The Greater Golden Tourist and Convention Industry Committee Presents FOR GOLDEN, COLORADO Written And Compiled by Mary Fanning Assisted by Helen S. Martin Artist Coordination by Marian Metsopoulos With Special Acknowledgement to: Adolph Coors Company, Foothills Art Center, Golden Gallery, ii J Golden Landmarks Association, First National Bank of Golden And Treasure Traders Ji -1- 7.011, 020.0s9 The Cover Charles S. Ryland Author and Historian 4 Without the many years of research of Golden's history by Charles Ryland this book would not have been possible. Charles S. Ryland has lived in Golden since he was five years old. He is a CONTENTS graduate of the University of Denver and started working as a chemist in the Porcelain plant of the Coors Brewing Co. He was Sales Manager there and has now retired from Coors. During the war he served four years in the U.S. Navy. His interests are Colorado history, especially railroads and that of Golden, Colo. where he resides. Other hobbies are photography A History of Golden 5 and period printing. He has one of the largest collections of old type faces, wood cuts and similar material in the State. On a vacation trip with his family in 1960 to Europe he visited many old type foundries and returned with more items for his collection. Colorful Characters and Events 19 ,e7 About the Cover The Railroad 25 The old and new mingle freely, accurately describing Colorado's most historic city --- Golden. Days of the past are recalled when '0' Golden was "Gateway to the Gold Fields," cowboys were kings, tc) buffalo grazed on the open range and Buffalo Bill was delighting r Canyons 31 crowds with his Wild West Shows. Today, Golden is the gateway to the mountains where skiers and snowmobilers run the slopes in winter, and in the summer quaking Artists Aspen trees shade mountain canyons. Golden, home of Adolph Coors Company, The Colorado School of Mines, Foothills Art Mining and The Colorado School Of Mines 37 .c) Center and The Colorado Railroad Museum, is truly a historic town Jann Eiland Burnett - "Guggenheim Hall" where the West remains. Virginia Cobb - "Entrance to Lariat Trail" yl Designer ofthe cover,MarcBarrios. FerdinandEberwein, Lois Cowley - "Castle Rock" 15 Illustrator. Photos Courtesy of Richard Ronzio, R. Jersild, Adolph Pat Denton - "Grist Stone" The History of Coors Golden Beer 45 Coors Company and membersoftheGolden Chamber of Linda Endris - "Castle Rock" Commerce. Doris Hutson - "First Presbyterian Church" Norma John - "Table Mountains", "Old Panner", and "Scared Heart Statue" Jackie McFarland - "Golden City", "Astor House", Where The West Remains 55 "Skier", "Clear Creek Tunnel" and "Red Rocks" Margaret Rowland - "Hampton House" Hal Shelton - "The Armory" Photo Album 61 Betty A. Tidwell - "Railroad Locomotive" D.B. Williamson - "Saloon Scene" and "The Welch Ditch" Things To Do, Places To Go 65 s. This book is published by 5 John Waddell Press, Den- Map of Area 67 ver, Colorado. Copyrighted 1977 Golden Chamber of !?, Commerce, Golden, Colo- rado. Golden Today 80 4 Pictures from collections of Richard Ronzio, Georgia Miller, Golden Pioneer Museum, Adolph Coors Company, First Federal 4 eI fp Savings & Loan of Golden and the Denver Public Library. 40.,:tilr.°460 k75 Photography by Art Owen and Mary Fanning. 1(1,, Poetry by Robert Ransome, Deputy State Public Defender. 4 Robert livesinGolden with his wife, Martha and their three daughters. -2- -3- Golden City Though this valleyismentionedinwritten attracted astampedeofprospectors,miners, historyfirst in 1843,archeaologicalevidence settlers, hangers-on, and adventurers to the valley. indicates Indian tribes had been passing through "Golden City" prospered rapidly and in 1862 became and camping in the vicinity for thousands of years. the capital of Colorado Territory, a distinction lost to "Golden City" was founded along the banks of Denver only five years later. Golden is a scene in Vasquez Fork (now Clear Creek) in 1859. Gold had itselfin Colorado's history. Indians touringpartiespassedby and Arapahoe fromIndiana,having camped at the site of Golden but in previously mined in California TheHistoryof"GoldenCity" There is little specific mention of 1858 there were no permanent 1850-54. John Gregory met Wall Indians in connection with the city. residents at or near Golden. In the and told him of his small find of Utes, Arapahoes and Cheyennes fallof 1858 at the startof the gold near Black Hawk in February. By Charles S. Ryland were in the vicinity. Richard Broad "Pikes Peak" excitement a settle- But he was discouraged because quotes old timers as saying that ment was laid out by a George B. he had no money or provisions. D. K. Wall agreed to grubstake Greg- 39° 45 ft. 19 in. North Latitude ically and socially this is not true. Directly to the west of Golden is the Arapahoes shunned the site Allen, Samuel Curtis and others at the site of some placer diggings ory; Gregory then