Company History

Stonebraker family builds company on integrity, hard work, and customer loyalty

Mr. L.L. Stonebraker and his son, Bill, in front of the Denver office, 1964.

Mr. and Mrs. L. L. Stonebraker raised their family in Trinidad, Colorado and one of the ways they made ends meet during the Depression was to sell fireworks for the Fourth of July. In the late 1940’s, with their children grown and the sacrifices of wartime behind them, they moved to Denver and rented property at 54th and Federal Blvd. There, they renewed their connections in the fireworks business and opened a small store.

When their fourth child, William Stonebraker, returned from service as a pilot in World War II, he worked in California for a year building power lines and studying Engineering. He and Ann McDowell had corresponded throughout the war and they married July 4, 1946 in Estes Park, Colorado. They purchased an insurance agency in Hobbs, New Mexico and started to build a life together.

In 1954 they moved to Denver and again started in the insurance business. After about a year, however, Bill and Ann decided to help Bill’s parents with Rocky Mountain Fireworks Company. What began as a one-year commitment to help out became a lifelong vocation. Bill was in the fireworks business more than 50 of his 83 years. He and Ann worked long and hard to build the family’s business and to strengthen the law in Colorado for the benefit of the fireworks industry and the people of Colorado.

He helped to unify two national fireworks organizations and served two terms as President of the American Pyrotechnics Association. In the year 2000 the APA gave Bill Stonebraker an award for his contribution to the fireworks industry.

In the New Millennium, Bill and Ann and their children decided to take the family’s business in a new direction by focusing exclusively on professional fireworks displays. Today, Stonebraker-Rocky Mountain Fireworks Company serves Colorado and New Mexico and neighboring states with professional fireworks displays. We help our customers celebrate, not only the Fourth of July, but all of the many occasions of family, business, and community life throughout the year.