High Water, Farmers Market, Earth Day at DeLong Park, Coffee with a Councilor, Buffalo Bill’s Funeral, and a Full Moon

red pennant with Mt. Zion in the background — *Golden Eye Candy – Frank Hanou – Red flags along Clear Creek indicate dangerously high water – enlarge*

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN GOLDEN TODAY?

7:45AM New and Prospective Member Hike @ Apex Park

Golden Farmers Market at 10th and Illinois in Golden — *Golden Farmers Market – Chris Davell – enlarge*

8AM-1PM Golden Farmers Market OPENING DAY @ Golden Library west parking lot
8AM Saturday Morning Run and Social Walk @ Golden History Park
9AM-12:15PM Senior Law and Safety Day @ Jeffco Courts and Admin Building

10AM-12PM Wild West Walking Tour
9AM-12PM Putting Green @ Home Depot
10AM-noon Breakfast Burritos @ The Golden Mill
10AM-3PM Brunch at the Rose @ Buffalo Rose
10AM-3PM Saturday Train Rides @ Colorado Railroad Museum
10AM-4PM 2023 Open Gardens Day @ Jefferson County Fairgrounds

DeLong Park on 23rd Street in Golden - Castle Rock and orange clouds in the background. — *Golden Eye Candy – Liz Erickson – DeLong Park – enlarge*

10AM-2PM Earth Day Celebration @ DeLong Park
10AM-2PM Earth Day Clean Up and Eco Fair @ The Eddy (rescheduled)

10AM Coffee with Councilors @ Golden Community Center
10:15AM Family Time @ Golden Library

11:30AM, 12PM, 1:30PM and 2PM The Largest Funeral in Colorado’s History @ Buffalo Bill’s Gravesite
The Denver Post reported 25,000 people journeyed up Lookout Mountain on June 3, 1917, to view William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody’s open casket before he was interred. Hear details on the 106th anniversary of his burial and learn more about what may have been the largest funeral in Colorado’s history at this free 15-minute graveside program.

1-4PM Wild West Pub Crawl
1-2:30PM Dungeons & Dragons for Beginners (Virtual)
1-3PM PAWS for Reading @ Golden Library

Miners Alley Children's Theater presents Robin Hood, April 8-22 and May 27-June 24, 2023.

1PM Robin Hood (Children’s Theater) @ Miners Alley Playhouse
2PM Shakedown Street Art Market @ Over Yonder Brewing Company
3:30-5PM Dungeons & Dragons for Advanced Players (Virtual)

5-8:30PM Golden Super Cruise @ South Golden Road
7-9PM Golden Ghosts & Spirits Tour

7:30PM The Oldest Boy: A Play in Three Ceremonies @ Miners Alley Playhouse

*The moon will be full at 9:41PM – photo by Chris Davell – enlarge*

See the complete calendar of events.

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LIVE MUSIC

11A-2PM Jon Farmer @ Buffalo Rose (Sky Bar Stage)
11:30AM Drew Syed @ Tributary Food Hall
12PM Open Bluegrass Pick Jams @ Over Yonder
2-10PM Summer Music Fest @ Dirty Dogs Roadhouse
2PM Todd Sheaffer @ New Terrain Brewing
3PM Stellar Jays @ Over Yonder
4PM Adam Kinghorn Quintet @ New Terrain Brewing
4-8PM 2nd Time Around @ Wrigley’s
5-8PM Live Music @ Eddy Taproom
5:30-8:30PM Giant Walking Robots @ Goosetown Station
6PM Coral Creek String Band @ New Terrain Brewing
6:30PM Last Call @ Over Yonder

7-10PM Southside Mike @ Buffalo Rose (Sky Bar Stage)

7-10PM Jay Martin @ Morris & Mae
8PM Whitewater Ramble @ New Terrain Brewing
9PM Karaoke @ Ace Hi Tavern

GOLDEN HISTORY MOMENT

A group of men lowering the coffin of William Cody (Buffalo Bill) — *William Cody’s burial service, conducted by Golden’s Masonic Lodge – Photo from the Golden History Museum collection – Enlarge*

Contributed by Paul Haseman

June 3rd marks the day of one of the most memorable events in Golden history. With Buffalo Bill Days stricken from this year’s calendar, it seems appropriate today to note that on this day in 1917, William F. Cody, Buffalo Bill, the most famous person in the world at that time was laid to rest in the Lookout Mountain Park.

