The Creek on a Stormy Summer Morning
Photo by Richard Luckin
Click to enlarge
What's happening in Golden today?
Events for Friday, Jul. 19th
- All day - The Friday Tour
- All day - CURRENT EXHIBITS AT THE MUSEUMS
- All day - Live Workouts with Community Center Pros
- 10-10:45AM - Preschool Nature Nuts - Outdoor Safety for Families
- 10AM-12PM - Rocky Mountain Quilt Study Group
- 10:15-10:45AM - Toddler Time
- 12:30-2PM - Email: Basics
- 5-9PM - Foothills Animal Shelter Squeakeasy
- 6-7:30PM - Back to Basics: Our Natural Neighbors
- 6-8PM - Teen After Hours: Water Mania
For more information, click the item above or visit the Golden Today Calendar
10-10:45 Preschool Nature Nuts: Outdoor Safety for Families
Planning to head outdoors for some fun in the sun? Through kid-friendly activities, learn outdoor safety tips including what to pack and what to do if you encounter a wild animal, get lost or injured, or experience a sudden change in the weather.
Age group: Children ages 3-5 years with an adult
Free. Registration is required.
Lookout Mountain Preserve and Nature Center
910 Colorow Road (map)
Drop-Off for Golden Kids Clothing Swap
Hey Golden! It's time to get the gang together and celebrate 14 incredible years of our favorite swap event - The Golden Kids' Clothes Swap is back in town this summer so dust off those closets and start getting ready. We know you'll have a ton of fun as people from all around come join us, so read on for details if it's your first time swapping clothing with us.
Drop your clothes off at the bottom lot at Hillside TODAY and then hang out TOMORROW (Saturday) for an amazing swap extravaganza!
Swap is in the lower parking lot!
Gently used kids' clothing 0-16(xl)
Children's picture books & chapter books
Gently used kids' shoes
Gently used maternity clothes
Baby items (bath, nursing, sleep)
Baby equipment and strollers
Baby car seats (no expired seats please)
Costumes
Seasonal Gear
Nursing items
Cloth Diapers and accessories
Volunteers are needed to sort on July 19 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
More information
Hillside Community Church
103 N. Ford Street (map)
5-9PM Squeakeasy @ Foothills Animal Shelter
Bring the whole family for a summer evening celebrating all our community does for our mission while raising critical funds in support of the animals at Foothills. This family-friendly event features live music, tasty bites, kid-friendly fun, and the option for guests to sip and nibble as they please!
Tickets
Foothills Animal Shelter
580 McIntyre Street (map)
6-7:30PM Back to Basics: Our Natural Neighbors
Photo by Chris Davell
This series is all about building your confidence as a hiker, enhancing your skills, and fostering a deep connection with the natural world. This month we will be getting acquainted with our natural companions - the diverse plants and animals that make our parks so vibrant. We will have real animal specimens there!
All ages. Youth must be accompanied by an adult.
Register
Jeffco Open Space
700 Jefferson County Parkway, Suite 100 (map)
6-8PM Teen After Hours: Water Mania @ The Library
There’s always something fun happening after the library shuts down, and this time teens are invited to make a splash! Cool down with refreshing summer games, the chance to douse the Teen Librarian, and a water balloon battle royale.
Bring extra water balloons to add to the library’s artillery, remember a towel, wear sneakers for safety, and come dressed to get wet! This after hours event is for the 12-18 crowd.
Golden Library
1019 10th Street (map)
Live Music for Friday, Jul. 19th
- 12-4PM DJ Matt Cassidy @ Golden Mill @ Golden Mill
Golden Mill
- 7-10PM Adam Rey @ Buffalo Rose @ Buffalo Rose
Buffalo Rose (Sky Bar Stage) - More Live Music
5-8PM Live Music @ Eddy Taproom
5:30PM Splendid Blend Mini Festival w/Legato @ Goosetown Station
6-10PM Midnight Vinyl @ Wrigley’s
9PM Karaoke @ Ace Hi Tavern
For more information, visit the Golden Today Calendar
Golden History: Highways and Byways
The Burgess House on Ford Street – the wooden wagon wheels and sharp hooves must have caused constant erosion of the road bed – Dan Abbott Collection – click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
When Golden was new, we surveyed streets but didn’t have much of a tax base to define or improve them in any way. Such maintenance as was done (such as filling exceptionally large holes) was often done as a judicial fine: break a law and you might be sentenced to 30 days of road work.
Grading was a difficult and expensive process, requiring teams of draft horses, so roads often went around obstacles (such as a mountain, a tree, or a boulder) rather than blasting through in a straight line; thus, early roads tended to be crooked affairs, zig-zagging as necessary.
As automobiles came into use, better roads became more important. Business owners and boosters saw roads as increasingly important to the movement of people and goods, but there still was no real tax base dedicated to paying for roads. The April 16, 1908 Colorado Transcript featured an article titled “Boosters Plan Campaign to Improve Highways,” which said “…residents in the eastern part of the county are manifesting great interest in the improvement of the highways, many having offered to contribute $100 each in cash and 100 days of work with teams to grade the Middle road.” The same article said that John Brisben Walker, who was building a resort near Morrison, was offering to contribute 10% of the total cost of improving the South Golden and Morrison Roads.
Building roads by subscription was not a good solution, as people soon learned that road-building was an endlessly expensive proposition. With cost so high and funding sources so scare, roads were built as cheaply as possible.
