Carbon Valley towns grow beyond coal-mining legacy

The Carbon Valley Chamber of Commerce is made up of businesses from three very unique communities: Dacono, Firestone and Frederick.  Each community came about from the coal mining that was taking place in the 1800s in this area.  Prior to 1905, this area was a part of the Great Plains region. Then, someone discovered coal, and the three communities were incorporated!

Frederick was the first to incorporate in 1907. The town was name after Frederick A. Clark, who was the landowner of what is now known as Frederick. The town was made up of mostly Italian immigrants who came to work in the mines.

Dacono was the second to incorporate in 1908. The story behind how Dacono got its name is an interesting one; Mr. Baum, the owner of the first major mine, chose the first two letters of three ladies first names — Daisy, Cora and Nora — to form Dacono. The Rocky Mountain News reported in 1958 that the three ladies were Baume’s wife, a lady minister who married them and a very close friend. By a vote of the people, Dacono adopted a Home Rule Charter in 1994 and is now the city of Dacono.

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Firestone was named after Jacob Firestone of the Firestone Rubber Co., who once owned the land where Firestone now sits. The town was incorporated in 1908 just a few months after Dacono. Firestone was the first to have a “production mine” known as the McKissic in 1887 and was located where Saddleback Golf Club is today.

Firestone was the first to have a saloon, the first telephone central and the first lumber store. Frederick had the first newspaper that was published weekly from 1908 to 1909. All three of the towns established a post office in 1907, Firestone on Aug. 30 and Frederick and Dacono on Dec. 21. Frederick grew faster than the other two towns and was the first to have grocery stores in the area. As more miners came to the area, more stores and hotels popped up. Water was scarce in the Tri-Town area; it was hauled by wagon from the Grant Mine north of Firestone and sold in barrels for 25 cents each.

The Tri-Town area used to have a vibrant railroad activity. The Union Pacific had tracks to the west of the towns, where the Firestone Trail is located today. Dacono had the first depot, then Frederick and Firestone. During the heyday of the trains, there were four passenger trains a day going through the area.

Carbon Valley boasted 23 major mines running from 1887 until 1969. The mines in Carbon Valley produced about 25 percent of all of the coal mined in the state. When oil and natural gas were found in the area, coalmines dwindled rapidly.

That was Carbon Valley then. Today, each community has grown and prospered in many ways. Each community has different goals and aspirations but work together on many community projects.

Dacono has a population of 4,583 as of September 2015 and encompasses about 8.2 square miles. This community has many events for its citizens to enjoy every year; some of the events include Carbon Valley Holiday Festival, Carbon Valley Music & Spirts Festival, an Easter egg hunt and a citywide garage sale.

Firestone has 11,945 citizens and was ranked No. 24 among the Best Places to Live among American’s Small Towns by Money Magazine in August 2013. Some of the community events in Firestone include Carbon Valley Holiday Festival, Food and Flick Fridays, 4th at Firestone with the chamber beer garden, Carbon Valley Half Marathon & 5K, Carbon Valley Egg Hunt, and Firestone Art & Music show and reception.

Frederick’s population as of 2013 is 10,196 and is home to the Carbon Valley Holiday Festival, Frederick Farmers Market, Frederick in Flight, Chainsaws and Chuckwagons with the Chamber Craft Beer Festival, DIY Day and Miners Day.

As you can see, Carbon Valley is vibrant and growing with new business and households moving in at a planned pace. If you have not been to Carbon Valley lately you are missing out on fun, food and festivals! For more information, contact the Carbon Valley Chamber at info@caqrbonvalleychamber.com.

Julia Davis is executive director of the Carbon Valley Chamber of Commerce. She can be reached at 303-833-5933 or at julia@carbonvalleychamber.com.