WHAT’S HAPPENING IN GOLDEN TODAY?
8:30-9:30AM Power Training (Virtual)
9:15-9:45AM Let’s Dance @ Golden Library
10AM and 1PM Wild West Short Tour
10-10:55AM All Levels Yoga (Virtual)
10:15-10:45AM Discovery Play @ Golden Library
12-12:30PM Mondays with the Mayor (Virtual)
4-4:30PM Kids Martial Arts Class (Virtual)
6-7:30PM Golden Safety Academy @ Fire Dept Training Room
Have you ever wondered if your home is secure enough? Are you interested in protecting your family, property, and self? Would learning skills and techniques in crime prevention make you feel safer in your home and community? The mission of the Golden Safety Academy is to partner with the community of Golden by educating and empowering citizens about personal safety and crime prevention.
SEE THE COMPLETE CALENDAR OF EVENTS.
CITY MEETING
6:30PM GURA Board Meeting @ City Hall
West Colfax Urban Renewal Area
Staff will provide status on the West Colfax complete streets project, which is currently in design phase for the area between Heritage Square and Zeta Street, including a roundabout at Heritage Road.
The Lena Gulch flood control project is also in design. They have submitted a grant request for $10 million in federal funding to build the project, and will be submitting a second, larger grant request this week. They hope to build a retention bond on some of the Bachman property, which would take Colfax, about 40 mobile homes, and 81 RV spaces out of the flood plain.
Council recently approved a PUD (planned unit development) at 17270 West Colfax (map), which is located within the West Colfax Urban Renewal Area. The 3.53 acre site will include a 4-story residential building with 180 residential units and a restaurant of approximately 8,000 square feet.
Another site within this Urban Renewal Area (17200 West Colfax – map) is also slated for redevelopment, but no public hearing has been scheduled yet.
Central Neighborhoods Urban Renewal Area
A project near the high school which will improve bike and pedestrian safety is nearly complete.
TRIVIA
7-8PM Colorado Trivia League @ Morris & Mae
GOLDEN HISTORY MOMENT
The Pony Express was a short-lived but long-remembered piece of American history.
After the Mormons settled Utah in 1847 and the California Gold Rush began in 1849, the U.S.Postal Service somewhat reluctantly set up overland routes to bring mail between those western outposts and “the United States.”
In 1858, the Postmaster General decided to scale back the overland mail service. That was unfortunate timing for the Pikes Peak Region (that’s us), since our Gold Rush began in late 1858.
The vacuum left by the U.S. Postal Service created an opening for private enterprise, so the Pony Express was established in June of 1860. It was a very expensive undertaking, and very dangerous for the young riders who carried the post. By October of 1861, a transcontinental telegraph had been established between New York and San Francisco. At that time, the Pony Express was discontinued.
George West, who founded the Transcript in 1866, had another newspaper prior to the Civil War. The Western Mountaineer operated for only a year–from December of 1859 to December of 1860.
The life of the Mountaineer overlapped with the life of the Pony Express. Since prompt information is essential for a newspaper, West depended on the news carried by the express service. Between mid-June and December 1860, there were 26 issues of the paper, and 14 of them mentioned the Pony Express.
Indian Outrages in California.
Americans Murdered–Fight with 500 Indians–Defeat of Maj. Ormsby and his Death–Retreat of the Troops–Excitement in California
The Pony Express brings sad news–
Several Americans had been murdered on Carson’s river, while asleep, by the Indians… This outrage led to an organization of whites. The volunteers, numbering one hundred and five men, placed themselves under the command of Major Ormsby, and pushed in pursuit of the Indians….
Western Mountaineer – June 28, 1860
The Indian Outrages
Communication with California Suspended
The following additional particulars of the depredations committed by the Indians in California and Utah, is from the Deseret News, of June 11th:
The anxiously looked for Western Pony Express arrived here yesterday morning about ten o’clock, bringing letters from Diamond Springs and stations this side of Ruby Valley, but nothing from Carson or California….
Western Mountaineer – July 5, 1860
From St. Joseph
A letter brought by the Pony Express to the Platte Crossing and thence by the last Express coach, reached us in four days from St. Joseph. Quick Time.
Western Mountaineer – July 12, 1860
In the end, the Pony Express outlived the Western Mountaineer by a few months. The December 20, 1860 Mountaineer included West’s “Valedictory.” He concluded that Golden wasn’t ready to support a newspaper. Fortunately, he returned after the Civil War and tried again, establishing the Colorado Transcript in December of 1866.
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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