Both of today’s library D&D sessions are wait-listed:
1-2:30PM Virtual: Dungeons & Dragons for Beginners
3:30-5PM Virtual: Dungeons & Dragons for Advanced Players
10AM-1PM Color & Composition with Lea McComas
11AM-2PM Brunch at the Rose
12-2:30PM Walk With a Geologist at Dinosaur Ridge
If you’ve visited the Boettcher Mansion on Lookout Mountain, you probably think of it as a fine craftsman home, beautifully preserved. It was not always thus.
47 Years Ago
The January 23, 1974 Golden Transcript announced that the Jefferson County Commissioners had allocated $100,000 to begin restoring the building. The mansion had been built in 1917 as a summer home for the Boettcher family. In 1968, Charline Breeden, a granddaughter of the Boettchers and owner of the house, donated it–along with the surrounding 110 acres–to Jefferson County. The gift came with the stipulation that the County must keep it for public use and could not sell it.
The County wasn’t quite sure what to do with it, and during the several years they spent deciding, the house deteriorated and was vandalized. The 1974 Transcript article detailed some of the repairs needed: “roof, broken windows, plaster, heating system, electricity, plumbing, floors, carpeting, exterior and interior painting, new locks, drapes, ventilation, outside steps and porches.”
The house is now rented as a venue for meetings and social events. The grounds form the Lookout Mountain Nature Preserve. The Lookout Mountain Nature Center was originally housed in the mansion’s garage, but is now a stand-alone structure.
Same Issue, Different Article
Do you know where this Golden monument is located? I’ll be writing about this tomorrow.
Many 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!
Public Health References
CDC * Colorado * Jefferson County * City of Golden
Jefferson County is at Level Orange, “High Risk.” Here’s the most recent Coronavirus report from Jeffco Public Health’s Case Summary Page:
Cases in Jeffco – Thurs: 33,446 | Fri: 33,623 (+177)
Deaths in Jeffco – Thurs: 701 | Fri: 703 (+2)
Currently Hospitalized in Jeffco – Thurs: 39 | Fri: 40 (+1)
Known Cases in Golden – Tues: 1254 * | Thurs: 1268 * (+14)
Recovered – Thurs: 31,277 | Fri: 31,455 (+178)
* Golden cases are updated on Monday and Thursday. The other stats are updated Monday through Friday.
Mines COVID Testing | Jeffco Fairgrounds COVID Testing (closed today)| School of Mines COVID-19 case page. | Stage 1 fire restrictions | Sign up for exposure notifications.
6-6:55AM Virtual HIIT
8:30-9:30AM Virtual Power Training Friday
10:30-11:15AM Virtual Play and Learn
10:30-11AM Call In: Mental Fitness Fridays
4-5PM Virtual: Friday Crafternoons – Toilet Paper Tube Penguins
4-5PM Virtual: Teen Hangout
3PM Live Music at Golden Moon Speakeasy: Ryan Flores
79 Years Ago
After more than a decade of Depression, the Golden community was used to “making do,” but World War II brought “doing without” to a whole new level. Advertisements for new tires had been a regular feature in the Colorado Transcript, but once the war began, those ads disappeared.
Rubber was needed for the war effort, so tires for civilian vehicles were hard to get. According to the January 22, 1942 Colorado Transcript, people needing replacements were required to bring the old tire to an authorized inspection station so they could determine whether it could be repaired or retreaded. If the tire could no longer be repaired, the vehicle owner had to apply to the county tire rationing administrator to try to get a new one.
The names of successful applicants were listed in the paper. This was the complete list of new tires sold in Jefferson County for the two weeks prior to January 22nd, 1942:
Oscar Johnson, Arvada, route 2, two obsolete tires, size 4.5×21
Clarence R. Hinkle, Wheatridge, one 32×6 10-ply truck tire
Edwin Watson, route 3, Golden, two 6.25×16 4-ply tires
Willard J. Digby, 7830 Westview Dr., one truck tire
R. W. Browne, Lakewood, one tractor tire
Ernest Amos Rigli, Lakewood, two light truck tires
One article told of three men who were in jail, charged with grand larceny for stealing five tires and tubes, the wheels, battery, and radio from a car that was left unattended in Wheatridge.
Another article recommended that motorists write down the serial numbers, size and make of their tires to help the police identify them if they were stolen. The article went on to compare tire theft to horse-thieving in pioneer days (and pointed out that horse thieves were hanged).
