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
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
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
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
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
Birds are descendants of theropod (meat-eating) dinosaurs and their tracks look similar:
three long narrow toes with claw marks. However, bird tracks are generally smaller than most
theropod tracks.
This print is wider than long and the . . . — — Map (db m114062) 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
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 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
In Memoriam
Colonel William Frederick Cody
"Buffalo Bill"
Noted scout and Indian fighter
Born February 26, 1846 Scott County, Iowa
Died January 10, 1917 Denver, Colorado
William F. Cody . . . — — Map (db m152718) HM
Is Buffalo Bill really buried here?
Yes! On the day of his burial, Cody's casket was opened for one final viewing by his family, close friends, and many of the 20,000 others who attended the service. Stories of his being buried anywhere else . . . — — Map (db m152719) HM
There is an ongoing debate about Buffalo Bill Cody's burial site. His Last Will and Testament specified a burial site near Cody, Wyoming. He later removed that request. In 1917, as he lay dying in his sister's home in Denver, he recalled the . . . — — Map (db m152720) 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
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
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
Short cut to Gregory Diggings
Operated from 1860 to 1871
Owners Alfred Tucker & Elisha Duncan
Dedicated by Daughters of Colorado
May 12 1938 — — Map (db m200613) 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
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
As Douglas County extension agent (1946-65) Charlie was the motivating force in establishing 4-H in Douglas County. He was respected for his knowledge of Agriculture and admired for his help and belief in the Douglas County Fair. This fountain is . . . — — Map (db m287955) 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
Lariat Loop
•The Lariat Loop is a scenic circle of natural splendors, historic and cultural treasures and recreation pleasures. See spectacular mountain scenery and enjoy a vintage auto tour in foothills canyons. Welcome to 40 miles of . . . — — Map (db m46567) HM
Origins of the Park System
•These foothills west of Denver have long been a popular destination. In 1890 landscape architect Frederic Law Olmsted, who designed New York’s Central Park, was hired by local developers to design a resort in this . . . — — Map (db m46568) 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
•Colorado’s geologic history dates back nearly two billion years. Several mountain ranges have been uplifted and eroded away before the rise of today’s Rocky Mountains. The landscape you see in front of you has undergone many dramatic changes. This . . . — — Map (db m46438) 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
Large palm fronds show that the climate was much warmer than that of today. Other plant and tree types found here, such as extinct relatives of sycamore, walnut, paddle-leafed ginger and an ancient relative of the avocado, lost their leaves . . . — — Map (db m114059) 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
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
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
First noted by Matt Mossbrucker and later described by Dr. Martin Lockley,
this theropod (a carnivorous dinosaur) track was part of the top layer of sandstone at
the Bone Site, 50 yards to the north. During road construction in 1937, this . . . — — Map (db m125150) HM
Clear Creek Canyon was also a popular tourist area. Resorts such as Beaver Brook Pavilion were built along the creek. Early travel was mostly by train. In the early 1900s automobiles became a viable way to tour. Golden Tourist Park was a popular . . . — — Map (db m51913) HM
In 1860, Col. Thomas W. Know, a famous traveler and editor of the Western Mountaineer newspaper, believed the route up Clear Creek Canyon was a place he “never expected to see a mule go who had his senses, or a decent regard for his . . . — — Map (db m49901) HM
Triceratops: 30 feet long, 6-12 ton Herbivore
Several tracks of Triceratops or a closely related horned dinosaur were discovered in this area. Among
horned dinosaurs, Triceratops is the most likely track maker because many of its bones have . . . — — Map (db m114058) HM
Based on Late Cretaceous fossil evidence found along this trail, this area was a delta with lakes, streams and a mosaic of swamps, scrubby forests, palm tree thickets and small open areas. Impressions of logs, leaves and palm fronds suggest a . . . — — Map (db m111418) HM
A volcano erupted hundreds of miles from here and ash from the volcano
blanketed this area, which was a swampy environment. Subsequent burial,
compaction, and chemical alteration led to this four inch white to rusty orange
colored claystone . . . — — Map (db m125321) HM
Flowing water is the reason you see a canyon in front of you. As the Rocky Mountains lifted, water was forced to flow to either the east or the west, creating creeks and rivers. Clear Creek has been eroding this canyon for hundreds of thousands . . . — — Map (db m288335)
Welcome to Golden Arch
The arch was constructed in early 1949 with a dedication ceremony in March 1949 along with the opening of the Golden Theater, earlier known as the Gem Theatre. The Governor of Colorado, along with 6000 people showed . . . — — Map (db m288326) HM
•This diagram illustrates the features you can see from here. North and South table Mountains are remnants of ancient lava flows now separated and eroded by Clear Creek. The Dakota Hogbacks on the left and right sides of the image were one . . . — — Map (db m46439) HM
What’s that “M”?
To the west on Mount Zion is a large capital M formed by white rocks. The “M” stands for the Colorado School of Mines, and it has been on the mountain since 1908. The complex geometry that allows the M to appear in proper . . . — — Map (db m287620) 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
First plaque:
Dedicated
to the memory of
Joseph Allen
William Bowden
William Collins
John Collins
Henry Huesman
David Lloyd
Joseph Hutter
John Morgan
John Murphy
Rich Rowe
Who lost their lives here on
Sept. 9th, . . . — — Map (db m152733) HM
William F. "Buffalo Bill” Cody grew up in the West. He rode in the Pony Express, fought in the Civil War, hunted buffalo to feed railroad workers, and scouted for the Army. His show, Buffalo Bill's Wild West, was based on these and other . . . — — Map (db m152726) HM
Windy Saddle Park
Jefferson County Open Space
Windy Saddle Park offers sweeping scenic views and trail connections to adjoining areas. Recreation opportunities on Chimney Gulch Trail and Lookout Mountain Trail included hiking, biking and . . . — — Map (db m46158) HM
This stunning sculpture provides beauty and grace to the Clear Creek and Table Mountain backdrop. She was placed to honor the Native Americans indigenous to Golden, primarily the Arapahoe, Ute and Cheyenne. Funding was sponsored by Peak Properties . . . — — Map (db m49894) HM
