The Old Mill
Flour was the staple for pioneers and settlers. Before the First World War, horses and wagons pulled Arvada’s wheat to flour mills in Denver. These trips added hours to the wheat harvests.
An Easier Harvest . . . — — Map (db m289377) HM
This 1857 map of the United States shows Colorado as part of Kansas Territory. Colorado did not become a state until 1876. The white line marks the long journey of Ralston's party, starting at Auraria, Georgia and ending at Sutter's Mill, . . . — — Map (db m289348) HM
The Leyden Mine was a major coal mine in Colorado producing coal to power industries. The tramway, warm homes, mining activity began in 1865 and the mine closed in 1950. This memorial honors the lives of eleven miners who died as a result of the . . . — — Map (db m287618) HM
Gold miners in the early years recovered placer gold using equipment such as gold pans, sluice boxes, and rockers. Placer gold appeared as flakes, grains, and nuggets in gravel and sand deposits in the beds of creeks and rivers. Placer mining was . . . — — Map (db m289361) HM
Lewis Ralston made the first documented gold find in Colorado here on June 22, 1850. Although he stayed only a day and recovered little in the way of gold dust, his discovery paved the way for one of the largest migrations in the history of the . . . — — Map (db m289367) HM
Supported by Agriculture
By 1860, more than thirty land claims had been filed in the Ralston and Clear Creek Valleys. Men had come for gold but stayed to farm the land and raise their families.
Bumper Crops
Arvada’s farmers . . . — — Map (db m289574) HM
The route followed by the McNair party of 1850 has been named the Cherokee Trail, in honor of the members of the Cherokee tribes and their families who were among the first to travel the area. Sections of the trail may have been established by . . . — — Map (db m289341) HM
A Grand View
Grandview Avenue traces its history to early commercial property. First named Pine Bluff Road, it was a dusty, major wagon road linking Denver and Arvada.
Open For Business
Preserving the spectacular views to the . . . — — Map (db m289305) HM
A Step Back in Time
“Arvada is no new architect-developer dream of perfection. The city carries the weight, imperfections, and above all the accomplishments of 114 years of history. The charm of the city lies in the patina of these years. . . . — — Map (db m292608) HM
Arvada Celebrates
In the fall of 1925, Arvada prepared to celebrate two major events: The bountiful harvest and the completion of the last section of the “paved” road from Denver to Grandview (part of early Colorado Highway 72).
. . . — — Map (db m289296) HM
Arvada Retail Historic Restoration
This re-creation of the 1882 Arvada primary school* was designed to pay tribute to Arvada’s rich history and its early beginnings as a town. The original schoolhouse, funded by B.F. Wadsworth, held 125 . . . — — Map (db m292629) HM
Water Tower
Water For Everyone
Clean water was crucial to Arvada’s early growth. The ditch irrigation system that first provided Arvada’s drinking water was replaced in 1870 with the first well, hand-dug to 90 feet. This shallow . . . — — Map (db m289306) HM
“…no intoxicating liquors be manufactured, sold or otherwise disposed of as a beverage on the premises.” This was Clemency Mellvoy’s condition for donating this three acre property to the Town of Arvada for a park in 1920. Two years later she . . . — — Map (db m289374) HM
Dual Purpose Tracks
In 1901, the Denver City Tramway Company built a coal-fired electric plant in Denver to power its trolley system.
Cheap, plentiful coal was shipped from Leyden (Li-Den) to Denver over the 42-inch narrow gauge tracks . . . — — Map (db m289376) HM
Bountiful Harvest
Rich Land
First settlers, like John Juchem (Yõcŭm) in 1859, farmed the Ralston and Clear Creek river valleys, where they could turn the soft soil with a spade fork. John Reno claimed a 160 acre homestead . . . — — Map (db m292588) HM
Building Community
In addition to church activities, Arvada citizens formed ties by organizing service clubs, school activities, literary societies and political, commercial and farm groups such as the Grange. Lectures, concerts, spelling . . . — — Map (db m289473) HM
Discovering Historic Olde Town: A Step Back in Time
Historic Old Town is a Special Place
It is the oldest part of Arvada and was the focal point of commercial, social, religious and cultural activities in the early 20th century. . . . — — Map (db m289472) HM
Doctor’s Office 7401 Grandview
Frontier towns needed the skills of trained physicians. In an age before antibiotics, epidemics raged through a community killing victims, especially children, in a few hours. Diphtheria, whooping cough, . . . — — Map (db m292586) HM
Early Commerce
By the early 1900s, thriving Arvada stood apart as a community, providing goods and services for its citizens and serving as a supply center for the local area.
