Steam Trains and Steam Heat

Golden Eye Candy – Jen Rutter – September Dawn – enlarge

Virtual Events

6-6:55AM Virtual HIIT
8:30-9:30AM Virtual Power Training
12-12:55PM All Levels Yoga
1-1:45PM Silver Sneakers Yoga

Real World Events

Oktoberfest – Denver Kickers Club
10AM-12PM Rocky Mountain Quilt Study Group @ Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum
10:15-10:45AM Toddler Time @ Golden Library
1-2PM The Friday Tour: The Locomotive: Steam & Diesel Tour @ Colorado Railroad Museum
3PM Vaccine, License & Microchip Clinic @ Foothills Animal Shelter
6-9PM A New Night Out @ Buffalo Rose
6PM Teen After Hours: Mario Kart Tournament @ Golden Library

7:30PM HAIR @ Miners Alley Playhouse
7:30-10PM Golden Ghosts and Spirits Tour – SOLD OUT

Live Music

5-8PM The Reckless Folk @ Goosetown Station
5:30-8:30PM Eeloo @ Over Yonder
6-10PM Mad Millie @ Dirty Dogs Roadhouse
6PM The Whiskey Dogs @ Wrigley’s
9PM Karaoke @ Ace Hi Tavern

Golden History Moment

1878 Courthouse at 15th and Washington – enlarge

113 Years Ago
The September 16, 1909 Colorado Transcript reported that the county commissioners had hired J. H. Linder & Co. to install steam heating in the courthouse, thus eliminating “the antiquated and costly method of heating the various offices.”

For reasons that the paper never explained, the project was delayed until 1913. By that time, the commissioners had voted to eliminate the jail in the basement of the courthouse and build a separate jail and sheriff’s residence on the courthouse grounds.

*Jefferson County Jail and Courthouse: the building between may be the steam heating plant – Photo X-9810 from Denver Public Library Western History Collection – enlarge*

The county issued a new request for proposals for a steam heating system and this time the job went to local blacksmith W. H. Fromhart, rather than hardware dealer Linder. A new building was constructed between the courthouse and the jail and two boilers were installed there to heat both buildings.

This got me started on a lengthy and unsuccessful search to learn what they had been using for heating prior to the new system. My guess is that each room in the courthouse had one or more coal-burning stoves. The Transcript did comment that the new steam plant reduced fuel costs considerably.

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!