92 Years Ago
The March 23, 1933 Colorado Transcript reported that “ST. PAUL POLICE CHIEF IS VICTIM OF FREAK ACCIDENT AT GOLDEN.” The Chief was in Colorado investigating a kidnapping case and was driving past the Rock Rest on South Golden Road. His “police car, traveling at a high rate of speed, hit a bump in the highway. With terrific impact, Chief Dahill was hurled against the top of the car with his head striking a cover-bow. He suffered deep cuts in the scalp and a severed artery.”
The Transcript of that era was always describing gruesome car accidents on South Golden Road, with lots of broken limbs, skull fractures, and internal injuries. Just two examples: a baby died in a crash in 1927, while her grandfather, who was driving the car, suffered a fractured hip and punctured lung. In 1934, woman was run over after being thrown from her car, as evidenced by “marks on her clothing” (tire tracks?).
The drivers occasionally reported that their cars had malfunctioned, with steering wheels or breaks refusing to function. The articles generally mentioned that the cars had been going “at a high rate of speed.”
Interestingly, Jefferson County’s Attorney found himself arguing in favor of high speeds in 1923. This was a power struggle with Denver police: since Denver had helped pay for the road between Denver and Golden, the Denver police took it upon themselves to ticket speeders for the entire length of the road. Denver had a speed limit of 25MPH; whereas the default state limit was 35MPH. Denver asserted that they owned the road and could enforce the Denver speed limit all the way out to Golden. Jefferson County Attorney John Vivian (who went on to become Governor) was just waiting for a Jefferson County resident to be stopped by a Denver cop. He wanted to take the matter to the Supreme Court.
The articles often implied but never definitively stated that alcohol was a factor. Police must not have had a way to test for drunkenness at that time. A 1930 article talked about a man who’s in favor of dry laws because he makes his living picking up empty pint flasks along South Golden Road and selling them for 5 cents each.
Road conditions also contributed to the number of accidents. As late as 1950, the Transcript described South Golden Road as a “beaten up, cracked, chuck-hole-filled, narrow, old-fashioned road…. You cross four railroad tracks on this four-mile strip. Two of the tracks built close together in a v-shaped dip throw a person’s car up into the air to land you never know where. The other crossing is constructed at a slant-eyed angle with high banks concealing the view of the approach of interurban cars and trains. The fourth crossing is also slantwise and muddled by numerous telephone poles and buildings. It is only through the extreme carefulness of drivers that more accidents do not occur on this road.”