Flourishing Arvada
In the early 1900s, Arvada . . . — — Map (db m289474) HM
Fire, Fire!
May 14, 1960, 5:19 pm: The alarm sounded.
The Metz Lumber Company was ablaze at this site in downtown Arvada! Sparks flew and roofs of most downtown buildings began to burn. The fire was so hot; 1,000 feet of fire . . . — — Map (db m289477) HM
Historic Olde Town’s Buildings
The buildings in Historic Olde Town record Arvada’s history, from the gold era to post-World War II. These well-preserved structures mark the changes in commercial activity from horse and buggy days to the . . . — — Map (db m289304) HM
McIlvoy House
Dennis D. and Clemency McIlvoy came from Indiana to Black Hawk, Colorado in 1859. Clemency was one of the first women to reside in Black Hawk. In 1860, Dennis helped place the boundary markers for Jefferson County. The couple . . . — — Map (db m292587) HM
Olde Town – New Town
Garden Plots and Farm Trucks
Between the late 1860s and the 1930s, agriculture was the main activity in this valley with the area south of the bluff producing most of Arvada’s crops from its garden plots and . . . — — Map (db m290931) HM
Early Routes
Indians, Gold Seekers, Then Travelers
One of the earliest trails in Colorado was the Cherokee Trail. This route, pioneered by gold seekers, followed the Platte Rive to Clear Creek, turned west to Ralston Creek past . . . — — Map (db m290924) HM
Small Town with Big City Ties
Well Connected
From wagon trails to railroad lines, city streets to interstate highways, Arvada’s transportation network connects us to the world.
Travel by Trolley
This railroad line . . . — — Map (db m290885) HM
Sparked by Gold
This thriving community is home to Colorado’s first documented gold strike.
Riches in the Soil
Lewis Ralston struck pay dirt when he stopped to camp here in 1850. But lured by the greater riches of the California . . . — — Map (db m292554) HM
For 100 years, loyal, dedicated and highly trained volunteers and professional firefighters have served Arvada with one endearing mission: To protect lives and property
1907-1949 The Early Years
One Organization One Mission . . . — — Map (db m289478) HM
Village, Town, City
Settling the Crossroad
Pioneer settlers chose the present-day site for settlement because it was at an intersection of several early trails. It was built on the bluff to avoid the flooding along Ralston Creek . . . — — Map (db m289476) HM
Wadsworth Boulevard
Imagine how surprised Benjamin Wadsworth would be today if he were to travel the boulevard bearing his name! When he died in 1893, the population of Arvada was 125 and Wadsworth Boulevard was a dirt road.
