89 Years Ago
The September 30, 1937 Colorado Transcript included the obituary for Jefferson County lawman Joe Dennis.
Joe Dennis, the man who had more friends in Jefferson county than any other person, died at his home in Golden Friday afternoon at the age of 75. And thus closed a career of a peace officer of the old school—not a two-gun sheriff of Wild West fiction, but a fearless, honest, friendly-soul who devoted the greater portion of his life to the cause of law and order.
Joseph Dennis was born in Cornwall in 1862. He came to America with his family in 1868 and arrived in Colorado in 1871.
As a young man, he worked for a short time in the mines, then spent ten years as a grocery clerk.
In 1897, he took over his father's livery business. At the same time, he worked as a deputy sheriff, soon rising to the position of Undersheriff (second in command).
In 1910, he was elected to serve as Sheriff of Jefferson County. He served two terms and chose not to run for a third.
Many were his exploits as sheriff, best known of them the solution of a series of murders among Denver’s Italian colony which resulted in Mrs. Angelina Garramone being given a life sentence to the Colorado penitentiary. He did signal service in the coal strike of 1913 when he forced the operators of the Leyden mine to do away with all company guards and substituted bis own deputies instead.... Governor Ammons endeavored to prevail upon Joe Dennis to take charge of affairs in the Walsenburg area and had he done so the state's bloodiest and costliest labor war might have been averted.
Parts of Jefferson county—particularly that centering around Shaffer’s Crossing—was tough country during Joe Dennis’ days in the sheriff’s office. Numerous killers, many of whom bragged that they would never be taken alive, were brought to justice by the fearless but forthright methods of the Golden man.
After retiring as Sheriff, he served as Golden's chief of police, later as an alderman on Golden's City Council and finally as a Justice of the Peace.
He and his wife had five children. His wife died young and he raised the children on his own. He was actively involved in Golden's Masonic Lodge and is buried in the Golden Cemetery.
