1849Infrastructure
== Transportation ==
Between 1849 and 1870, California goldseekers – followed by the grand Concord Coaches of the Overland Express and Mail Co.
1864History
The first recorded evidence of coal near Lafayette was made in the summer of 1864 by General Land Office surveyor Hiram Witter, who noted in his field survey notebook for Townsh...
1865Architecture
of Water Resources records (Dam ID = 060225) indicate that the lake was built by Adolf Waneka in 1865 to hold water coming out of a nearby spring.
1866Economy
From 1866 to 1871, Lafayette and Mary Miller operated the Miller Tavern Ranch, a saloon and stage stop for the Mason & Ganow stagecoach at the former Stearns Dairy north of Dill...
1867Architecture
After the Transcontinental Railroad was completed to Cheyenne in 1867, stagecoach travel declined, and the majority of stagecoaches heading from Denver to Cheyenne carried passe...
1868Civil Rights
Mary Miller and her husband, Lafayette Miller, had moved to the area to farm land they had purchased in March 1868 from Denver coal speculators Francis P.
1869History
By early 1869, Wells Fargo had sold all of its stagecoach operations, including the Denver to Cheyenne run, which was acquired by John Hughes.
1871History
Foote, via the Homestead Act in 1871.
1872Economy
One outcropping of coal, mentioned by Mary Miller as being discovered in 1872, was located at about the center of the Foote-Miller Farm and mined by the Cambro / Pluto slope min...
1874Economy
In 1874 the Millers moved to Boulder.
1878Economy
Lafayette Miller died in Boulder in 1878, after which Mary Miller moved back to the farm with their six small children.
1884Economy
In 1884 coal was discovered on the Miller farm, and in 1887 John H.
1886Military
Edward Lawrence Doyle (1886–1954), Lafayette resident from 1908 to 1912 and UMWA Dist.
1887History
Simpson, who would sink two separate Lafayette coal mines – the Simpson in late 1887 and the Spencer in 1889 – then to James Cannon Jr.
1888Government
== History ==
Lafayette was founded in 1888 by Mary E.
1889Government
In February 1889, the Town of Lafayette was incorporated.
1890Government
== Religion ==
Lafayette's first established church was the Congregational Church, which was established in 1890 by John and Annie Jones, Mr.
1891Culture
Lafayette coal mines were wired for telephones starting in 1891, almost 15 years before the rest of town, because the Denver coal dealers needed a quicker way to place orders.
1892History
Beaman in June 1892, which closed in August 1894.
1897History
From June 1, 1897, to May 31, 1898, over 680,000 tons of coal were shipped to Denver from Northern Field coal mines.
1898Sports
In 1898, only 5 percent of coal mined in Lafayette was used for home heating, the rest went to Denver power plants, manufacturers and steam locomotives.
1899History
In 1899, the Colorado Inspector of Coal mines estimated that the 405-square-mile Northern Coal Field contained 2.56 billion tons of coal.
1900Economy
Mary Miller continued to be a leader in the community, especially in January 1900, when the town's business district burned.
1903History
United Mine Workers Lafayette Local 1388 meeting minutes show scant traces of Latino membership from 1903 until September 1913.
1904History
In 1904, the Lafayette Town Board mandated that the "alcohol clause" be added to all platted additions to Lafayette.
1905Architecture
Northern Colorado Power Company constructed a 6,000 kilowatt Northern Colorado and Interurban Power Plant on the south edge of Plant lake in 1905–06.
1906Economy
Northern Colorado Power Company documents from 1906 and reservoir records at the Colorado Div.
1907History
Morgan, 1907, Colorado state senator; removed from office for accepting $700 bribe.
1909History
In 1909, Doyle worked as a checkweighman at the Capitol mine east of Lafayette where he advocated for miners’ safety, including dogging the mine's owner to remove snow and ice t...
1910Culture
Northern Coal Field miners, members of United Mine Workers, walked off the job in the aforementioned strike starting in April 1910.
1912Government
Elected in November 1912, Colorado Governor Elias M.
1913Culture
Mary Miller remained devoted to the temperance movement and eventually ran on the 1913 Prohibition Party ticket for the U.S.
1914Economy
By 1914 Lafayette was a booming town with two banks and four hotels.
1915Economy
Until about 1915, residents of the city were largely caucasian Midwestern transplants and Western European coal miners who'd immigrated from England, Wales and Ireland.
1917History
Doyle was entrusted by Sinclair to proofread "King Coal" for accuracy prior to its release in 1917.
1920History
The 1920 census showed 1,800 Lafayette residents, with 25 individuals having Latino surnames.
1921Economy
Miller died in 1921 at her daughter-in-law's home at 501 E.
1927History
In 1927, Lafayette's coal miners walked off the job again, a strike nationally recognized as a great Wobbly (Industrial Workers of the World, a radical labor group) strike.
1940History
In 1940, 76 Hispanic or Latino adults were recorded as residing in Lafayette, with a total population of 2,062.
1946History
Most of the mines associated with the bankrupt Rocky Mountain Fuel Co., including the Columbine, were closed in 1946, after which area mines were owned and run by independent ow...
1948Sports
== Notable people ==
Bob Beauprez (born 1948), Republican politician
Devon Beitzel (born 1988), former professional basketball point guard
John C.
1954History
This was replaced in 1954 by the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church.
1955History
The independently owned Hi-Way mine in Louisville and the Gorham in Superior closed in 1955.
1956History
The Black Diamond mine closed in 1956, and Lafayette became once more an agriculture-based community.
1963Economy
The power plant was last used in the 1920s and was torn down in 1963.
1972History
Telleen in October 1972.
1997Government
Flatirons Community Church was founded in Lafayette in 1997.
2009History
For the period 2009–2011, the estimated median income for a household in the city in 2010 was $66,202, and the median income for a family was $79,212.
2010History
== Demographics ==
As of the census of 2010, there were 24,453 people, 9,632 households, and 6,354 families residing in the city.
2016History
By 2016, 4,400 (18 percent) of Lafayette's 25,000 residents were Hispanic or Latino.
2021Government
As of December 2021, the current mayor of Lafayette is JD Mangat and the mayor pro-tem is Brian Wong.
2024Culture
For many years, until 2024, an oatmeal festival in cooperation with the Quaker Oats Company was held with a fitness run around Waneka Lake.
2025Government
=== Sister cities ===
Lafayette has one sister city:
Iquitos, Loreto Region, Peru – first Sister City partnership for both municipalities (since 2025).