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Happy Mothers Day (and our disreputable past)

Golden Eye Candy by Jen Rutter – Click to enlarge

Coronavirus Update

Public Health References
CDC * Colorado * Jefferson County * City of Golden

Cumulative Count of COVID-19 Cases by Report Date

Jefferson County’s case count page says that as of 4:30PM yesterday, there were 1,793 cases in Jefferson County (up from 1,749). There have been 94 deaths (up from 93) and 313 are hospitalized (up from 306). There are 147 known cases in Golden (up from 144).

The Safer at Home protocol is now 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 closed to all recreational activities. The heart on Mt. Zion has turned back into an M!


Virtual Golden

It’s Sunday again! The following Golden churches have information about virtual services and/or sermons on their websites:

Calvary Episcopal Church
Golden Presbyterian
Faith Lutheran Church
First United Methodist Church
First Presbyterian Church
Flatirons Community Church
Hillside Community Church
Jefferson Unitarian Church
Rockland Community Church
St. Joseph Catholic Church

If your Golden church/mosque/temple is providing online worship, please let us know, and we will add you.

2PM The Quilt Museum is hosting their monthly Sunday at the Museum event via Zoom today. Lea McComas will share her journey from a traditional quilter to one of the nation’s most highly rated art quilters.

4PM Golden Mountain Guides is doing free mini-clinics every Sunday until the stay-at-home orders are lifted.  Taught by Ben, owner and @amga1979, certified rock guide! Access here.  


Golden History Moment

Aside from bootlegging, which the Colorado Transcript covered with enthusiasm, our local paper was pretty delicate about covering vice.

One hundred years ago this week, at the urging of the newly-organized “Women’s Civic League,” City Council passed a “cabaret ordinance.” The ordinance was particularly focused on closing “a certain roadhouse, which the ladies declared at the meeting is proving a disgrace to the city.” The ordinance required that all “cafes, restaurants, short order houses, etc.” apply for a license. All applications must be accompanied by recommendation of two reputable citizens of the city. The license fee for “legitimate restaurants, lunch rooms and cafes” was $1/year. Places having dancing, music, or other entertainment, were to pay $25/year.

No doubt the respectable, roadhouse-free section of town. The Denver Public Library Western History Collection estimates that this photo of downtown was taken between 1921-1926. See the full-sized photo on the DPL site.

After reading that, I scanned the paper for several weeks following, looking for a clue as to the name and location of the “certain roadhouse.” No trace, so I’m not sure whether the worthy citizens succeeded in closing the place.

They had evidently been working on this issue for a while. The August 7, 1919 Transcript reported on previously proposed ordinances: “First hand information having come to the mayor and several other members of the council that a certain business concern in town had virtually turned into a roadhouse, frequented by men and women of doubtful character from Denver, steps were taken to abate the nuisance.”

“Two ordinances were introduced. One provides that the mayor can summarily close any disorderly dance, disorderly dance hall, or any place where persons assemble and engage in disorderly conduct, use intoxicating liquor, engage in disorderly or immoral amusements or exhibitions, etc. The other ordinance is along the same lines, but provides that no bawdy house, disorderly house, roadhouse, or cafe with dance hall in connection, or cabaret shall be maintained within the city limits of Golden.”

Some version of the dance hall/bawdy house/roadhouse ordinance was published in the legal section of the paper every week, August through September, but then disappeared. The ordinance passed in May of 1920 no longer mentioned bawdiness or even liquor; it just said that establishments that hosted dancing, music, or other entertainment had to pay a $25 licensing fee and could be closed down by the Mayor if they got out of hand.


The Golden Transcript (originally called the Colorado Transcript) has been publishing since 1866. The Golden History Museum has been working on digitizing the historic issues. You’ll find old Transcripts online at coloradohistoricnewspapers.org.

Highlights