Public Health References
CDC * Colorado * Jefferson County * City of Golden
Coronavirus report from Jeffco Public Health’s Case Summary Page, as of 4PM Tuesday:
Cases in Jeffco
Monday: 2554 Tuesday: 2567
Deaths in Jeffco
Monday: 205 Tuesday: 206
Ever Hospitalized in Jeffco
Monday: 416 Tuesday: 418 (currently 14)
Recovered
Monday: 2252 Tuesday: 2262
Known Cases in Golden
Monday: 110 Tuesday: 110
The Safer at Home protocol is in effect. Check the City’s site to learn more about what that entails. Everyone is still requested to wear a mask that covers the nose and mouth when leaving the house. City and County fire restrictions are in place. Clear Creek is open for Kayaks and Canoes. Learn more….
Virtual Golden
9-10AM Virtual Power Training
10:15AM Let’s Dance (Toddlers) with the Library
6PM Community Sustainability Advisory Board Meeting – Tonight’s Sustainability topics include
A. Graywater Ordinance Recommendation 6:15 – 6:45 pm
B. Energy Dashboard Demonstration 6:45 – 7:15 pm
C. Residential Sustainability Menu 7:15 – 7:45 pm
They will also continue discussion of Sustainability Metrics | Citizen Sustainability Task Forces on GuidingGolden.com | CC4CA Update | School grants program | Residential Energy Efficiency grants | Grant Request – Solar Home Tour | Budget Update | Staff & Board Updates
6PM Wednesday Watch Party with the Library – Orson Welles’ “The Stranger”
7PM Colorado Mountain Club Speaker Series: Johanna Garton’s Edge of the Map
Sprawl at the Gates
I don’t usually write about events outside the City limits of Golden, but I thought my audience would be interested in a planned housing development on the north side of North Table Mountain. Developers hope to build 235 rental units. They will need to persuade the County to rezone the property. Neighbors oppose the loss of green space and increased density. There is an online public meeting to discuss it tomorrow night at 7PM. Learn more….
Golden History Moment
I’m wrapping up my series on mills today, but I need to correct a date I cited yesterday: the City bought the Golden Mill’s water rights in 1952–not 1954. They filled in the mill race in 1954. On Monday, I wrote about the Rock Flour Mill and on Tuesday I covered the Golden Mill. We had others, but they were of shorter duration.
The May 8, 1867 Colorado Transcript included an ad for Star Flouring Mills, operated by Lomax, Palmer, & Co. That mill was located on the south side of Clear Creek, where the Golden Hotel is now. In August of that year, the mill burned to the ground. Within a month, John B. Fitzpatrick partnered with one of the previous owners to rebuild the business, this time calling it Brick Mills. In 1874, Fitzpatrick erected a stone addition to serve as an engine room. The engine was used when the flow in Clear Creek was not sufficient to power the mill. By 1877, Mr. H. McCulloch had leased that mill.
Perhaps the most valuable aspect of the two long-lived mills (Rock Flour and Golden Mill) was the water power used to run them. That power could be used to run many types of industry. The man who built the flume west of Washington Avenue intended it to power both the Golden Paper Mill and the Rock Flour Mill. In fact, the original plan for the flour mill was that it would produce both sawed lumber and flour.
Fitzpatrick’s mill, too, was intended to handle both lumber and grain. The relatively short life of that mill (less than 10 years) was likely due to its lack of a mill run, which could have provided concentrated power. The normal run of Clear Creek is really not adequate to power a mill.
When Jesse Quaintance bought the Golden Mill in 1875, his main objective was to buy a power source to run an “amalgamation works”/rock crusher. Eventually he hoped to build a smelter on that spot. The crusher was built and used at least once, but was never mentioned again.
Many thanks to the Golden History Museum for providing the online cache of historic Transcripts, and many thanks to the Golden Transcript for documenting our history since 1866!