setoffto 105° 13 ft. 17 in. West Longitude at It is not typical for a Golden wage theFront Range oftheRocky and held some great fear of the spot though no one seemed to two miles east of Golden, which discover the Gregory lode, which 5690 feet above mean sea level on earner to live in Golden and work in Mountains,withMt.Zionand would begin the "Rushtothe Denver. More people come into Mountainformingthe know thereason.Theywould bore the name of Arapahoe Bar. the banks of Vasquez Fork (now Lookout Rockies." ClearCreek)liesthecityof Golden to work than leave Golden western border of the town. These approach and look into the basin but would not enterit.Inlater Arapahoe Bar Golden, Colorado. to work in Denver each day. mountains consist of gneiss and Golden City Is Born It is not an easy task to establish Golden has several manufactur- schist of the Pre -Cambrian (Old- years (1880-1890) Indians would and hold foot and pony races on a flat John Gregory the locationof Golden without ing plants and the clay mining est) Period. George Jackson, Tom Golden acitivity. With the exception of the East of Golden clay and shale of area near the mouth of the canon. reference to its neighbor 15 miles and a man named Saunders were to the east whose tentacles reach brickyard and the clay company, the Arapahoe -Denver formation are Arapahoe Bar reached a maxi- mum population of 250 in 1859 but camping on the site of Golden and outhungrily.Independent com- none of them are dependent upon capped with a basaltic lava which Vasquez and Clear Creek declined rapidly after the settle- prospecting as the weather would munities such as Goldenhave Denver for a large portion of their flowed from a dike near Ralston Reservoir on Ralston Creek. Speci- Mention is made in the records ment of Golden. Richard Broad allow during the 1858-59 winter. In resisted efforts to bestow upon business. Golden probably has a December they set out to the west them civic blessings of abundant higher ration of manufacturers to mens of zeolite minerals occuring of the Major Long expedition of writing in the Colorado Transcript quotes Allen as stating in 1859 that and came upon a herd of elk near water, taxes, and the privilege of population than does Denver. Thus incavitiesin the lava are world 1820 of "Cannonball" creek, later famous and nearly all representa- to be known as Vasquez Fork, and there were over 100 buildings. But Bergen Park. Golden and someone connecting to an overloaded sewer Golden is not tied economically to named "Black Hawk" (Saunders Denver as closely asare most tivecollectionsexhibitcrystals finally by its present name of Clear Broad says that since this was system. Putting aside facetious- had gone elsewhere) were distract- ness there are real advantages to suburbs. from Golden. The minerals found Creek. Louis Vasquez was a well before prohibition, conditions may havemagnifiedhispowersof ed by so much game and returned closemetropolitancooperation. The reason for the stress upon areanalcite,chabazite,thomp- known mountain man of French- observation. Contemporary reports to camp with food. Jackson went Residents of the areas surrounding the "separateness" of Golden from sonite, sodalite and some others. Canadian origin who built a trading These lava caps are erosion rem- post at the junction of Clear Creek give 30 as the number of buildings. on to Chicago Creek where he Denver are proud of her position Denver is as the attorneys say "to made his discovery ofgold on and accomplishments. The fact establish a line of reasoning,"-to nants and form the characteristic and the Platte River. During the Both Gregory and Jackson were Table Mountains with the picture- 1830's, 1840's and 1850's, a num- residents of Arapahoe Bar. Early in January 7, 1859. remains that the development of commit to your mind the idea that David K. Wall moved in 1859 up sque Castle Rockrisingabove ber ofexploratory,hunting and 1859,DavidK. Wallcameto Golden has been deeply affected the hiskiry of Golden is a scene in the valley from Arapahoe and set byintercityrivalry.On several itself and not merely a side detail Golden. Those of you who have visited up a tent north of Clear Creek. He occasions plans put forth by one in the broad mural that is Denver. cultivated and irrigated some land have been thwarted by zealous Golden frequently may have no- ticed the vertical cuts of the clay and raised a nice crop of vegeta- adherentsoftheothertothe bles in the summer of 1859. This probable detriment of both. In The Beginning pits within the city limits and also observed the fact that while the activity impressed William Byers Geographically Golden might at of the Rocky Mountain News who in typical Front Range hogbacks are this time be considered a suburb of Let us now lose ourselves hailed the achievement as a great retrospective thought as I take you seen to the north and south of Denver since thereis now little step forward.