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HPB Talks COAs, Mines Museum Discusses Fracking, and Council Helps Bring Up Boys Right

Golden Eye Candy – Chris Davell – Parasailing Over Mines – enlarge

What’s Happening in Golden Today?

All Jeffco Libraries are closed today for staff training.

6-6:55AM Dynamic Circuit (Virtual)
8:30-9:30AM Power Training (Virtual)
10-10:55AM All Levels Yoga (Virtual)
10AM, 1PM, 4PM Wild West Walking Tour (2 hours)
10AM, 1PM, 4PM Wild West Short Tour (1 hour)
12-12:30PM Mondays with Mayor Weinberg

Proposed structure on the alley behind 911 9th Street – enlarge

6:30PM Historic Preservation Board Meeting @ City Hall
HPB will consider two Certificates of Appropriateness (COAs). The first concerns a new structure along the alley at 911 9th Street (map). It will have a garage on the first floor and an apartment on the second. The owners have already demolished a 1909 structure that previously stood in this location. The Planning Commission discussed this same property last week, but because it’s located in the 8th and 9th Street Historic District, HPB needs to review it too.

The second COA concerns a planned detached garage for 1106 12th Street (map) in the 12th Street Historic District. The garage will have an apartment on the second floor.

6:30PM Friends of Mines Museum Lecture @ Colorado School of Mines
“Destination Niobrara: Hydraulic Fracturing in Colorado,” by Ed Raines, Curator of Mines Museum
Ed Raines will walk you through the basic principles informing the museum’s newest exhibit, “Destination Niobrara,” including the how, why and when! Guests will have an opportunity to see the new exhibit in person and ask questions. GRL201 (conference room across from the museum). (map)


Golden History Moment

Otten’s Place Saloon, located at the southwest corner of 11th and Ford Streets, circa 1910 – Golden History Museum collection – click to enlarge

115 Years Ago
The October 3, 1907 Colorado Transcript announced that City Council was considering a new “Shack” ordinance. Apparently that term referred to a gaming business, because the ordinance would dictate that “no boy under eighteen years of age will be allowed to enter a pool or billiard hall, bowling alley or card room in Golden.” If violated, both the business owner and the boy would be fined. The reason for this proposed ordinance was “to make it as easy as possible for Golden parents to bring up their boys the right way.”

The article went on to explain that an ordinance had been passed in 1879 making it illegal “for any person to carry on the business for gain or hire, within the city limits, any billiard table, bagatelle table, pigeon-hole table, shuffle board, pin alley, ball alley, or any table on which games are played with balls without a license therefor.” Apparently the ordinance hadn’t been enforced for many years.

The Transcript acknowledged that the ordinance would cause some hardship to owners of gaming establishments, “…but the mayor claims they have only brought in on themselves by being too lax in their manner of conducting their places.”

Apparently Council did not have the same qualms about drinking, because six saloon licenses had been granted in the most recent City Council meeting.

1872 Courthouse on Washington Avenue at 15th Street – enlarge

Jefferson County must have been fighting the same vices at that time, because an October 24th, 1907 Transcript article announced that the Sheriff had seized two roulette wheels and burned them, by order of the court. “One of the wheels was practically new, and represented about $250.” He built the fire on the street in front of the courthouse and it was witnessed by the judge, several Mines students, and the Transcript staff.


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