Located in Washington Township, the community of Lyons was the principal commerce point of the Great Beehunter Valley.  An Open Ditching Law encouraged farms to run ditching machines making the miles of marshes quickly transformed into farmland.  From the beginning, Lyons was a railroad town and grew from a settlement of working men who labored through the muck and mire for $1 a day.  A depot was build and both passenger and combination trains drew a few people to Lyons in spite of the muck and mire.  In 1871, the town was platted and at that time was known for Stacy’s Orchard aside from agriculture.  The town had a boarding house, a saloon, a drug store, a general store, a post office, a brick yard, a tile factory, and a saw mill.

Provided by Mildred “Milly” (Coleman) Uland