2017 Local History Series

Erie Community Library and Erie Historical Society present the 2017 Local History Series Download Flyer Join us Thursdays at 7:00pm at the Erie Community Center on these dates: March 16,2017 Harvey Houses of the American West with Curator Elizabeth Nosek. This event...

What’s in a name? Erie, Colorado

by Jim Stull People often ask how Erie received its name.  The best documented answer is that it is named after Erie, Pennsylvania.  Richard van Valkenburg, considered the “Father of Erie,” named the town after his last official residence before becoming a circuit...

Canfield and the Longmont “Baby Railroad”

by Jim Stull The town of Canfield was located on the eastern border of Boulder County, just west of Erie, at Jay/Jasper Road and N. 119th Street. It was platted in the mid -1870s and named after Isaac Canfield.  In 1873, Isaac Canfield discovered a rich coal seam; he...
The McKenzie Oil Well

The McKenzie Oil Well

The McKenzie Well was the site of the 1901 discovery of the Boulder Oil Field, the first discovery of oil in the multi-state Denver Basin.  Florence driller Isaac Canfield  noticed Boulder’s typography was similar to Florence.  Oil seeps and petroleum odors...