Click to enlarge this image of Golden in the 1940s.
The Golden Transcript has been publishing since 1866. The Golden History Museum has been working on digitizing the old issues, and they’re currently up to June of 1948. I love reading old Transcripts, and yesterday I was reviewing what was happening 60 years ago this week.
The May 20th, 1948 Transcript reported that the City was looking into paving the streets. The City Manager said that it was an expensive process, and it would take many years. Property owners would be expected to pay for the street in front of their property (at about $100 per 50 foot lot), with the City paying to pave intersections.
City Council was looking for a new source of water. They were considering purchasing water from Denver. They were also busy redesigning the street signs, and were evaluating hiring another policeman, as they had only four officers for a population of 6000.
The School of Mines was graduating its largest class ever–191, including 23 graduate degrees.
The ads were interesting too. The Appliance Shoppe was located at 1118 Washington Ave. (where the Red Wagon is now); Sarge Candies was at 1117 Washington Ave. (now part of the Buffalo Rose) , and Golden Cafe and Bakery was located at 1202 Washington Avenue (now part of Goozell Yogurt). Chuck’s Market & Grocery operated at 1214 Washington (now Laurel Property Services), while Safeway was half a block south, at 13th and Washington (now Peak Cycles). Tierney Jewelry Company was at 1206 Washington…and it still is, now known as Creekside Jewelers! Foss Drug Company was advertising lipsticks at 2 for $1.
The LaRay Hotel (which is now the Table Mountain Inn) had a new automatic shoe shiner, which allowed ladies and gentlemen to shine their own shoes in two minutes for ten cents!
You’ll find old Golden Transcripts online at coloradohistoricnewspapers.org. You can contribute to the cost of the digitizing project with a donation to the Golden History Museums.
Returning to the Present…
The Mobility and Transportation Advisory Board meets tonight at 6PM in City Council Chambers. They will hear from the Jefferson County Housing Authority about the low-income housing they want to build at 24th and Jackson. The Housing Authority will be requesting that the city vacate a north-south alley between 23rd and 24th. After that, the board will adjourn to a study session, where they will consider changing the municipal code. The proposal is that streets with posted limits less than the default speed limit should not be prioritized for traffic calming. You can see their agenda and watch the meeting live on the city’s website.
The Golden Chamber is having a membership luncheon tomorrow from 11:30-1 at the Briarwood Inn. If you would like to attend, contact the Chamber to see if tickets are still available: (303) 279-3113 or info@goldenchamber.org.
The National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) is hosting a Power Lunch tomorrow from 12-1PM. This month’s topic is What is the NREL Solar Radiation Research Laboratory? The event is free, but you must register in advance. Learn more….