. . . — — Map (db m292585) HM
1114 Washington Avenue
G.W. Dollison and John Nicholls constructed this building during the early 1880’s. It served as a dry goods store, with the third floor added shortly after it was built for a lodge hall. His son, George E. Dollison, . . . — — Map (db m288344) HM
The Colorado Transcript, Colorado’s second oldest newspaper, began here on November 24, 1866. General Gorge West, a Civil War veteran, and one of the founders of Golden and the Colorado School of Mines, started the paper. Constructed in 1870, it is . . . — — Map (db m49892) HM
1120 Washington Avenue
When Adolph Coors began brewing beer in Golden, he opened a beer garden on the grounds of his brewery. People flocked from miles around to enjoy both his product and atmosphere of Golden. Carrying the idea a step further, . . . — — Map (db m288345) HM
1200 Washington Avenue
The Everett Block enshrines the memory of one of the greatest scandals of early Golden. Frances E. Everett, banker, mining investor, and respected businessman built this commercial block in 1873. Twice elected mayor, he . . . — — Map (db m288348) HM
The original building was constructed in 1870 by John H. Parsons and William H. Curry as the City Restaurant Hotel for an Italian immigrant Charles Garbarino. It originally had arched windows and doors on both floors and an ornate wood balcony used . . . — — Map (db m49890) HM
1212-20 Washington Avenue
The Golden Opera Company dedicated this building on October 25, 1879. The second floor Opera House for years was the focal point of Golden’s social and cultural activities: concerts, theater, school plays, traveling . . . — — Map (db m288683) HM
The Golden High School was dedicated in March 1924. Built on the site of the Eagle Corral and Stables, the school was hailed as the ultimate in high school construction. Designed by renowned Denver architect Eugene C. Groves, and built in the . . . — — Map (db m50592) HM
City of Golden
Downtown Landmark
The Stewart Block building was completed in 1892. It served as a grocery for 52 years under a variety of owners including Caleb E. Parfet, Elvyn E. Stewart, and Leonard Vogel. The motto of the original building . . . — — Map (db m50593) HM
During the Gold Rush, Rebecca Judkins and her sons William and Charles built a home near the northeast corner of 11th and Jackson Streets, just a block east of here. Bill Judkins was outside the day of June 6, 1869 when he saw something happen at . . . — — Map (db m49934) HM
In this immediate area once stood
Arapahoe City
A pioneer placer mining camp the earliest town in Jefferson County. Named for the Arapaho Indians. Town company organized Nov. 29, 1858. From here went George A. Jackson and John H. Gregory . . . — — Map (db m82878) HM
Bridging Our History
This bridge is the second Billy Drew Bridge erected on this site. The original Billy Drew Bridge was built in 1976 as part of Golden’s celebration of the Centennial-Bicentennial, the nation’s 200th anniversary and . . . — — Map (db m287882) HM
Dinosaur bones were deposited here on the inside of a meander by a
fast-flowing stream. This deposit known as a “point bar” grew by the addition
of sand, causing growth of the point bar towards the outer bank and
downstream. Larger, . . . — — Map (db m125104) HM
In 1867, in Hamburg, Germany, young Adolphus Herman Joseph Kuhrs was preparing to stow away on a ship bound for America. By 1872, Coors had altered the spelling of his last name and arrived in the Denver area. He settled on Golden because of its . . . — — Map (db m74796) HM
Colorado Transcript, September 13, 1882: “Washington Avenue Bridge was badly damaged last Saturday evening by some ignoramus driving and crowding a big drove of cattle on to it. The damage has since been repaired.”
Golden Globe, . . . — — Map (db m49897) HM
The downward bulges in the rock layers are most likely
dinosaur tracks viewed in cross section. When dinosaurs walked in soft sand
they sank in, pushing down and distorting the layers beneath their feet.
The tracks later filled in with more . . . — — Map (db m125156) HM
To the east stands Castle Rock, which is an outcropping of South Table Mountain. It is a frequently used symbol of Golden appearing on the city flag, as well as being an icon of the Coors Brewery for many years.
The top of Castle Rock was a . . . — — Map (db m111367) HM
Five generations of the Parfet Family operated these and other local clay mines.
Cinco generaciones de la familia Parfet dirigieron estas y otras minas de arcilla locales.
