Dacono History

Settlement & Establishment

Dacono was first settled in 1901 and incorporated on Mary 21, 1908, with a population of 275. Arthur P. Church, Marion W. Church, and Charles Lockhard Baum filed the necessary papers. Mr. Baum named the town “Dacono” using the first two letters from three ladies first names, Daisy, Cora and Nora. There are conflicting reports as to the ladies’ relationship to Baum; all reports seem to agree that Baum’s wife was Daisy. The stories vary on Cora and Nora from being Baum’s two sisters, to two friends of Daisy, to a lady minister that married them and a close friend. Whatever the relationship, it can be agreed, as reported by the Rocky Mountain News, that Dacono boasts the state’s most unique name.

Economy & Growth Throughout the Years

Dacono’s roots lie in coal mining, farming and the railroad. Early settlers in the area immigrated from Greece, France, Bulgaria and Italy to work in the mines. The mining-era spanned from 1900 to the last 1970s. A railroad line was established in the early 1900s to take coal and produce to markets in Denver. Dacono once boasted the first railway depot in the area. When oil and natural gas was found in the early 1970s, the coal industry declined rapidly. Farming also made a substantial economic contribution to Dacono area. Farmland primarily raised:

• Corn
• Grains
• Onions
• Pinto Beans
• Potatoes
• Sugar Beets
• Tomatoes
• Wheat

Source: Dacono Comprehensive Plan, 2005