Erie

 

 

Erie has always been a town at the crossroads. The Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes settled near here for a time and not until 1858 was it recorded that Jim Baker referenced this area for his trapping and even coal extraction from the river. By the 1860s coal was being surfaced mined throughout the area and then in 1871 with the establishment of the Briggs Mine the first commercial coal mine in Weld County was recorded. Union Pacific Railroad brought the first trains to Erie in 1867 primarily because of coal transportation but eventually as a hub to reach the cities of Lafayette, Boulder, and Longmont. From Erie, you would have to catch a stagecoach to your final destination. Originally referred to as “Coal Park” until July 24, 1871, when the Rev. Richard J. Van Valkenberg chose to honor his former home in Pennsylvania and named the city Erie. It was incorporated in 1874. Erie remembers its coal mining days with a September Saturday morning holiday called Biscuit Day to celebrate the respite between agriculture and coal seasons.

 

People would feast on biscuits and stew before miners went back to work in the colder months. Oliver and Adeline Wise are considered the original homesteaders to this area but technically they lived in the town of Canfield, which is now a neighborhood in Erie. The Wise family were farmers and their home is a historical monument that is only open on Saturdays from 10 am to 2 pm. Today Erie is still at a crossroads. Most people living here work in either Boulder (20 min) or Denver (25 min). It has grown significantly in the 21st century from ~6,000 to roughly 26,000 in 2021. It didn’t have a city street light until 2008. The median age of someone living in Erie is 37. The median household income is $116,860.