Advertisements for new tires didn’t return to the Transcript until 1947.
Many 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!
Public Health References
CDC * Colorado * Jefferson County * City of Golden
Jefferson County is at Level Orange, “High Risk.” Here’s the most recent Coronavirus report from Jeffco Public Health’s Case Summary Page:
Cases in Jeffco – Weds: 33,332 | Thurs: 33,446 (+114)
Deaths in Jeffco – Weds: 697 | Thurs: 701 (+4)
Currently Hospitalized in Jeffco – Weds: 64 | Thurs: 39 (-25)
Known Cases in Golden – Tues: 1254 * | Thurs: 1268 (+14)
Recovered – Weds: 31,105 | Thurs: 31,277 (+172)
* Golden cases are updated on Monday and Thursday. The other stats are updated Monday through Friday.
Mines COVID Testing | Jeffco Fairgrounds COVID Testing (closed today)| School of Mines COVID-19 case page. | Stage 1 fire restrictions | Sign up for exposure notifications.
7:30AM Golden Young Professionals Monthly Membership Meeting
10-10:30AM Call In: Mid-Morning Meditation
10:15AM Preschool Time with the Library
3-5PM Hard Times Writing Workshop
6-7:30PM Lessons In Wilderness Survival
6-7PM Virtual: Qs and Brews Trivia
7PM Parks, Recreation and Museums Advisory Board
Parks, Recreation, and Museums will discuss their draft workplan for 2021. They will try to incorporate City’s Councils “SMARTIE” goals: Strategic, Measurable, Ambitious, Realistic, Time-bound, Inclusive, and Equitable. They will discuss plans for developing DeLong Park and will review the capital budget for the year. See the meeting packet for more information.
It’s been one month since the winter solstice. The sun is rising one minute earlier (7:16AM versus 7:17AM) and setting 28 minutes later (5:07PM versus 4:39PM).
Paid Parking is in effect again in downtown Golden. If you park in any of the lots, you must visit the kiosk and get a ticket. The first two hours are still free but you must get a ticket to register your time of arrival.
52 Years Ago
The January 21, 1969 Colorado Transcript reported that one of the high tension electrical towers at W. 10th Avenue and Johnson Road had been destroyed with explosives. Dynamite was placed at the base of each of the four legs.
“Officials stated that the methods employed indicated that the person who set the charge had military training in demolition. The force of the blast was such that pieces of the tower were thrown for a great distance. One large piece was found embedded in a mobile home…more than 1-1/2 miles from the blast.”
By mid-February, the FBI had identified a suspect. Cameron David Bishop was already wanted for an attempted takeover of a building on the CSU campus, and the Golden bombing put him on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list.
Why was he bombing Golden? It was an attempt to undermine the Viet Nam War effort. Coors Porcelain was making nose cones for missiles at that time, and the tower that was bombed supplied power to the Coors plant.
The blast may not have been as disruptive as the bomber had hoped. While a large part of Jefferson County lost power, Public Service was able to route around the problem and had service partially restored within 15 minutes and fully restored in about an hour.
Canadian police found him in Vancouver in June of 1970 and began extradition procedures. He apparently slipped away, and was next seen in New York in June of 1971. He again evaded capture, but was arrested in Rhode Island in 1975. Local police had approached him in his car and found it contained “a small arsenal of weapons.” At that point, he was identified and brought back to Colorado. He was released on $277,500 bond, which was guaranteed by his mother.
Bishop was convicted of three counts of sabotage and sentenced to seven years in prison, but remained free on bond, pending appeal. The ruling was overturned on appeal, so he remained free.
His attorney later defended Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber.
Many 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!
Public Health References
CDC * Colorado * Jefferson County * City of Golden
Jefferson County is at Level Orange, “High Risk.” Here’s the most recent Coronavirus report from Jeffco Public Health’s Case Summary Page:
Cases in Jeffco – Tues: 33,212 | Weds: 33,332 (+120)
Deaths in Jeffco – Tues: 695 | Weds: 697 (+2)
Currently Hospitalized in Jeffco – Tues: 58 | Weds: 64 (+6)
Known Cases in Golden – Tues: 1254 *
Recovered – Tues: 30,835 | Weds: 31,105 (+270)
* Golden cases are updated on Monday and Thursday. The other stats are updated Monday through Friday.
Mines COVID Testing | Jeffco Fairgrounds COVID Testing | School of Mines COVID-19 case page. | Stage 1 fire restrictions | Sign up for exposure notifications.