In this area, . . . — — Map (db m287726) HM
Clear Creek is one of the most popular and historic waterways of the Front Range. The Clear Creek watershed covers approximately 1550 square kilometers (600 square miles), includes five counties, and more than thirteen communities. From the . . . — — Map (db m49896) HM
To the south on Arapahoe Street is a distinctive building made of river rock. The Armory was completed in 1913 to house Company A Engineers of the Colorado National Guard, comprised of Colorado School of Mines students. Designer James H. Gow, who . . . — — Map (db m111389) HM
On this site stood the first building of the Colorado School Of Mines built in 1866 as part of Jarvis Hall through the efforts of Bishop George Randall and the Episcopal Church. The building was destroyed by a windstorm, August 12, 1869. Rebuilt . . . — — Map (db m239790) HM
The tan sandstone of the Dakota Group form the crest of Dinosaur Ridge and were deposited
more than 100 million years ago during Cretaceous time along the western shore of the Western
Interior Seaway. At that time, only low hills existed to the . . . — — Map (db m125322) HM
Golden had a variety of businesses and industries in operation during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Among these were four flour mills-the Rock Mill, the Brick Mill, the Binder Mill, and the Golden Mill. Mill races, or ditches dug from . . . — — Map (db m306225) HM
In 1953, August Gaines Eaker transformed The Plunge into the Eakers Department Store, giving it a new mid-century modernist façade with plate glass windows on the street level and a set of ribbon windows on the second floor. Eakers thrived for . . . — — Map (db m287719) HM
For thousands of years native peoples have lived, hunted, and battled along this creek. The earliest western nation to claim the creek was France when it created the New World Province called Louisiana in 1682. In 1765 the French ceded the province . . . — — Map (db m50598) HM
Since 1859 Clear Creek has provided water through irrigation ditches to farmers east of Golden. Many such ditches were dug in the 1800s, including the Welch Ditch (originally Vasquez Ditch), Church Ditch (originally Golden City & Ralston Creek . . . — — Map (db m51912) HM
Fearsome Floods
The most fearsome flood on Clear Creek was in 1896, part of the flood that claimed 29 lives on rivers and gulches across Jefferson County. The deaths included three in Golden: Annie Laura Edwards, Andrew A. Johnson, and Anna A. . . . — — Map (db m288684) HM
John M. Ferrell came to the Golden valley from upstate New York in June of 1859. He camped on the southeastern banks of Clear Creek and created the Washington Avenue crossing for the gold rushers. When Golden was organized, Ferrell became one of . . . — — Map (db m287883) HM
The earliest bicycles that were popular in Golden were called velocipedes. One daredevil rider, son of Judge Boyd, who was to become a pioneer farmer east of Golden, made the following news in the Colorado Transcript on May 19, 1869 for his stunt . . . — — Map (db m49933) HM
David King Wall, one of Golden’s early permanent settlers, arrived from South Bend, Indiana on April 30, 1859. He brought a great deal of garden seed and tools with him. King defied the common belief that growing a garden would be impossible due to . . . — — Map (db m50595) HM
Clear Creek’s flow is heavily influenced by the runoff of melting snow high in the mountains, as well as from major thunderstorms hitting its watershed. The creek has flooded many times with the river’s historic flood season running from June . . . — — Map (db m288680) HM
“Courthouse Hill,” which is Washington Avenue south of 14th Street, was a favorite location of settler children. In the winter, sleds packed with eager youth picked up sufficient speed on the Hill to be able to coast across the . . . — — Map (db m50092) HM
In the mid-19th Century, prospectors coming into the Clear Creek valley discovered placer gold that had been carried downstream from mountain deposits. As the sandbars containing the placer gold were mined out, prospectors traced the fold upstream . . . — — Map (db m49907) HM
From the mid-1800s, to the mid-1900s, gold mining and dredging represented an economic boon to the Clear Creek region.
