Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1882.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Lyons’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lyons is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lyons’ overall grade.
Few Colorado towns list much on the Register (a typical Colorado town has 1.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Lyons’ 103 sits above most of its state (94% of Colorado towns have fewer) while its 19 historic buildings outnumber those of 79% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.0 points). Two sources give 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Lyons’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
Brodies Saint Vrain QuarrymineCarol Gore QuarrymineDale Taylor Lease QuarrymineDewey Rocky Mountain QuarrymineHammons QuarrymineJohnson QuarrymineKing Mountain QuarrymineKline QuarrymineLyons QuarrymineMcCall QuarriesmineRawley QuarrymineRocking WP PitmineSisk MinemineSprague Red PitmineSteamboat Valley QuarrymineSummers QuarrymineUnited Building Stone QuarrymineUniversity of Colorado Quarrymine
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Lyons’ history
What year was Lyons founded?
In 1880, according to Wikidata. Lyons’ post office opened in 1882.
How does Lyons rank for history?
Lyons is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Lyons?
5 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Lyons Railroad Depot (listed 1974, the first), 1 historic district, the Lyons Sandstone Buildings, with 13 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 19 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Lyons?
16% of Lyons’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.0 points), against a typical 2.5% for a Colorado town; the median home was built in 2000.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (5), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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