A line of cars driving down the Lariat Loop Trail on Mt. Zion — *Traffic on the Lariat Loop on the day of Buffalo Bill’s burial – photo courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Museum and Gravesite – Enlarge*

A procession of 20,000 people came to Golden by horse, buggy, auto, and train from across the country to participate in the funeral. They all trooped up Lookout Mountain Road, recently completed in 1913, to the gravesite, where George Parfet, Jr., (for whom Parfet Park is named) officiated at the burial. Parfet was the Master of Golden’s Masonic Lodge, of which Cody had been a member since 1869.

A group of people gathered around a coffin, one holding an umbrella for shade. — *June 3, 1917 – Buffalo Bill’s Burial, conducted by Golden’s Masonic Lodge – photo from the Golden History Museum collection*

Present at the funeral was his wife, Louisa, his sisters Julia and Mary and other family members. Seriously ill, Cody had come to Denver from his ranch in Cody, WY, in December to visit his physician, Dr. East and stayed with his sister, Mary Cody Decker. He died within a month on 10 January at her home, a passing that was news around the globe.

Buffalo Bill's grave, surrounded by a fence, with Pahaska Teepee (the Buffalo Bill Museum) in the background — *Buffalo Bill’s Grave on Lookout Mountain with Golden down below – from the Golden History Museum collection – Enlarge*

Choosing a burial site quickly centered on Lookout Mountain, where Denver had purchased acreage for its nascent Mountain Park System that January. This mountain top acreage was augmented that May through a donation of additional land by Adolph Coors. That same month, Mary Decker, accompanied by the Manager of the Denver Mountain Park System, visited Lookout Mountain Park and chose it for Cody’s burial. Cody’s remains, after earlier laying in State for one day in January in the Capitol Rotunda, had be held in Denver (under guard) awaiting warmer weather for his burial. “Under guard” you say. Well, the citizens of Cody, WY, were not pleased that its founder would be buried elsewhere and were rumored to want to see his remains returned to Cody.

It may seem suspiciously coincidental that Buffalo Bill’s resting place would be above Golden in Lookout Mountain Park shortly after Denver’s purchase of that land. Yet, Cody had come to enjoy Golden over many years. Among those visits was a trip to Golden in 1872 with Gen. Sheridan and Russian Grand Duke Alexis just prior to a then famous buffalo hunt led by Cody with Col. Custer and Gen. Sheridan. Other visits included sitting on the front porch of the home on 12th Street of Transcript publisher, George West, sipping and swapping stories as well as Cody’s membership with Golden’s Masonic Lodge. Cody was no stranger to Golden and Denver, where two sisters lived.

*Equal pay for equal work in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show – Click to enlarge*

In this vein, it was clear that Cody had a great affection for and great trust in his sister. As the famous Buffalo Bill, it might be surprising to know now or even then that Cody was a women’s rights advocate. Employing and featuring Annie Oakley and Calamity Jane in his Wild West Show was unique at the time evidence in part his beliefs. Also, Cody had his ranch and home in Wyoming, which as part of Dakota Territory, as the first place in the world enacted women’s suffrage in 1869 and the first state to do so in 1890. Cody is quoted in the Milwaukee Journal on 16 April 1898:

Set that down in great big black type that Buffalo Bill favors woman suffrage… If a woman can do the same work that a man can do and do it just as well, she should have the same pay.

Colorado was not too far behind in 1893 with the rest of country lagging 27 years later with ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920.

But we digress . . . Cody got his sobriquet, Buffalo Bill, when he hunted buffalo for the workers on the Kansas Pacific at age 21 as it headed west. Before and after his short stint hunting buffalo, Cody served with the Army during the Civil War and afterward as a scout. Not any scout but the Chief Scout of the US Army. Notable was his scouting for the Army following Custer’s Last Stand in 1876. So, Cody was well known by General Sheridan and other military officials long, long before he gained world-wide fame with his Wild West Show, which he began in 1883. Militarily, he was the real deal and in 1872 at age 26, Cody was awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery.

Buffalo Bill reenactor on horseback on Washington Avenue — *In 2017, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Buffalo Bill’s death, the Cody family held a reunion in Golden during Buffalo Bill Days – Enlarge*

Golden honors Buffalo Bill each year with its biggest event, Buffalo Bill Days, but this year written homage will have to do or perhaps a visit to the Buffalo Bill Museum atop Lookout Mountain.

A group in historical costume deliver a coffin to Buffalo Bill's grave. — *In 2017, the Buffalo Bill Museum and Golden’s Masonic Lodge members recreated the ceremony of Buffalo Bill’s burial on Lookout Mountain – Enlarge*

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!

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