88 Years Ago
The August 6, 1936 Colorado Transcript described an accident at the intersection of 12th & Washington. Two Golden men were walking diagonally across the intersection when they were hit by a car. Both men were thrown to the pavement. One landed on his back and received a scalp wound. The other landed face down and "was badly cut on the forehead and face, and had a number of scratches on his hands."
Both the pedestrians and the man driving the car said they had not seen each other until the moment of impact. "Apparently they just stepped from behind the flag pole as the car reached the intersection."
You wouldn't think that a flagpole would provide such a visual block, but this was a recurring topic of conversation at that time. The flag pole had been installed (by the Ku Klux Klan) in 1925. It always had both admirers and detractors. Some liked the display of patriotism in the middle of town. Some thought it helped slow traffic in that era before traffic lights. Others thought it was a hazard, because it obstructed visibility. The Mayor had been trying for some time to have it removed, and faced public opposition. This accident may have helped support his stance. A year later, it was finally removed.
It was interesting to note how much personal information the article provided. The man driving the car was coming from 814 11th Street (map). He was on his way home to 714 12th Street (map), where he lived with his father. The license number on his Plymouth couple was 11-6145 and his driver's license number was 11-4722. (I wonder why the reporter thought people needed his license numbers?)
Many thanks to Esther Kettering for sponsoring Golden History Moments for the month of August.
