Morrison is a
home rule municipality in
Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The population was 396 at the
2020 census.
History
This small foothills settlement is named after George Morrison (April 16, 1822 – June 11, 1895), a builder and businessman who left a mark not only on the town that now bears his name, but on the history of the area. A stonemason who immigrated from Canada to the Mt. Vernon area in 1859, he helped found the town of Mt. Vernon and built the Mt. Vernon House, seat of the territorial government under Robert Steele, and an important stop for travelers on the Mt. Vernon Toll Road from Denver to the goldfields of the Rocky Mountains. He became a U.S. citizen on May 22, 1862.
[Brown, Georgina. 1976. ''Shining Mountains''. Library of Congress catalog # 75-41547, 248 p. (Index compiled by Ginna C. Snyder, Foothills Genealogical Society of Colorado, Inc., 1985.)] George Morrison later moved south to
Bear Creek, where he founded the Morrison Stone, Lime, and Town Co., and in 1874 platted the town that became known as Morrison, or briefly as Mt. Morrison. With Gov.
John Evans, he was instrumental in bringing the
Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad to Morrison in 1874.
As a quarryman, Morrison developed the building stone and other industrial stone (lime, gypsum) of the Morrison/Mt. Vernon area, bringing fame to the region for its high-quality
dimension stone
Dimension stone is natural stone or Rock (geology), rock that has been selected and finished (e.g., trimmed, cut, drilled or ground) to specific sizes or shapes. Color, Texture (geology), texture and pattern, and surface finish of the stone are ...
. Two of the three stone buildings he built in Morrison, as well as the Mt. Vernon House further north, are still standing; all three surviving buildings are recognized historic sites (National Register of Historic Places, 1976). Before its demolition in 1982, the original Evergreen Hotel, built by George Morrison in 1874, served as the first home of Sacred Heart College (now
Regis University
Regis University ( ) is a Private university, private List of Jesuit educational institutions, Jesuit university in Denver, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1877 by the Jesuits, Society of Jesus, the university offers more than 120 degrees th ...
), and later as the Mt. Morrison Casino, where
John Brisben Walker
John Brisben Walker (September 10, 1847 – July 7, 1931) was a magazine publisher and automobile entrepreneur in the United States. In his later years, he was a resident of Jefferson County, Colorado.
Biography
Walker was born on September ...
entertained many of the dignitaries he brought to the foothills as part of his promotional enterprises. The Morrison Schoolhouse he built served the town's educational needs from its construction in 1875 until 1955, and stands today as a private residence. The Cliff House, built as the Morrison family home in 1873, now provides guest lodging.
These landmarks represent a distinctive style of construction and are enduring monuments to George Morrison's contributions to Jefferson County's history. Stone for these structures was quarried in his "red sandstone quarry" at the end of the
Dakota Hogback near Morrison. Building stone was also shipped to
Denver
Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
, where it now comprises parts of the
Brown Palace Hotel,
Union Station
A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...
, and "many of Denver's early day mansions".
Mount Morrison behind
Red Rocks Park is also named after George Morrison. In the late 1800s, an important regional geologic layer of Late Jurassic age, the
Morrison Formation
The Morrison Formation is a distinctive sequence of Upper Jurassic sedimentary rock found in the western United States which has been the most fertile source of dinosaur fossils in North America. It is composed of mudstone, sandstone, siltston ...
, was named after the town of Morrison, and is today famous as the first discovery site of three 150-million-year-old dinosaurs, ''
Apatosaurus'', ''
Diplodocus'', and the Colorado state fossil, ''
Stegosaurus
''Stegosaurus'' (; ) is a genus of herbivorous, four-legged, armored dinosaur from the Late Jurassic, characterized by the distinctive kite-shaped upright plates along their backs and spikes on their tails. Fossils of the genus have been fo ...
''. The Morrison Formation covers parts of thirteen western states and has yielded much of our understanding of the extinct animals that lived in the West so long ago.
Dinosaur discoveries
In 1877, the
holotypic remains of the
dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic Geological period, period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the #Evolutio ...
s ''
Stegosaurus armatus'' and ''
Apatosaurus ajax'' were discovered near Morrison by
Arthur Lakes. The majority of these fossils were shipped to
Othniel Charles Marsh at Yale's
Peabody Museum of Natural History in New Haven, Connecticut. These finds from the Morrison area figured in the 19th century "
Bone Wars" between rival
paleontologist
Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure geolo ...
s Marsh and
Edward Drinker Cope
Edward Drinker Cope (July 28, 1840 – April 12, 1897) was an American zoologist, paleontology, paleontologist, comparative anatomy, comparative anatomist, herpetology, herpetologist, and ichthyology, ichthyologist. Born to a wealthy Quaker fam ...
.
In 1896, the
Late Jurassic
The Late Jurassic is the third Epoch (geology), epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time scale, geologic time from 161.5 ± 1.0 to 143.1 ± 0.8 million years ago (Ma), which is preserved in Upper Jurassic stratum, strata.Owen ...
section of sedimentary rock excavated by Lakes was formally named the
Morrison Formation
The Morrison Formation is a distinctive sequence of Upper Jurassic sedimentary rock found in the western United States which has been the most fertile source of dinosaur fossils in North America. It is composed of mudstone, sandstone, siltston ...
for the town near the prominent outcrops where it was described (Eldridge, 1896). In 1944, a
type locality was designated at the roadcut along the north side of W. Alameda Parkway, north of Morrison, in SE/4 sec. 23, T. 4 S., R. 70 W. (Waldschmidt and LeRoy, 1944).
