History: Edward Lyon’s son Leonard Lyon
Edward Lyon, founder of the town of Lyons, had two daughters and a son, Leonard, with wife Carrie Barrett Lyon, in Connecticut. Edward moved to Colorado without them, and remarried. He later left Lyons for San Diego, California in 1895 when Leonard was 28 and married.
Leonard lived in Lyons from the age of 13 to 38 years. It is tragic to lose a son at the age of 38, but also especially emotional to lose him during the Christmas holiday season, and in such an awful way, because of an explosion. The building was airtight and had not been opened in a while, and when Leonard opened the door, he was blasted across the room. He was taken to the Burlington Hotel, and died 1.5 hours later. The story hung over the heads of Lyons citizens from many decades. He was highly regarded in town, having been in several prestigious, honorable positions, such as marshal, postmaster and fire chief. Below is the official biography of Leonard as written by the Lyons Historical Society.
Leonard Cutlar “Lenny” Lyon – born March 17, 1867, died DECEMBER 1, 1905
Leonard Lyon, born in Putnam, Connecticut, was the son of Lyons town founder E.S. Lyon and his first wife Carolyn. He came to Lyons with his father in 1881 at the age of 13. Leonard married Alice Sosey of Lyons in 1889, they had three children.
Leonard was an involved citizen in the town, serving as Marshall, postmaster, and as a volunteer fireman in Hose Company #1. He worked at the Brodie Stone Quarry until his foot was crushed. In 1896 he went to work for M.J. Scanlon at the Golden Rule Store located on Main Street, where the pharmacy building now stands.
On December 1, 1905 he was killed in a gas explosion when he went to check on the acetylene generator in the cellar of the gas plant on the lot next door. His pocket watch stopped at 7:10, the time of the explosion, and is on display in the Lyon Family Exhibit at the museum.
Leonard had recently purchased 80 acres of land from the Sosey Ranch on Apple Valley Road which he called “Poverty Rancho” and had a house built. It was ready to move into at the time of his death.
The December 7, 1905 issue of The Lyons Recorder wrote: “ In the death of Lenny Lyon the community loses a good citizen. He was a good husband, a good father, a good neighbor and a good man; what more can be said?”
On Leonard’s headstone is the simple emblem of the Woodmen of the World. In 1906, his wife and children, Clarence, Myrtle, and Fern, moved to California to be near her parents.
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Historical data supplied by Lyons Historical Society, and book “Piecing a Town Together; families of Lyons, Colorado” by Denise V. Berg, and Frank Weaver. Book available at the Lyons Redstone Museum.
