in the military for four years. In 1866, he headed west, landing first in Central City, Colorado. He married Sarah White on September 25, 1868.&nbsp;On June 30, 1881, Charles Bradford purchased the land west of the current Lyons Middle/Senior High School which he used for his farm. He eventually sold the property to a Longmont real estate developer who divided the land and sold it in smaller tracts. One of the farmed tracts included an extensive fruit farm. The Bradford Homestead remains on the property. It is a small two-story sandstone building with a cellar.&nbsp;Charles Bradford went on to open the Bradford Saloon, one&nbsp;of the many saloons in Lyons, Colorado. Charles Bradford went on to raise hares and then trout. He was highly involved in the community, serving on the school board for thirty-six years and helping build the original Montgomery schoolhouse. He was in charge of the landscaping of the school grounds. Charles Bradford helped build the Methodist Church as well. By 1911, Charles Bradford was cashing checks in his saloon.1In 1996, the Lyons Historical Society became concerned about the Town selling the Bradford Homestead, which was on the Olson property. The Historical Society requested that the Town of Lyons keep the building and surrounding acreage. The property has since been purchased by private owners. The Bradford Homestead is&nbsp;currently on private property and is registered in the National Register of Historic Places. Please view the building from the road.

The Bradford Homestead was built in the late nineteenth century by Charles Bradford. He turned the land into a farm, which was one of his many money-making ventures. The building is currently on private property an is not open to the public. Please view from the road or from the Lyons Dog Park. 

Bradford Homestead 

In 1862, Sven J. Johnson, an agent for the White Star Line, along with Bengt Johnson, Aaron Peterson, Sven Magni, Peter Johnson, Lars J. Johnson and Samuel Gummeson, set off from their homeland in Ryssby, Sweden, to come to America seeking free land under the Homestead Act. In the first years, Sven's home, the only framed house, was the community center and served as a church. In 1875, a schoolhouse was built and the services moved there.In 1877, Rev. Frederick Lagerman came to the Ryssby settlement to be the spiritual leader, and in 1878, he organized a congregation among the settlers, calling it the "Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Congregation of Ryssby, Boulder County Colorado." The new congregation was affiliated with the Augustana Synod. In February 1878, the congregation officially called Rev. Lagerman to be their pastor and in January 1881, the congregation accepted the offer from Hugo Anderson for 3 acres of land on which to build the church. August Olander donated sandstone from his homestead to be used as building materials, and by Oct. 31 of that year, the cornerstone of Ryssby church was laid.The church was finished and ready for occupancy on Midsummer Day of 1882, and a dedication ceremony for both the church and adjoining cemetery were held. The settlers strove to fashion the new Ryssby church from the church they had left in Ryssby Sweden with a tall tower in the front and four pointed windows along each side. The church was heated by a large stove, which heats the church to this day. A white railing circled the front altar under the domed barrel roof.In 1908, the Elim congregation of nearby Longmont invited the Ryssby congregation to merge with them but this did not officially happen until 1914. The Ryssby congregation ceased to exist and the little country church was left empty. A lightning storm damaged the tower and it appeared that the Ryssby church would be left to crumble. In 1924, Rev. Luther Stromquist of the Elim congregation organized a group to repair the church and to again hold an annual Midsummer service there. With their efforts, Ryssby was made a state historical site in June 1933 with an official marker laid. In 1938, the annual Christmas services were reinstated at the church which continues to this day with great popularity. In the 1960s, a group of descendants funded a full restoration project where the tower was replaced, renovation and painting of the interior and new landscaping in the cemetery were carried out.The Ryssby Church continues to be a part of the spiritual life of the area. Many weddings are held at the picturesque spot, and families continue to bury their loved ones in its consecrated ground. There is an annual church picnic and service on Midsummer Day in June as well as the Christmas services held on the second weekend of December. The church is decorated by youth from First Lutheran Church and is lit by hundreds of flickering candles. Choirs from First Lutheran Church provide festive music, and the birth story from the Gospel of Luke is read in Swedish. Improvements continue to be made at the church. Rusty Brockmann of Iron Age Arts, built a new footbridge with steel railings and gate that connects the parking lot and church grounds over the Swede ditch. The Lutheran Seal is worked into the gate. A new fence near the road was also created by Iron Age Arts, with detailed historical designs outlined on four panels.

Ryssby Church, outside of Longmont in Boulder County, Colorado was built in 1882 by Swedish immigrants. The building was not used between 1914 and 1924. A dedicated committee from First Lutheran Church, the descendant congregation of the Ryssby and Elim churches, maintains the church, organizes events, and funds continuous improvement projects. The church hosts weddings, church picnics, an annual Midsummer service, and Christmas candlelight services in early December.

Lyons walking tour

Montgomery School

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources