Lyons History Video Project
presents
Documentary Videos/DVDs
of the area surrounding Lyons, Colorado.
Lyons History Video Project
Directory of Media
For Tourist InformationExecutive Producer
Project Director
Kathleen Spring
A perspective of Small Town Quarrying
in the USA, 1880s to today
Everything you wanted to know about quarrying and small town life, and some you didn't know to ask, can be found in "Our Stones Gather Moss; Lyons Sandstone Quarry History." This video intends to preserve small town life, and quarrying methods, through photographs of the quarries and tales of small town life as accounted by the residents. The red sandstone is some of the hardest rock in the world, and due to its durability and color, it has been used all over the USA. With early history of being used for sidewalks of New York, and the brownstones in Boston, today it is being shipped as far as Germany, Vietnam, Hawaii and Guam.
The small town of Lyons, population 1,500, begin in the 1860s when many men sadly realized that the area would not be producing their own gold strike, and they settled in with their families to farm the fertile land at the foot of the great Rocky Mountain range or grow cattle.
When Edward S. Lyon settled in the area, he noticed some easy-accessed outcroppings of red sandstone in the rugged mountains. Knowing a bit about quarrying from his home state out East, he decided to introduce quarrying to this area. After a slow, but productive start, the industry eventually boomed, with as many as 1,000 men working in the quarries. A small ancillary town called Noland formed, with boarding houses, and a general store and bars of its own, just a few miles outside of Lyons. The handful of large quarries were owned by various individuals over the years; and a couple of train companies installed a line up to the quarries to bring out the stone. At one time the Brodie/Murphy quarry was the largest quarry in the West.
With the introduction of cement, the sandstone industry almost died out around 1912. The town of Noland became a ghost town. Only a few churches and the university in Boulder used the sandstone on their buildings. But through the ingenuity of a couple of men, a razzmatazz sales man, and the inventor of the sandstone cutting machine, the industry boomed again a few decades later. Today the stone yards have so many orders that many of them already have enough business to last them ten years into the future.
What makes Lyons unique is that all the major businesses in town (the sandstone quarries and stone yards) are family owned. With all the corporate take-overs in America today, it is a rare situation. In addition, the owners are family-oriented people, with old-fashioned gentlemanly business operations.
Some of the current stone yards owners and operators (men and women) today are now in their 3rd and 4th generation. Some owners begin by being quarry workers, and they didn't even own the shovel they worked with. In this documentary, you will hear about their struggles and triumphs of living alone in huts and trailors without electricity or running water, and yet hear how they remember it as happy, close family times. Neal Sprague describes how many people felt about switching from farming to the sometimes dangerous quarrying jobs: "There were times when you almost had to buy a job to get a job."
This is not just "talking-head" interviews, but many on-site discussions. Leonard Loukonen, whose father came here before the turn of the century, will show you where his dad's house and stable were located. "He came up here, looked around and made his decision. He walked back into town and stocked up on provisions. Then he came back up here and spent half a day building his cabin and went right to work quarrying the stone."
The documentary continues its story right up until today, including discussion on government regulations, what a stone mason carries in his bucket, sandstone furniture and art work, and more.
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QUOTES from Documentary...
"There's several stone businesses in this area, the people that owned them that are now apparently milionaires, they started out working with a shovel... They've got orders from cities all over the United States... I've never been in a city in the US that didn't have Lyons red stone. The Town of Lyons is a big town in the stone industry; it's a small town (1,500 people) but everybody in the stone business, and most of the world, knows about Lyons' stone."
Chris Jenkins, inventor of the sandstone cutting machine.
"In today's time, everything is suppose to be done fast... so the stone masons that get there are more concerned with getting the job done fast... I show them...there's so much effort there in getting it out of the ground, so much history involved. We're working with material that hasn't seen sunlight in 200 million years. It's going to be there 3-400 years. You shouldn't just throw it in the wall; and walk aay from it. You should take a little bit of extra time, and make sure it's cut right; not just cut."Lynn Randolph, expert stone mason, an example of the pride that Lyons stone cutters and masons take in their work.
"My father and uncle were two of the nicest, kindest, most generous people. They helped so many people in so many ways. They were well respected,"Cynthia Loukonen, 4th generation daughter who helps run the stone yard today. Many kids grew up in isolated places, without electricity, water or heat, but had fun in safe open spaces where families were close.
The documentary tells the story of the rough and lonely life of quarry families, and how the business today is owned by a small number of families,and not organizations. It includes experts, like the Curator of Geology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, explaining the formation of giant sand dunes in the area, whose crushed granite sand eventually formed the hard sandstone. Also, aerial views of the area make the layout of the land and quarries clear. And, dozens of black and white photos of life in the quarries at the turn of the century. Kathleen Spring was the executive producer, and the main camera person, including interviewing, scripting and editing. Selected research done by Al Pace, local historian and journalist.