In 1904, the National Dredging Company, led by Herman J. Reiling, purchased the historic Arapahoe Bar in Clear Creek, which had . . . — — Map (db m50601) HM
The Golden Alarm Bell was purchased in 1904 by the original Loveland Hose Company of Golden from the C.S. Bell & Company, Hillsboro, Ohio. The bell was mounted on a tower at the corner of 9th and East Streets, the present home of the American Legion . . . — — Map (db m50594) HM
The history of Golden reflects the history of Clear Creek. Eons ago, this creek, then a raging river, coursed its way through the mountains, cutting out the canyon and leaving behind fertile soil where an abundance of plants provided food for wild . . . — — Map (db m49908) HM
From the beginning, Clear Creek has determined the layout of the town first known as “Golden City.” Golden is placed at an angle from the compass to align its streets to the river. The first river crossing also determined the location of . . . — — Map (db m49903) HM
In Golden's early days this area was called Goosetown neighborhood. The origin of the name is uncertain. The first residents were mostly German immigrants who worked at local breweries, rail yards and smelters. Their homes were simple, wood frame . . . — — Map (db m82881) HM
In June, 1859, while the first bridge was being built over Clear Creek, the famous reporter Horace Greeley passed through Golden. He attempted to cross Clear Creek from this point on the south bank. Horace embarked on his mule from the river bank . . . — — Map (db m288342) HM
Guggenheim Hall
To the south, above the trees, you may see a gold domed cupola. It’s the top of Guggenheim Hall on the Colorado School of Mines campus.
The funds for the building were donated in 1905 by Simon Guggenheim, a United States . . . — — Map (db m287619) HM
History of the Avenue Bridge
The 1859 gold rush brought many people
from all walks of life to the Golden valley as a
portal to the mountain gold fields. When spring
came, Clear Creek's waters rose and it became
a daring adventure for . . . — — Map (db m288288) HM
History of the Avenue Bridge 2
The 1864 bridge was destroyed by flood in
1867, despite the citizens' valiant effort to
defend it from unusually high spring waters.
Vigilant people had, however, saved as much
wood as they could in . . . — — Map (db m288404) HM
Local funding was unavailable during the Great Depression. Thus, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the new bridge as a gift to Golden. Superintendent ES. Johnson and his workers built the sturdiest bridge on the
site up to that time. . . . — — Map (db m288406) HM
Although Golden's citizens once understood that the crossing could be safe from floods if its span was extended, they could not afford it. Unfortunately, over time the danger was forgotten. Modern study rediscovered this problem and its solution. . . . — — Map (db m288407) HM
Before the first bridge on this site was completed, travelers forded the river just east of this bridge. It became risky during the peak of the spring river flows due to the melting snows that filled the streams and rivers.
In June of 1859, . . . — — Map (db m50179) HM
Built in 1871, the Iller Block is the oldest commercial building in Jefferson County and one of the first built in Colorado. Originally the Mallon & Chamberlain meat market, the store featured marble counters harvested in Marble, Colorado, from . . . — — Map (db m287716) HM
Clear Creek irrigation ditches provide water to farmers east of Golden. Many irrigation ditches were dug in the 1800s, making the Clear Creek valley the breadbasket of early Colorado. Golden’s first resident, David King Wall, introduced irrigation . . . — — Map (db m49902) HM
“I’ll put this crew up against any ‘hire and fire’ outfit in the country,” supervisor E.S. Johnson told the Colorado Transcript newspaper on April 29, 1937. His crew was confronting a huge building challenge: a race against time to . . . — — Map (db m288036) HM
In May of 1949, Bill and Dorothy Harmsen purchased an ice cream machine and leased a storefront on the east side of Washington Ave. The Harmsens chose the name Jolly Rancher for their store to reflect a spirit of western hospitality. High quality . . . — — Map (db m49893) HM
This is part of the Morrison Formation accumulated around 150 million
years ago. Monsoonal (seasonal) rains caused flooding which dotted the terrain
with small lakes, ponds, and braided streams. These served as watering holes
in the drier times. . . . — — Map (db m125152) HM
For many years, the Ute Indians lived in the mountains west of the mouth of Clear Creek Canyon, hunting and trading with area travelers. The Arapaho, refugees from the Great Lakes region, and the Cheyenne arrived in the area during the mid-18th . . . — — Map (db m49899) HM
When it was built in 1859, the Overland was Golden’s largest building. Originally, it had twin storefronts on the street level and a public hall on the second story. It is on the second level of the Overland where Colorado’s Territorial . . . — — Map (db m288339) HM
Windy Saddle Park is named for the nearly constant wind currents that can be felt blowing through the foothills. Winds traveling across the plains are forced upward when they hit the Rocky Mountains, and as the air rises, it has enough force to . . . — — Map (db m288336)
With temperance pressures rising, Adolph Coors knew diversification was crucial to his industry. In 1910, he invested in John J. Herold’s pottery works at 8th and Ford Streets. During the middle of the decade, embargoes on German import porcelain . . . — — Map (db m50090) HM
Recent History of Clear Creek
During the 1930s the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the automobile highway along Clear Creek Canyon (currently Highway 6), replacing the railroad. A 1939 painting of the workers building the road . . . — — Map (db m288681) HM
Windy Saddle Park has a long history of being a favorite place for recreation. When Lookout Mountain Road was opened in 1914, it was a destination for the first automobile tours. The Lariat Loop Scenic and Historic Byway now passes through Windy . . . — — Map (db m288334) HM
This marker commemorates the men and women who achieved American independence. These Patriots, believing the the noble cause of liberty, fought valiantly to found a new nation.
