09/03/2026
From the earliest days in the community, food production helped shape Longmont’s economy. Just one year after the town was founded, a small flour mill opened, beginning a long tradition of processing crops for commercial distribution. Over time, that tradition grew to include the Empson Cannery, Great Western Sugar Factory and Longmont’s turkey processing industry.
These businesses became important parts of Longmont’s economy and community, producing everything from canned vegetables and sugar to turkeys that went from the egg to the dinner table. Some industries eventually closed or moved on, but food production continued to evolve.
Today, Smucker’s manufactures Uncrustables at its Highway 119 plant, continuing a food production tradition that began more than 150 years ago.
Join us every Thursday for the rest of the year as we celebrate the triple anniversary of Longmont turning 155, Colorado turning 150, and America turning 250. We will share stories and photos on specific monthly themes tied to the history of the city we call home. This month, we’re shining the spotlight on Longmont’s food production history.
Visit LongmontColorado.gov/CO150 and check back every Thursday to learn more.
Image 1: Longmont’s Farmers Mill on Main Street, which opened December 22, 1886, with horse-drawn wagons carrying what were likely sacks of flour.
Image 2: Postcard of Empson's Canning Factory from 05/05/1916
Image 3: A look inside one of Longmont’s early canneries, where workers operated machinery surrounded by stacks of cans ready for processing
Image 4: Longmont’s Great Western Sugar Beet Factory captured between 1905 and 1926. (Photo credit: Charles W. Boynton)
