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REDSTONE • REVIEW
MARCH 15/ /APRIL 19, 2023
CONTACT LCF marks 15 years of local giving and local impact By Kate Schnepel Redstone Review LYONS – Any long-time Lyons resident will tell you that the town has changed a lot since 2007, the year Lyons Community Foundation (LCF) was founded. Businesses have come and others have (sadly) gone, new houses have risen from what once were open fields, property values have increased exponentially, and the flood of 2013 brought devastation followed by a vast rebuilding effort. One thing that hasn’t changed? Lyons is still a small town with a big heart. Evidence for that can be found in the commitment of our citizens to improving the community and giving back to others. The Lyons Community Foundation was established in 2007 when several generous and caring area residents saw the need for a locally-based philanthropy and began the hard work of setting up the organization. John Burke, Gary LaFever, and Rick England, among others, were key in laying this groundwork. Connie Eyster and Christy Crosser were the first Advisory Board co-chairs. LCF was established under the umbrella of the Community Foundation of Boulder County and remains one of its funds. In the 15 years since LCF was started, nearly 60 area residents have served on its Advisory Board, volunteering their time to help the community. Those same board members have collectively donated approximately $300,000 to LCF. In fact, many of LCF’s original board members continue to support the organization to this day, funding grants to nonprofits and scholarships for local students. One reason for having a community foundation is the ability to address the unique needs of a small and diverse community. There are events, projects, and programs that otherwise would not occur, given the budget and constraints of a small town. Accordingly, LCF focuses on raising
funds to support a diverse range of projects and populations in order to improve the quality of life, build a culture of giving and encourage positive change in the greater Lyons area. By offering a centralized source for fundraising, nonprofits can focus on their programs, and individuals and busi-
nesses have a way to easily support all the good work happening in the community. Since 2008, the first year LCF gave out grants, more than $500,000 has been awarded to a variety of local nonprofit organizations such as the Lyons Emergency Assistance Fund (LEAF), the Town of Lyons, the
Lyons Historical Society, Rocky Mountain Botanic Gardens, the Lyons Elementary School PTO, and the Lyons Middle/Senior High School Booster Club. These community support grants help these organizations and others fulfill their missions. The 15 years since LCF was founded have also seen nearly $75,000 distributed to local graduating seniors to further their education. In all, approximately 70 students have benefitted from these scholarships. In no time was the need for a local foundation more critical than during the 2013 flood. Because LCF existed, the “Rebuild Lyons One Life at a Time” grant program was able to spring into action, awarding over $1M to local residents and businesses when they needed it most. Funds were given out within three months of the flood to address critical needs. In the early months of the Covid pandemic and economic crisis, the Lyons Community Foundation launched “The Lyons Share – a small business economic relief fund” in partnership with the St. Vrain Market. The fund, seeded with proceeds from the market and matched by LCF, was designed to help local businesses survive the impact of Covid’s forced business closures. With the added donations from the Town of Lyons and area residents, the Lyons Share Fund provided $43,000 to local businesses in 2020. As you can see, it’s been a busy and productive 15 years since our founding. Thank you to everyone who has donated and volunteered over the years. All of us at LCF are inspired by your dedication and commitment to this town we call home. We can’t wait to see what the next 15 years will bring, and we’re committed to keep making a difference in the lives of all who live here. Kate Schnepel is the Marketing and Communications Associate for Lyons Community Foundation. She moved to Lyons in 2019 with her husband and daughter, and spent nearly three years as a member of LCF’s Advisory Board before moving into her current consulting role.
Gone missing: The story of Aquilla Cook LYONS – Aquilla Cook, born May 7, 1833, lived on the South St. Vrain just south of what would become the town of Lyons. He lived there along with his wife, Esther Jane, and two sons, Caleb and Sawyer-Lang Freeman. In 1868 Aquilla went missing while on a hunting trip. The September 26, 1930 edition of The Lyons Recorder newspaper contains an article that recounts the tragic story of the early area pioneer. From the Recorder: Marker Commemorates Tragedy of Pioneer Geo. S. Billings and J.G. Parks went up to Cook Mountain Wednesday morning to place the granite marker at the spot where the body of Aquilla Cook was found. The marker bears the following inscription: Aquilla Cook Died here April 20, 1868 Age 35 years Caleb Cook, of Saratoga, Wyoming, where he operates the XH Ranch, son of the unfortunate pioneer, had the marker made last week while here. This incident has, of course, revived interest in the tragic death of one of our early pioneers. Mr. and Mrs. Aquilla Cook lived on the South St. Vrain just south of Lyons. In those early times all kinds of wild game was abundant and the people depended on it very largely for their meat. Mr. Cook, just convalescing from an illness, then called lung fever, probably pneumonia, started out with his rifle to get some meat, evidently intending to go only a short distance, since he went in his
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shirt sleeves. How he came to go as far as Cook Mountain can only be surmised. He may have been following an elk or other big game and overtaken by acute illness or weakness due to his weakened condition from his recent illness so as not to be able to return. He is said to have been a powerful and hardy man normally and it is unlikely that he became confused or lost. When he did not return, a manhunt was organized, participated in by every able bodied man for miles around but in vain. His body was not found until three years and seven months later, when Brown Ragan happened upon it accidentally. The mountain where the body was found has since been known as Cook Mountain. Cale Cook was only seven years old at the time of his father’s death. He says he has had it in mind for many years to commemorate the tragic event in some way. The Recorder’s comments ended there. Today, the sandstone marker, attached to a granite rock, is located on Cook Mountain, west of Button Rock Reservoir. Information about the trail where the marker is located is available on the website alltrails.com listed under Button Rock & Cook Mountain Unnamed 7071 & 7985 in the Activities Tab. The marker states that he was 35 years old at the time of his death which is incorrect; he was actually about two weeks shy of his 35th birthday. Sadly, this was not the only tragedy to befall this family. Freeman Cook, who was four years old at the time of his father’s death, died in 1889 at the age of 25 in an explosion at the Smuggler Mine, west of Lyons. Aquilla Cook, his wife Esther Jane Cook Sites, and his son Freeman are buried in the Hygiene Cemetery. In memory of his brother and father Caleb named his son Freeman Aquilla Cook.
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By Monique Sawyer-Lang Redstone Review
This sandstone marker, located on Cook Mountain, commemorates Aquilla Cook. It reads: Aquilla Cook died here Apr. 20,1868. Age 35 yrs. Over 3 yrs. before found. The Lyons Redstone Museum is closed for the winter and will reopen weekends in May of 2023. In the meantime we invite you to explore our virtual offerings on our website, redstonehistory.com and to follow us on Facebook and Instagram. If you would like to support the Lyons Redstone Museum and our efforts to preserve Lyons’ history, donations may be sent to PO Box 9, Lyons, CO. 80540.
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