1775-1783 — — Map (db m305706) WM
Mountain-building processes generate massive pressures in
the earth’s crust. Such pressures cause the rock layers to tilt, buckle,
or fold and sometimes to break or crack. In addition to the obvious tilting of rocks
along the Dakota Hogback, . . . — — Map (db m125154) HM
In the 1700s French trading parties came to trade with the Utes. Around 1820 Americans such as the Long Expedition began to explore the Clear Creek valley. In 1834 the Estes Party discovered gold on a sand bar, later known as Arapahoe Bar, on the . . . — — Map (db m50600) HM
Here is a story from the Colorado Transcript of August 12, 1885:
“We like to hear a good story, and here is one on Jim Boyd: Last spring Jim’s wife wanted to peddle vegetables in Denver. Jim laughed at her, believing she could not even . . . — — Map (db m49910) HM
This revolutionary soldier was donated by Greg and Sue Stevinson to honor the Golden Pioneer Museum's contribution to our community. The Son of Liberty stands as a tribute to our veterans and the freedoms they have provided to our country. — — Map (db m309541) WM
Laramie Formation
Sandstone ridges still stand south of 12th Street between the mined out clay areas (Fig. 4). The clays used for bricks and tiles were mined by the Parfet family beginning in 1877.
The Clay Pits Fault is exposed on the . . . — — Map (db m152806) HM
In the late 1800's, the White Ash mine was the largest coal mine in Colorado. Its livelihood dominated Golden and overshadowed even the famous Coors brewery. It produced some of the best and hottest burning coal and was named for the white ash that . . . — — Map (db m152780) HM
From 1862 to 1867
Golden was the Territorial
Capital of Colorado
Legislative sessions were held in this building (erected by W.A.H. Loveland) and in others, now demolished, across the street.
Golden
was named for Thomas L. Golden . . . — — Map (db m39337) HM
The Astor House opened in 1867 and stayed in continuous operation as a boarding house until the late 1960s. It offered rooms and hot meals to lawmakers, laborers, miners, students, and families, some of whom stayed for weeks or even months.
Over . . . — — Map (db m152730) HM
Seven members of the Boston Mechanics’ Mining & Trading Company, namely George West (President), Walter Pollard, James MacDonald (Business manager), Mark Leonardo Blunt (later Postmaster), James McIntyre, Lawrence Panton, and Joseph T. Bird . . . — — Map (db m288327) HM
In 1928, noted theatrical architect Leo A. Desjardins transformed the building into the Golden Plunge, a “ritzy” indoor swimming pool, featuring a geometric façade complete with a large neon vertical “SWIM” sign. Nils Christiansen, a Golden . . . — — Map (db m287723) HM
The high mountains west of here are the beginning of the Rocky Mountains.
They are made up of resistant Precambrian granite and gneiss. The prominent red rocks
in Red Rocks Park are the Fountain Formation, a series of sandstones and . . . — — Map (db m125055) HM
For many years, Golden’s people have respected the flood waters of Clear Creek above ground. However, it was the flood below ground that claimed the most lives. On September 9, 1889, water broke into the White Ash Mine beneath Clear Creek at the . . . — — Map (db m49900) HM
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