John Collom died 115 years ago this week. He was born in England in 1833 and became a mining expert. His employers sent him to Colorado in 1865 to investigate mining opportunities, and he remained here for the rest of his life. Collom established several concentrating works and smelters in this part of the state, including the Malachite Smelter here in Golden.
Despite his being a prominent and successful Golden-based entrepreneur, the Transcript never wrote about Collom with the warmth and enthusiasm it displayed for other Golden businessmen. I have a theory about why that might be.
The Transcript’s publisher, George West, was fun-loving, enjoyed people, and was fond of alcoholic beverages. John Collom was a stern Methodist and deeply involved in the temperance movement, often serving as a delegate at temperance conventions. I can imagine that the two were just not well-suited to be friends. The Transcript dutifully reported on Collom’s various enterprises, but did not refer to him as “Brother Collom,” or use any of its other customary endearments.
The most enthusiasm the Transcript ever expressed about Collom was when he bought the property at the northwest corner of 12th and Cheyenne in 1901. The Transcript was always pleased when anyone planned to build new houses in Golden. The paper even mentioned when Collom was having his yard graded in preparation for seeding with grass (March 12, 1902).
The Transcript was also casual about the spelling of Mr. Collom's name–referring to him as either “Collom” or “Collum” indiscriminately.
