Five Long-Time Families at the Heart of Boulder County

Quarry Lands Near Lyons

For those who know about it, Loukonen Farm is synonymous with Halloween tradition. It has gained status as an authentic roadside pumpkin stand on the side of Highway 36 en route to Lyons. Evert year, owner John Loukonen tows his vintage 1946 International K-3 truck to the side of the road and adorns it with a cornucopia of autumnal flair. The creation catches the eye of Estes-bound passersby, who stop for photos and leave with armfuls of pumpkins.

“Everybody sells pumpkins now,” says farm owner John Loukonen with a knowing smile. “But we were doing it before it was cool.” His family has been living off their land in Boulder County for over 100 years, which also precedes the coolness of doing so.

John and his five siblings are the fourth generation of Loukonens to inhabit the land. They’ve inherited the property and its traditional livelihood from John G. Loukonen, a Finnish immigrant who came to Colorado in the 1890s. Recognizing the value of the sandstone deposits in the Lyons area, John G. purchased the land and set up a homestead in 1892. He supplemented his quarrying with cattle ranching and farming.

“I’m a wuss!” laughs John. “I’ve got air conditioning in my tractor. In the old days what these guys did and how they got by is simply amazing to me.”

Perhaps it’s this awe of his predecessors’ gumption that keeps John living on the land and farming it, even when his other siblings have veered more toward quarrying. He’s the only Loukonen left rearing cattle and cultivating crops.

Farming and ranching aren’t popular with the next generation of Loukonens, either. Of all his six other siblings’ sons and daughters, most have moved away. Only a handful are interested in staying close to the family’s roots to learn the stone yard business. None want to ranch or farm. One valley where the Loukonens once raised corn and wheat has been turned over to Boulder County, now protected as Rabbit Mountain Open Space. Natural vegetation presides.