The Funiculars Of Golden Colorado funicular (fjuːˈnɪkjʊlə) Also called: funicular railway a railway up the side of a mountain, consisting of two counterbalanced cars at either end of a cable passing round a driving wheel at the summit by Barb Warden The Funiculars of Golden Colorado Copyright © 2012 by Barb Warden Cover art by Jesse Crock, Golden artist All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the author. ISBN 978-0-9859262-0-5 For information about purchasing this book, please visit www.goldenfuniculars.com. Acknowledgements Thanks to the following individuals and institutions, for providing inspiration and material for this book: George West - Founder of the Colorado Transcript (now called the Golden Transcript), which has been documenting our history continuously since 1866 Golden History Center and Denver Public Library - for preserving our past through their historic photograph collections The Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection – online collection available at coloradohistoricnewspapers.org, paid for with state funds administered by the Colorado State Library and the Colorado Historical Society Joann Thistlewood - for her work in preserving Golden’s history, as co-author of Golden: The 19th Century Lorraine Wagenbach - for her work in preserving Golden’s history, as co-author of Golden: The 19th Century and editor of A Woman’s Life in Golden Frank Blaha – for sharing my enthusiasm for history and tolerating the amount of time I spend staring at the computer Thanks to all! Barb Warden Golden, Colorado Early stores and saloons along Washington Avenue Golden’s earliest settlers arrived in 1859, in search of gold. Little of the precious metal was found in Golden itself, but the town soon became an essential stop for those heading into and returning from the gold camps in the mountains. Within days of arriving in the valley, Golden’s founders established stores and saloons—the commercial bedrock of any gold rush town. View of 19th century Golden as seen from South Table Mountain Of course, Golden’s new residents were not immune to the allure of the mountains. Climbing South Table Mountain and Lookout Mountain to enjoy the views of the plains below has always been a popular pastime for locals. A work has been started here during the past week that will result in much pleasure to visitors to our town as well as to our own citizens. A subscription paper was circulated on Friday last, and in an hour enough money was raised to grade a bridle path to the top of "Castle Rock." Nearly all strangers desire to ascend to that prominent lookout, but many, especially ladies, have been prevented by the steepness of the ascent. Colorado Transcript – June 23, 1869 Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. coloradohistoricnewspapers.org 2 The view of 19th century Golden from South Table Mountain Early efforts to establish mines in Golden’s surrounding mountains produced little in way of mineral wealth. While the Clear Creek valley was a wonderful spot for growing things, farming the top of the mesas proved fruitless, as water was scarce and the soil poor. As the years went by, more and more, the mountaintops near Golden were used simply as places to enjoy the view. The view of 19th Century Golden from Lookout Mountain 3 Colorado & Southern Railroad, with North Table Mountain in the background The railroad came to town in the 1870s, making it easier for Denver people to visit Golden. The Colorado Central (later called the Colorado & Southern) followed the northern route from Denver to Golden, traveling between North and South Table Mountains. 4 Tramway Depot in Downtown Golden - 13th Street and Washington By the 1890s, Golden also had rail service from the south—an interurban line that ran through Lakewood. The two rail lines made Golden a popular place for day trips from Denver. RAILROAD NOTES It took four long passenger trains to convey the visitors to the mountain resorts Sunday morning. There was a right smart smattering of school ma'ms in the crowd. The Lakewood brought up a big crowd of visitors Sunday, who scattered out over the town, many visited Mt. Lookout, and others climbed to Castle Rock. The day was an ideal Colorado one. Colorado Transcript—July 10, 1895 Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. coloradohistoricnewspapers.org 5 Avenue Hotel on the left In 1906, the owner of The Avenue Hotel established a “resort” on Castle Rock, which included a refreshment stand, shade, places to sit, and a magnificent view. The isolated and wind-swept location posed some challenges. In July of that year, the property was vandalized by a group of youths visiting from Denver. In November, the Transcript reported that, “High winds last week wrecked the refreshment stand at the summit of Castle Rock.” Nonetheless, efforts to develop the spot for tourism persisted. In 1908, a particularly enthusiastic and enterprising young man by the name of Charles Quaintance took up the cause. 