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37 New Cases in Golden, Lights Multiplying Now, and Lighting the M “Back Then”

Golden Eye Candy – Frank Hanou – It’s Beginning to Look a Lot… – click to enlarge

Coronavirus/COVID-19

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

JCPHD updates these numbers Monday through Friday at about 3 PM. Here’s the most recent Coronavirus report from Jeffco Public Health’s Case Summary Page:

Cases in Jeffco – Thurs: 13,493 | Fri: 13,948 (+455)
Deaths in Jeffco – Thurs: 367 | Fri: 373 (+6)
Ever Hospitalized in Jeffco – Thurs: 951 | Fri: 963 (currently 195) (+12)
Recovered – Thurs: 9,451 | Fri: 9,709 (+258)
Known Cases in Golden – Weds: 429 | Fri: 466 (+37)

School of Mines COVID-19 case page. | Masks are required. | City and County fire restrictions are in place. | Sign up for exposure notifications.


Virtual Golden

9AM-2PM Brunch at the Rose

7:30PM Miners Alley Playhouse Quarantine Cabaret
Jake Mendez Presents:  “Just a Bunch of Love Songs..”Accompanied on the piano by composer David Nehls. Join Denver area favorite Jake Mendez, singing some of his favorite songs and sharing poignant stories and anecdotes about different experiences of love in all shapes and forms. This event will be live streamed with our new state of the art live-streaming video and audio equipment. Live Streaming starts at only $5. Tickets and more information


Real World Golden

11:00AM Wild West Pub Crawl Tour
7PM Chris Kroger at Golden Moon Speakeasy


Golden History Moment

90 Years Ago
The November 18, 1930 Oredigger (the School of Mines newspaper) led with the article “Construction of Lighted ‘M’ On Castle Rock Now Seems Likely.”

The “M” on Mount Zion had been built in 1908. According to the Mines website, it was designed as a descriptive geometry problem and built by students and faculty. In subsequent years, the M was repainted and the infiltrating weeds were pulled.

By 1930, students were interested in building a lighted emblem. Interestingly, they didn’t feel bound to use the existing M; they were strongly considering building a new one on Castle Rock.

The article described the solutions they were considering, which included pointing searchlights or floodlights at the M. This was found to be too expensive. They also looked at “reflectors with 300 watt lamps, much the same as used for billboard illumination.” They were very interested in neon–a blue letter on a steel background. This would have been a much smaller letter–16 feet, as opposed to 104 feet.

They considered the problem for a year, decided to keep the M on Mount Zion, and did the first temporary lighting for Homecoming in 1931. According to the Transcript, they outlined the M with “a double row of electric lights. It seems to hang in space as it were, and look as tho it were suspended from the heavens.” The reaction was so favorable that students began a funds drive to install permanent light.

Modern Lighted M – photo by Chris Davell

The first permanent lighting was installed in April, 1932. The Governor of Colorado came to ceremonially press the button and power up the lights. At about that time, the school realized that they didn’t own the land where the M had been built. Fortunately, they were able to purchase one acre of the hillside from owner Ernest Ramstetter.


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!

Highlights