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Virtual Events
8:30-9:30AM Virtual Power Training
8:40-9:35AM Tai Chi
10:15AM Baby Time with the Library
2-3:30PM Wild Ideas with Cooking for Teens
2-2:30PM Cliffhangers Club
3-5PM Hard Times Writing Workshop
Real World Events
9AM Golden Walks – Wednesday Morning Celebrating Life
7:30PM Colorado Haunted History: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness
8PM Trivia Night at Woody’s Wood-Fired Pizza
LIVE MUSIC:
6PM Twenty Hands High @ Buffalo Rose (Sky Bar Stage – outdoor patio)
Golden History Moment
A Century+ of June 30ths
In looking something to write about today, I went through every Transcript published on a June 30th in the online archive. It made for an interesting walk through Golden’s history, with stops in the pioneer era, the industrial revolution, Prohibition, the Depression, the post-War boom, and downtown Golden’s own “depression” years (the 1970s and 80s).
1869 – Western Union established a telegraph office in Golden.
1875 – The Transcript rather desperately stated that “capitalists” stood to make profitable investments in Golden, because the price of property in town “has reached bed-rock…and any change that occurs must be for the better.”
1880 – Industry was picking up in Golden, and the paper announced that the new opera house in Colorado Springs would be built with beautiful Golden bricks.
1886 – The Transcript praised the street commissioner for his work on 12th Street (called “2nd” at that time). He had cleared the gutters of dirt and rubbish and graded the street in low places. The Editor (who lived on 12th St.) hoped that the City would “pave” the street with lime and coal cinders, similar to the treatment on Washington Avenue.
1897 – “Anyone who believes nothing can be raised on North Table Mountain should have seen the box of strawberries sent to this office a few days since by Dr. C.E. Bryant, who have a homestead up there. There were good size, particularly bright and clean, and for flavor are as fine as any we have tasted this season.”
1910 – The Golden Gem Theater was presenting a good program, which featured several short films (including Frankenstein) and Cleopatra as the headliner. These were all silent movies, “talkies” being a couple of decades in the future.
1921 – Passenger fares on the Tramway line between Denver and Golden were scheduled to increase from 28 cents to 34 cents for a one-way trip.
1927 – Mayor Jones wrote of his long-time dream coming true, as the city had built a new reservoir. He had been the city water superintendent in 1911-1912 and had always wished for for such a reliable water supply.
1932 – The proprietors of a thriving hot dog stand in Coal Creek canyon were discovered to be selling more beer than hot dogs. Since Prohibition was in effect, the owners were each found guilty of possession of liquor and fined $100 plus court costs.
1938 – A new owner was re-opening the Golden Plunge (the pool under the Buffalo Rose event center).
1949 – The Transcript was urging repeal of antiquated “blue laws.” The editors contended that people were naturally good and virtuous. They cited Prohibition as an example of an ill-considered law, that only resulted in gangsterism.
1955 – The fastest time in a hillclimb (an auto race up the Lariat Loop) was 5 minutes, 39.1 seconds. The winner was driving a Silverstone Jaguar.
1960 – The former Denver Lakewood & Golden right of way was being converted into a street. Kinney Run (a small creek) was routed through an underground culvert, and thus, Jackson Street was extended from downtown to the new neighborhoods near the new high school.
1966 – Golden’s population exploded after the war, and we desperately needed parking downtown. The City leaders suggested leasing a vacant lot and charging people to park there.
1972 – The Astor House narrowly avoided being demolished and replaced by a parking lot. Citizens voted 654 to 301 to preserve the building, so the City bought it from the owner for $31,488.55.
1976 – In a sharp reversal of the 1949 attitude about repealing blue laws, Golden was planning to implement a law to prohibit “nudity, pornographic films and lewd or indecent displays in a licensed bar. The ordinance would also prohibit in such establishments a broad range of behavior including: loitering by habitual drunkards or intoxicated persons, profanity, rowdiness, undue noise, begging for drinks by employees of a bar and loitering by beggars.”
1977 – The City held a series of public meetings to discuss Golden’s future growth plans. There was general agreement that the aged downtown area needed a facelift.
1978 – Following two drowning deaths in Clear Creek west of Golden, Jefferson County closed the creek to rafting, tubing, boating, and all other forms of recreational activity.
1981 – McDonald’s requested a building permit to construct a restaurant on South Golden Road, thus bringing Golden into the modern era.
Thanks to the Golden History Museum for providing the online cache of historic Transcripts, and many thanks to the Golden Transcript for documenting our history since 1866!