6 AUTOMOBILE ROAD TO TOP OF CASTLE ROCK Plans are nearing completion for the big resort on Castle Rock, and by the last of this week active work will be started. The stage line and automobile road are assured, and Harry Hartzell will put his teams at work making the road within the next day or two. The road will leave the South Golden road just North of the Inter-Mountain railway crossing and thence to the very top, landing near the famous Crystal springs. From that point over to Castle Rock the land is level and can be made into a fine roadway. Arrangements have been completed whereby Harry Hartzell is to run his stages to the top, making hourly trips. Hartzell is without doubt one of the best drivers in the state, and with the reins in his hands the stage line is bound to be a success. The road will be opened to all private parties wishing to make the trip, and will open to automobilists a hill climb that will not be hard on their machines, and some of the grandest scenery in the state. On top of the rock they will be able to secure refreshments and lounge around under the shade pagodas. For a long time Denver auto enthusiasts have been talking of such a road into the mountains, and with the opening of the Castle Rock resort their dream will be realized. Chas. F. Quaintance announced last night that as soon as the road was completed work on the buildings would be started. The buildings will all be constructed of slabs, carrying out the rustic effect in every way possible. The dancing and refreshment pavilion will have a hard wood floor. Colorado Transcript—March 19, 1908 Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. coloradohistoricnewspapers.org 7 Castle Rock Resort Buildings By June of that year, the resort was hosting twice weekly dances, and by the 4th of July, it was swarming with visitors from Denver. Of course, the Castle Rock resort was not the only place trying to attract tourists. While Charles Quaintance extolled the pleasures to be enjoyed at his resort, a man named Rees Vidler was working feverishly to develop Lookout Mountain on Golden’s west side. Vidler and his financial backers envisioned not only a recreational spot for day visitors, but a community of vacation homes. The problem with Lookout Mountain and other front range resorts was accessibility. There were bridle paths and wagon roads leading to the summit, but no quick or convenient ways to get there. 8 Burro riders, ready to ascend Castle Rock While Quaintance and Vidler competed for Golden’s tourist traffic, a third player emerged a few miles south, in the town of Morrison. John Brisbane Walker owned a large tract of land on top of Mount Morrison, and he found a way to conquer the accessibility problem: he built an incline railway to pull people straight up the side of the mountain. Back in Golden, both Quaintance and Vidler responded by offering burro rides and stagecoaches to their respective resorts, and Vidler, at least, began planning for an incline railway of his own. 9 LOOKOUT TO BE COLORADO'S FINEST RESORT Articles of incorporation have been filed with the secretary of state of the Lookout Mountain Park Development company, with a capitalization of $500,000. The incorporators are Rees C. Vidler, Lewis F. Kimball and Fred R. Wright.... It is the plan of the company to begin work in the near future on a beautiful new hotel on Lookout mountain, plans for which have already been adopted. Among the plans is the construction of a funicular railway from the base of Lookout mountain, transferring the passengers, until better arrangements are made, from the Tramway and Intermountain lines to the foot of the incline railroad by stage lines.... Another great advantage lies in its being within such easy reach of the city. While Colorado has scores of beautiful resorts, such as Glenwood, Estes Park, Manitou and others, none are so accessible from Denver, it being possible to reach Lookout mountain within a hour and half from the center of the Metropolis. Denver at night is an unusually beautiful sight. The streets are marked by lines of light, and the colored lights of the electric fountain can be plainly seen. In the day time the streets of the city are clearly marked, and in the West the snow capped mountains give such a complete change of view as to be almost incredible.... The company will work in conjunction with both the Denver & Inter-mountain and Denver Tramway electric lines. Colorado Transcript—August 12, 1909 Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection.