Morrison Town

Jefferson County, Colorado

Morrison Town Hall is located at 321 Highway 8, Morrison, CO 80465.
Phone: 303‑697‑8749.

Neighborhoods

Beginnings [1]

In 1859 Canadian stonemason George Morrison came to Colorado, soon settling in the Mt. Vernon area and extracting limestone, gypsum, and sandstone and becoming active in civic affairs. Morrison established a homestead at the mouth of Bear Creek Canyon and built the stone Mt. Vernon House to serve as a general store and tollhouse. Former Territorial Governor John Evans and his associates established the Morrison Stone, Lime, and Townsite Company and platted the town. The Denver, South Park, and Pacific Railroad arrived two years later. The area attracted picnickers and tourists due to its proximity to the mountains and the beautiful Red Rocks area. Building stone, lime kilns, mineral paint deposits, and the surrounding forests led to the town's continued development. Morrison's population reached a zenith of 750 in 1880, declining thereafter to 216 in 1940.

1. Thomas H. Simmons and R. Laurie Simmons, historians, Front Range Research Associates, Inc.; Dawn Bunyak, Historian, Bunyak Research Associates, Historic Residential Subdivisions of Metropolitan Denver, 1940-1965, nomination document, 2010, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, Washington, D.C.

Nearby Towns: Golden City • Lakewood City •