Oldest Boy, Oregon Trail, and the Gangs of Golden

The view east from the side of North Table Mountain. South Table Mountain appears in the lower-right hand corner and bother mountains are unusually green with spring foliage. Lucy the dog enjoys the view. — *Golden Eye Candy – Jen Rutter – “It’s like a rain forest out there!” – enlarge*

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN GOLDEN TODAY?

6-6:55AM HIIT (Virtual)
10AM and 1PM Wild West Short Tour
10-11:30AM NREL – Public Campus Experience (Virtual)
10-10:30AM TriceraTOTs @ Dinosaur Ridge Discovery Center
10:15-10:45AM Toddler Time @ Golden Library
10:30AM The Friday Tour @ Colorado Railroad Museum
12-12:55PM All Levels Yoga (Virtual)
1-1:45PM Silver Sneakers Yoga (Virtual)
1:30PM The Friday Tour @ Colorado Railroad Museum
3PM Vaccine, License & Microchip Clinic @ Foothills Animal Shelter
6-8PM Teen After Hours: Life-Size Oregon Trail @ Golden Library
6:30PM Colorado Summit Ultimate Frisbee Game @ Marv Kay Stadium
7-9PM Golden Ghosts & Spirits Tour
7:30PM The Oldest Boy: A Play in Three Ceremonies @ Miners Alley Playhouse – FINAL WEEKEND!

SEE THE COMPLETE CALENDAR OF EVENTS.

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LIVE MUSIC

5-8PM Live Music @ Eddy Taproom

5-8PM Kory Montgomery @ Golden Mill
5:30-8:30PM The Reckless Folk @ Goosetown Station
5:30PM Roots & Rhythm @ Over Yonder
6-10PM Playback @ Wrigley’s

7-10PM Carl DiFederico @ Buffalo Rose (Sky Bar Stage)

7:30PM Hazel Miller and the Collective @ Buffalo Rose

9PM Karaoke @ Ace Hi Tavern

GOLDEN HISTORY MOMENT

*North and South Side – excerpted from photo X-9826, Denver Public Library Western History Collection – enlarge*

The late Bill Coors (1916-2018), who attended elementary school in Golden, used to attend Leadership Golden sessions, telling stories of Golden in the late ‘teens and early ‘twenties. He talked about the social rift between kids who lived on the south side of Clear Creek and the tougher kids who lived on the north side. He said it wasn’t safe for a south sider (like him) to be caught on the north side of town.

*George West (seated) with son Harley and grandson Neil West Kimball – Golden History Museum collection – enlarge*

I recently came across some reminiscences written in 1929 by Neil West Kimball. He was the grandson of Transcript founders George and Eliza West. He was born in approximately 1894 and graduated from Golden High School in 1912. Neil, too, had a lot to say about the tough kids.

The Tucker gulch gang, with “Tight” Smith as the leader, was the most fearsome of those organizations. “Tucker gulch, the farther you go the tougher you get, and we live in the last house,” was the motto of this organization. And it made life pretty miserable for other gangs, such as the Dog Town gang, with Paul Hobsen and Fred Gow as members, the Garrison street gang with Alvah Moody, Don Baird, the Parshall boys and others in the membership.

*The 1873 Golden School – later known as the “South School.” – enlarge*

There was lots of class consciousness in those days. If you were a South Sider you were supposed to remain one and woe betide you if you wandered out of your own bailiwick without sufficient protection. The “toughest break” in my career was when my family moved from the South Side to the North Side and as a consequence I changed schools and became a North Sider, in flesh if not in spirit. And how that flesh did suffer.

North School in Golden, Colorado - demolished in 1965 - Golden History Museum Collection — *North School in Golden, Colorado – Golden History Museum Collection – enlarge*

Regularly every evening I was chased from the school yard by the North Siders who considered me too effeminate for them. Pete Read, he with only three fingers, was, as I remember, the acknowledged leader of my tormentors. Luckily, I had a pretty fleet pair of legs in those days and they generally carried me to safety. About the only joy in my life in those days was when Pete turned his chasing activities to Earle (Bridget) Develon and gave me an opportunity to regain my wind.

But enough of gangs or you’ll think Golden was a miniature Chicago.

Reprinted from the November 14, 1929 Colorado Transcript

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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JUNE SPONSORS: Buffalo Rose, Buglet Solar, Foothills Art Center, Golden City Brewery, Golden Cultural Alliance, Golden History Museum, Golden Super Cruise, Miners Alley Playhouse, The Golden Mill, Golden Chamber of Commerce, Golden History Tours, Morris & Mae Market, Miners Saloon, Radovich Real Estate, LLC, Joy and Jack Brandt, Tom Reiley, and Carly & Steve Schaeffer

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Tall Pines Painting, Baby Doe’s Clothing, Golden Community Garden, Carol & Doug Harwood, Jennings & Litz, Bill Fisher, Brian Quarnstrom, Casey & Gina Brown, Cheryl & Tom Schweich, Robert Storrs, Karen Smith, Sandy Curran, Paul Haseman, Michele Sannes, Krista Spurgin, Kathy Smith, Crystal Culbert, Pat Madison, Donna Anderson, Ann Pattison, Carol & Don Cameron, Tom Hughes, Emeline Paulson, Susan Gray, David Smith, Karen Oxman, Laura King & Scott Wilson, Bill Sedgeley, Mariane Erickson, Carol Abel, Dot & Eric Brownson, Ann Norton & Jonathan Storer, Deb Goeldner, Rosemary Coffman, Jim & LouAnne Dale, Francine Butler, Elaine Marolla, Dixie Termin & Ron Miller, John & Andi Pearson, Chris Ball, Tom Hoffman, Patrick & Lisa Vitry, Alice Madison & Jim Kalivas, Lora Haimes, and Nancy & Carlos Bernal

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