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A Plan to Mine the Hogback and Social Services, Circa 1926

Golden Eye Candy – Frank Hanou – Mammatus Clouds Over Golden – click to enlarge

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Virtual Events

9-9:55AM Silver Sneakers Classic
10AM Call In: Mid-Morning Meditation
10:15-10:45AM Virtual: Preschool Time with the Library
11AM-12PM All Levels Yoga Virtual
3-5PM Virtual/Call In: Hard Times Writing Workshop
5:30-6:25PM HIIT & Sculpt
6-7PM Virtual: Qs and Brews Trivia


Real World Events

10:15-10:45AM Toddler Time @ Golden Library – WAITLIST
11AM-12:30PM Golden Community Table @ First United Methodist Church
11:30AM-1PM Library for All: Interactive Program for Adults with Disabilities
6PM Fun Run @ Runners Roost
6-9PM Mini Paint Night @ Golden Game Guild


Live Music

6-9PM Red Mountain Boys @ New Terrain Brewing
6PM Open Pick Night @ Over Yonder Brewing
8PM Karaoke @ Rock Rest Lodge


About That Clay Mine…

The Hogback and Clay Seam at the North End of Golden – click to enlarge

Someone asked me recently if I knew anything about a plan to mine the hogback for clay. I was pretty vague on the details at the time, but then I was contacted by a group called “Save the Hogback.” Their website provides a link to the original application, a letter that describes the group’s concerns, and a letter from the City of Golden, expressing their concerns.

Save the Hogback’s mission page states the following:

Denver Brick has recently proposed a significant clay mining expansion (Acme Mine), on State of Colorado Trust Lands, on the east side of the hogback, adjacent to Highway 93 and just north of the Golden City limits. A growing number of local residents, HOA’s, businesses and the City of Golden strongly oppose or have major concerns regarding this proposed mining expansion.

To unify and communicate all public opposition, a non-profit corporation, Protect the Hogback (PTH), has been established. PTH has retained legal counsel to challenge Denver Brick’s application to DRMS to expand clay mining at this site and to represent the collective public opposition within our communities. Read more….

So there’s the answer to whoever asked me that question. Read the original mining permit application and the letters expressing the organization’s and the City of Golden’s concerns and see what you think.


Golden History Moment

December 30, 1926 Edition of the Colorado Transcript

95 Years Ago
The December 30, 1926 Colorado Transcript gives an interesting glimpse of life without a social safety net. Two boys, James Hart, age 18, and his younger brother Kenneth were living in Golden in a “tent house.” James was a student at an art school in Denver, while Kenneth was a sophomore at Golden High School.

On the previous Sunday, James was unwell, so he crawled into the tent, lit their small stove, and fell asleep. The tent caught fire. James awoke and escaped just before the tent was completely engulfed in flames. The boys lost their clothing, school books, and personal belongings.

The article is interesting because of all the things it does not say. What happened to the boys’ parents? Where in Golden was the tent located? Did anyone help them after the fire?

Instead, the article makes a joke about the fact that the fire chief was in the bath when the fire alarm went off. Several other firefighters hurried to the scene, but it was too late to save the tent. The piece concludes that the fire chief shouldn’t take any more baths until his term concludes the following April.


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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