107 Years Ago
An article in the July 19, 1917 Colorado Transcript brought to light an interesting fact. A car was wrecked and two people injured just east of Golden on 44th St. The driver of the car, seeing oncoming headlights, pulled aside to let the other car pass. Unfortunately, the tall grass at the side of the road disguised the fact that the road dropped off into a steep hill. The car rolled and the occupants had to be pulled out from beneath the vehicle. Here’s what I found interesting about that story: in 1917, 44th Street was only wide enough for one vehicle.
By the 1920s, the desire for roads far outstripped the available revenue. Colorado voters approved a bond issue in 1921, but that was quickly absorbed. A 1926 article reported that the highway department would be out of funding by the end of the year. The Highway Commission pushed for higher gasoline and license plate taxes, so that those using the roads most would pay more of the cost of building them.
During the Depression, some federal funding became available for road-building. WPA funds were intended to provide employment, and the workers were chosen based on need (men with dependents given top priority), so just as in pioneer times, the men building the roads were available, rather than skilled.
The Federal government became increasingly involved in funding roads as time went by–particularly after World War II. One good thing that resulted from Federal involvement was higher standards. When the Feds provided funding they required certain things, such as level grades, straight routes, gravel to a certain depth, etc. Over time, the nation’s roadways became both more driveable and more resilient.
Thanks to the Golden History Museum for funding the online collection of historic newspapers, and thanks to the Golden Transcript for documenting our history since 1866!
Weather
Overnight: Partly cloudy. Low around 65, with temperatures rising to around 68 overnight. West wind around 9 mph.
Friday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms between 11am and 3pm, then showers and thunderstorms likely between 3pm and 5pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny. High near 89, with temperatures falling to around 82 in the afternoon. North northwest wind 6 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Friday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before midnight. Partly cloudy. Low around 62, with temperatures rising to around 64 overnight. West northwest wind 3 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Friday Night: Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Partly Cloudy, 62°F
Saturday: Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 82°F
Saturday Night: Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 61°F
Sunday: Showers And Thunderstorms, 77°F
Sunday Night: Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Partly Cloudy, 58°F
Monday: Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Showers And Thunderstorms Likely, 78°F
Monday Night: Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Partly Cloudy, 58°F
Tuesday: Mostly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 83°F
Tuesday Night: Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Mostly Clear, 61°F
Wednesday: Mostly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 88°F
Wednesday Night: Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Partly Cloudy, 63°F
Thursday: Mostly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 90°F
Supporters
Many thanks to the people and organizations who support What’s Happening in Golden? If you would like to support local news, please CLICK HERE!
Sponsors:
($100/month and up)
Buffalo Rose, Buglet Solar, Foothills Art Center, Golden City Brewery, Golden Cultural Alliance, Golden History Museum, Miners Alley Performing Arts Center, The Golden Mill, Golden Chamber of Commerce, Golden History Tours, Morris & Mae Market, Miners Saloon, Colorado Railroad Museum, Golden Hayride Outpost, Kona Bowls, Unite Fitness, Tom Reiley, Michael Mason, Peggy Brochtrup
Friends:
($50-99.99/month or $500/yr)
Tall Pines Painting, Baby Doe’s Clothing, Goozell Yogurt & Coffee Paul Haseman, Donna Anderson, Carol & Doug Harwood, Beth Bidwell, Stephanie Painter, Greg Poulos, Barbara Banks & Ed Imatani, and Joy Brandt
Supporters:
($25-49.99/month or $250/yr)
Laura King and Scott Wilson, Bobby German and Alison McNally, Ann Norton & Jonathan Storer, Forrest Jones, Barry & Liz Bettis, Cheryl & Tom Schweich, Marjorie Sloan, Chris and Joyce Davell, Rick Flint, Forrest Jones, AC Development, Cynthia Merrill Tamny, Stephen Pero, Meg Van Ness & Steve Kalasz, Steve & Karla Schaefer
Members:
($10-24.99/month or $100/yr)
Brad Miller & Julie Bartos, Holly Thomas, Jim and LouAnne Dale, Ann Pattison, Thomas Hoffman, Carol Abel, Brian Quarnstrom, Sandra Curran, Bobby German and Alison McNally, Kathy Smith, Karen Smith, Carlos & Nancy Bernal, Robert Storrs, Michele Sannes, Elaine Marolla, Dixie Termin & Ron Miller, E Tom Hughes, Crystal M Culbert, Patrick A. Madison, Alice Madison & Jim Kalivas, Deb Goeldner, Christopher Ball, 6th Chair Home Services, Dot & Eric Brownson, Rosemary Coffman, Emeline Paulson, Casey & Gina Brown, Sandy Schneider, Mark and Cathy Pattridge, Cheryl G Leidich, Jen Rutter, Carol Abel, Frani R Bickart, Jennings and Litz, Bill Sedgeley, Nancy Hughes, Justin L Wade, Kathi Eggers, Traci Case, Donna Owen, Leslie D Lutz, Karen Oxman, Catherine Skokan, Ross Fraser, Lynne Haigh, Elizabeth Hilliard, Frank Young & Terre Deegan-Young, Kathy Hirons & Jack Markin, Jess & Anthony Monasterio, Ella Lyons & Jeanne Fritch, Heather Duncan, Lee Ann & Pete Horneck, Carol Cameron, Cheryl Williamson, San Daugherty, and the Golden Transcript
Followers:
($5-9.99/month)
Golden Community Garden, Lora Haimes, Mariane Erickson, J.J. Fraser