The
Morrison Natural History Museum houses and displays some fossils found by Lakes, and museum staff have begun reworking Lakes' original digs at Quarry 10. In 2006, the MNHM reported rare adult ''Stegosaurus'' tracks from the Morrison area. A year later the first hatchling ''Stegosaurus'' tracks were reported. These fossils are on display at the museum.
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...
-age dinosaur tracks and one of Lakes' historic dig sites can still be viewed on what is now known as
Dinosaur Ridge
Dinosaur Ridge is a segment of the Dakota Hogback in the Morrison Fossil Area National Natural Landmark located in Jefferson County, Colorado, near the town of Morrison, Colorado, Morrison and just west of Denver.
In 1877 Arthur Lakes, a clerg ...
east of Morrison.
Also located near Morrison is a significant
archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or recorded history, historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline ...
; known as the
LoDaisKa site, it was inhabited for approximately 7,500 years.
20th century
The Town of Morrison was officially incorporated following a unanimous election on January 9, 1906. Sixty-nine votes were cast. On February 13, 1906, a second election gave the newly created town a board of trustees. The first mayor was Thomas Cowan Morrison, son of the town's founder. The original trustees were Dr. Frank L. Luce, Charles Pike, Jacob Schneider, J.W. McLean, Peter O. Nelson, and Lawrence E. "Lee" LaGrow. Most of those names are well recognized as pioneers in Morrison's history. The new board held its first meeting on February 14, 1906.
[White, S.L. 2005. ''Morrison's Second Centennial''. Pages 9-13, i]
''Historically Jeffco'' magazine
Jefferson Co. Historical Commission.
Morrison's first ordinances were passed in February and March 1906, as the original board began the process of managing the town's affairs. The first set a fiscal year beginning March 1, directed the clerk to certify valuation and the board to levy taxes based thereon, and directed the town treasurer to collect funds from the county treasurer.
Pete Morrison, grandson of the town's founder and son of the first mayor, achieved fame during the early 1900s as a cowboy star in
silent film
A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...
, and ultimately had his own studio, Lariat Productions, in Hollywood.
In 1976, the
Morrison Historic District was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.
21st century
In April 2024, The Red Hotel, Morrison’s first hotel and commercial project in 60 years, was approved after 15 months of debate and redesigns. The three-story, 15,000-square-foot boutique hotel will feature 22 themed rooms, a coffee shop, and a rooftop terrace. Construction begins in March 2025, with an opening date planned to align with the 2026
Red Rocks concert season.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the town has a total area of , all of it land. Morrison is approximately southwest of
Denver
Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
and is located on
State Highway 470 and Morrison Road.
The Morrison postal
ZIP code (80465) extends west up Turkey Creek Canyon and south of the town. It thus applies to an area covering approximately 5,000 addresses. Because the Morrison Post Office serves this large area beyond the town boundaries proper, many events and people connected with "Morrison" are actually in unincorporated portions of Jefferson County.
Demographics
Government

The local government features a mayor, town manager and a board of trustees.
Morrison was widely known as a
speed trap, with press reports indicating that traffic fines accounted for nearly half of the town's $2.6 million budget. Before the police department was disbanded in 2025, over 90% of its enforcement activity was dedicated to issuing speeding tickets. The town now contracts with Jefferson County Sheriff's Office for enforcement services.
Notable people
*
Adolph Coors III, CEO of
Coors Brewing Company
*
Margaret Feinberg, Christian writer
*
Pete Morrison, silent film actor
*
Patrick Park, folk singer
*
Trey Parker, co-creator of
South Park
''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand the ...
*
Ricky Rahne,
Penn State football offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator (OC) is a Coach (sport), coach responsible for a gridiron football team's offense (American football), offense. Generally, the offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator represent the second ...
*
Jim Suttle, former mayor of
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
*
Robert Hall Tinker, former mayor of
Rockford, Illinois
Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, Winnebago and Ogle County, Illinois, Ogle counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located in far northern Illinois on the banks of the Rock River (Mississippi River tributary), Rock River, Rockfor ...
See also
*
Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO Combined Statistical Area
*
Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
*
Arthur Lakes discovers first
Stegosaurus
''Stegosaurus'' (; ) is a genus of herbivorous, four-legged, armored dinosaur from the Late Jurassic, characterized by the distinctive kite-shaped upright plates along their backs and spikes on their tails. Fossils of the genus have been fo ...
and
Apatosaurus fossils near Morrison in 1877
*
Morrison Fossil Area National Natural Landmark
*
Morrison Natural History Museum
*
Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre
References
External links
Town of Morrison official websiteCDOT map of MorrisonHistoric MorrisonMorrison Discovery Map
{{authority control
Towns in Jefferson County, Colorado
Towns in Colorado
Denver metropolitan area