WHAT’S HAPPENING IN GOLDEN TODAY?
Day Out with Thomas @ Colorado Railroad Museum
9-11AM Geology and History of North Table Mountain Park @ 4788 Highway 93
9:30-11:30AM Full Walking Tour @ Dinosaur Ridge
10AM-12PM Breakfast Burritos @ The Golden Mill
10AM-3PM Brunch at the Rose @ Buffalo Rose
11AM-8PM Woody’s 30 Year Anniversary Beach Party @ Woody’s Wood-Fired Pizza
Woody’s 30 Year Anniversary BEACH BASH! Join us from 11a-8p in our parking lot to celebrate an incredible milestone on September, 10th. We will have SAND, LIVE MUSIC, drinks, mobile arcade, build-your-own pizza station for the kids, jump house, locally made cookies, a GHS fundraiser and so much more.
2-4PM Sunday at the Museum – Lea McComas @ Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum
Lea McComas shares stories and inspiration about her portrait and art quilts. Lea’s Main Gallery Exhibit : A Stitch in Time | Moments
2PM Avenue Q: The Musical @ Miners Alley Playhouse
SEE THE COMPLETE CALENDAR OF EVENTS.
LIVE MUSIC
11AM-2PM Scot Slay @ Buffalo Rose (Sky Bar Stage)
2-5PM Abby Brown @ Golden Mill
3PM Swing Aggregate @ Over Yonder
3-7PM Soundbite @ Wrigley’s
4-7PM Luke Amelang @ Buffalo Rose (Sky Bar Stage)
8PM Karaoke @ Ace Hi Tavern
GOLDEN HISTORY MOMENT
WHITE ASH MINE DISASTER – 9 SEPTEMBER 1889
By Donna Anderson
Today marks the 131st anniversary of the worst mine disaster in Golden’s history: The White Ash Mine disaster.
Part 2. Disaster Strikes
On 9 September 1889, at about 4:00 p.m. after the evening shift had gone down to work in the active level (720 feet) of the White Ash Mine, Charles Hoagland, mine engineer, reported:
The men below sent up a signal to send down the cage. It was at once lowered. It went to within about 6 feet of the bottom of the [vertical] shaft and then struck something…We worked with the cage for a few minutes, and finally something below broke. Since then we have heard nothing…[The foreman, Evan Jones] went down on a ladder to the 280-foot level and came back…the air was so bad he had to ascend…[The men] went over to the old [abandoned Loveland] mine [located 1960 feet to the north across Clear Creek] at 6 [p.m.] and found that shaft to be perfectly dry. [It was always filled with water, used at the Golden Brick Co.].
People gathered at the mine throughout the evening and night, crazy with grief. Inspector McNeil was called at 9 p.m. When McNeil arrived at midnight, the shaft was full of carbon dioxide and the top of water was 100 feet above the bottom of the shaft. By 8:00 a.m. McNeil and mine foreman Evan Jones were able to go down the shaft in a bucket to the 480-ft level [those two gentlemen had guts], where they could hear water running. On the way they also encountered intense heat and could see timbers on fire at the 280-ft level. Within days, the mine workings completely filled with water that could not be pumped out. All was lost.
Inspector McNeil formally determined that the rock and coal pillar separating the Old Loveland and White Ash mines, probably weakened by a coal fire, broke, allowing water to burst through the 280-ft tunnel of the White Ash Mine. The water flowed quickly across the tunnel to reach the vertical shaft and then to the very lowest 720-foot level of the White Ash Mine, drowning the miners.
Thereafter, the White Ash mine was abandoned and at one point in time was considered a cemetery. Every year on the anniversary of the disaster, Goldenites placed flowers and held a memorial at the former mine site.
On 9 September 1936, in commemoration of the lives lost in the tragedy, a monument was placed at the west end of the Mines football field above the mine tunnels. The ceremony, attended by 1000 Goldenites, was led by Mayor Bert Jones, the son of former mine foreman Evan Jones, who sought to rescue the trapped miners 47 years earlier.
A new memorial, at the site of the former mine entrance on 12th Street, was dedicated by Mayor Marv Kay on 29 October 2016.
Thanks to the Golden History Museum for providing the online cache of historic Transcripts, and to the Golden Transcript for documenting our history since 1866!
GOLDENTODAY IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
Many thanks to the people and organizations who support What’s Happening in Golden? If you would like to support local news, please CLICK HERE!
SEPTEMBER SPONSORS: Buffalo Rose, Buglet Solar, Foothills Art Center, Golden City Brewery, Golden Cultural Alliance, Golden History Museum, Golden Super Cruise, Miners Alley Playhouse, The Golden Mill, Golden Chamber of Commerce, Golden History Tours, Morris & Mae Market, Miners Saloon, Joy and Jack Brandt, Tom Reiley, and Gail Strout
Contributors: Greg Poulos, Vic DeMaria, Cynthia Merrill Tamny, Barry & Liz Bettis, and Katherine Leith Porter
Ongoing Monthly Supporters:
Tall Pines Painting, Baby Doe’s Clothing, Golden Community Garden, Carol & Doug Harwood, Jennings & Litz, Bill Fisher, Brian Quarnstrom, Casey & Gina Brown, Cheryl & Tom Schweich, Robert Storrs, Karen Smith, Sandy Curran, Paul Haseman, Michele Sannes, Kathy Smith, Crystal Culbert, Pat Madison, Donna Anderson, Ann Pattison, Carol & Don Cameron, Tom Hughes, Emeline Paulson, Susan Gray, David Smith, Karen Oxman, Laura King & Scott Wilson, Bill Sedgeley, Mariane Erickson, Carol Abel, Dot & Eric Brownson, Ann Norton & Jonathan Storer, Deb Goeldner, Rosemary Coffman, Jim & LouAnne Dale, Francine Butler, Elaine Marolla, Dixie Termin & Ron Miller, John & Andi Pearson, Chris Ball, Tom Hoffman, Patrick & Lisa Vitry, Alice Madison & Jim Kalivas, Lora Haimes, and Nancy & Carlos Bernal
PREVIOUS ARTICLES – SUBSCRIBE TO WHAT’S HAPPENING IN GOLDEN