Includes narration from Dr. Jack Murphy, Curator of Geology, Denver Museum of Nature & Science; on the site of the Murphy/Brodie/Boone sandstone quarry, which was claimed to be the largest such quarry in the West. Three geological maps (color coded), a cross-section map, a stratigraphic map. Emphasis on the Ingleside Fountain, Lyons and Lykins Formations--Today these 250 million year old rocks are exposed in this area. Explanation of the red sandstone color, dendrites (fernlike in appearance), location of the great sand dunes that covered this area, inland lakes, and more.
"Lyons Geology,
Front Range from Boulder to Ft. Collins"
Aerial views of the landscape, including the Town of Lyons, sandstone and limestone quarries, main highways, Carter Lake, Horsetooth Resevoir and more. See the Town of Lyons from the air, as well as many other area quarries and homes. 
"It's such a clean quartz sand, and it's so hard and breaks apart into these flagstones. This is what makes it a world class building flagstone," said Murphy. "This floor (I'm standing on) is a natural surface. This wasn't cut. This is one of the bedding planes that broke off. You can see the other planes below it. It's quite fantastic. It reflects the original shape of the sand dunes, which are 250 million years old."
$9.95 plus postage. To see a "streaming video" of this, (on-line viewing), go to Lyons Chamber of Commerce web page. (Online special: This video is only $7.00 if ordered with any other video featured here, and no extra "media" postage).
The "Quarry Sandstone" and "Lyons Geology" videos Order by mail, or available year-round at
the St. Vrain Market on Main Street, Lyons, Colorado.
And, in summer: Lyons Tourist Center and Lyons Redstone Museum.
And, in the Longmont Museum and Colorado Historic Museum (Denver),
(Please call these two places before you drive out, to make sure they are in stock)
Via mail, $4.45 priority mail (2 to 3 days) or $5 for two videos. Out of state people, please add $1.00. -or-
$2 Media mail (from 4 days up to 3 wks for delivery); plus $1 for each additional video/dvd.
Ask for large quantity prices or for outside USA.
Disclaimer – Copyright: All logos, photos, and original and html text are Copyright © by Kathleen Spring and/or Lyons History Video Project 2001-2006. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or use is prohibited without written permission from owner. – All prices are subject to change at the reasonable discretion of the owner. Videos are for home viewing, unless written permission is given.
History of Lyons, Colorado 
This book is "in the works"; and anticipated completion is 2008.
Nine years of pioneer video-taped interviews edited into a comprehensive history of the Lyons area, from the mid-1800s to today. It will include both the history of Lyons and life experiences of residents, such as what it was like to arrive on a covered-wagon, what it was like to attend a high school graduation of 4 to 11 students, etc. Write us if you'd like to receive an email announcing when it is completed.
Volunteers. There are often opportunities to help in the video production, including learning production skills, or interviewing skills; also accounting, typing, and transcribing needed. If you live in the Lyons area, please call us for details, or email us at the address below.
Lectures: E-mail questions or to inquire about LECTURES or BOOK SIGNINGS contact Kathleen Spring at: lyonshistory@ ..yahoo ..com.
Sales:
If your Museum, book store, or library would like to help support this Project by selling copies of the documentary; please contact us at (303) 823-0997, or the address below.
Tourist Info. For more information about the town that will be of interest to the tourist as well as the new home buyer, go to Page 1 .
What's the difference between "historic" and "historical"? If an event changes or makes history, then it is "historic" like the "9/11 attack;" but if it is a part of history, such as a document, study, or piece of history, like a personal letter written by Benjamin Franklin, then it is "historical."
Major funding through SCFD (Colorado) 3 grants: 2000-2002,
Scientific and Cultural Facilities District.
Lyons Historical Society, LaVern Johnson, and the Lyons Town Council,
John Ramey (2000-2); and many other generous donors.
The sandstone video (2001) was made possible by additional donations from
Blue Mt. Stone, Loukonen Stone, Western Stone, and Arkins Park Stone.
Web Site hosted by Kathleen Spring.
VIDEO preview of what the Town has to offer
is shown in the Visitors' Center (10 minutes in length) and on the Lyons Chamber website.
Know a friend without a computer,
we'll send a brochure. –
Use this Address to send your order and check to:
For Information on the Documentaries, contact:
Kathleen Spring, Project Director
EMail: videos@ rockymtretreats. com
Lyons History Video Project
P. O. Box 274
Lyons, CO 80540
303-823-0997 call 10am to 7pm Mountain MST only please
For Tourist Information, Contact the Chamber for a Directory
Tourist Office (303) 823-5215
or, pick up a copy at the Tourist Center
(Full time staffed June to September;
part-time staff October to June) Opens no later than Memorial Day weekend.
Town Hall (303) 823-6622
For more information about Rocky Mt. Retreats & Workshops
for the Mind & Spirit (sponsors of this website), go to Retreats
Date last modified: August 3, 2008 9:00 AM