Golden from the Nightbird Gulch Trail
Photo by Scott Wilson
Click to enlarge
What's happening in Golden today?
Events for Monday, Aug. 26th
- All day - CURRENT EXHIBITS AT THE MUSEUMS
- All day - Live Workouts with Community Center Pros
- 7-9AM - Clear Creek Corridor Cleanup
- 10:15-10:45AM - Let's Dance
- 12-12:30PM - Mondays with the Mayor
- 2-3PM - Virtual: Active Minds Monday
- 5-8PM - National Dog Day Mini Photo Session
- 6PM - Historic Preservation Policy and Engagement Steering Committee
- 6-9PM - Teach Me to Play! Mondays
For more information, click the item above or visit the Golden Today Calendar
2-3PM Virtual/Call In: Active Minds Mondays - Women’s Suffrage in the U.S.
It took activists and reformers many decades to win the right to vote for women in the United States and on August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was finally ratified. Join Active Minds as we tell the story of women’s right to vote in the United States over 100 years later. We will highlight the role of Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and others as well as discuss current issues around gender equality in our political process and leadership.
Learn more and reserve your space for this Zoom event.
6PM Historic Preservation Policy and Engagement Steering Committee
The Historic Preservation Policy Study Steering Committee (HPPSC) will be meeting and reviewing the public engagement results thus far and studying historic preservation policy alternatives and options. Most importantly, the HPPSC will be integral to shaping the technical tools and policy recommendations that will move forward to the Historic Preservation Board and City Council. More information
Meeting Agenda
Meeting broadcast on this page (starting at 6PM)
Meeting location:
City Hall Council Chambers
911 10th Street (map)
What’s Blooming Along Golden’s Trails? Smooth White and Blue Asters!
Figure 1. Left: “Smooth White Aster” — Symphyotrichum porteri (A. Gray) G.L. Nesom. Right: “Smooth Blue Aster” — Symphyotrichum laeve (L.) Á. Löve & D. Löve var. geyeri (A. Gray) G.L. Nesom.
By Tom Schweich
Along the trails of every Golden open space look for a low (18 inches) shrub with white aster-like flowers. Feel the stems; if they are smooth, you have found the Smooth White Aster — Symphyotrichum porteri (A. Gray) G.L. Nesom. (If the stems are hairy, you may have found either White Prairie Aster or White Heath Aster.)
A reason to pay attention to Smooth White Aster is its limited distribution, right along the Front Range of Colorado, with just a few sneaking over the border north into Wyoming, and a few more sneaking south over the border into New Mexico.
Our plant was first recognized by Thomas Porter in the Synopsis of the Flora of Colorado, which he wrote with John M. Coulter in 1874, though he put the name Aster ericoides var. strictus on it. Asa Gray, MD, the most influential nineteenth-century North American botanist, while analyzing all the sunflower family for his forthcoming (1884) Syntopical Flora of North America, recognized our plant as a distinct species and named it Aster porteri, in honor of Thomas Porter.
The definition and recognition of what is an Aster and what is not has long been confusing. Even Dr. Gray struggled with Aster. Late in his life, he wrote (quoted from Weakley, 2004, see below):
I am half dead with Aster. … Here I work and work, but make no headway at all. I can’t tell what are species and how to define any of them … I was never so boggled … If you hear of my breaking down utterly, and being sent to an asylum, you may lay it to Aster, which is a slow and fatal poison …
Now I don’t feel so bad when I struggle to identify asters and aster-like flowers.
More recently, DNA studies showed that most of the North American “asters” form a distinct group that is separate from the Eurasian asters. Guy Nesom (1994) selected the name Symphyotrichum to apply to one group of North American “asters” including our plant: Symphyotrichum porteri (A. Gray) G.L. Nesom. The genus name Symphyotrichum comes from the Greek word "symph" which means come together and "trich" or hair in reference to the hairy looking flower anthers. Even though the scientific name has changed, we still refer to them with their common name as a type of Aster.
Smooth White Aster is adventive in Golden gardens, and I have several that have found their own way into mine.
Since we are talking about “smooth asters,” we should mention the Smooth Blue Aster — Symphyotrichum laeve (L.) Á. Löve & D. Löve var. geyeri (A. Gray) G.L. Nesom that you may find in the higher parts of Golden, such as Tin Cup Ridge, Apex Park, and the lower slopes of Lookout Mountain.
References:
Weakley, Alan S. 2004 March-April. The Curious Case of the Disappearing Asters. North Carolina Botanical Garden Newsletter, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Golden History: Dawn of the Dorms
Student apartments now under construction west of Highway 6 - Photo by Patrick Klein
Click to enlarge
70 Years Ago
Until the 1950s, the School of Mines did not offer on-campus housing. The first dormitory, Bradford Hall, opened in the fall of 1954. The August 26, 1954 Colorado Transcript announced that the community was invited to an open house at the new building on September 7th, the night before the students would begin to move in.
The only dorm built on the Mines campus, the structure is named for Albert Hartwell Bradford ’09, West Coast oil executive and prominent alumnus of the college…. In addition to 42 sleeping and study rooms housing two men each, Bradford Hall includes a housemother’s apartment, a main lounge, a recreation room with small attached kitchen, and two large storage rooms.
Colorado Transcript -August 26, 1954
Mines housing has expanded considerably since the 1950s, with residence halls for first-year students and apartments for second-year and above.
Many thanks to Esther Kettering for sponsoring Golden History Moments for the month of August.
Weather
Overnight: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 4am, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63. West wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Monday: A slight chance of rain showers before 9am, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy. High near 84, with temperatures falling to around 81 in the afternoon. Southwest wind 6 to 12 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 61. West northwest wind 3 to 8 mph.
Monday Night: Mostly Clear, 61°F
Tuesday: Sunny then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 84°F
Tuesday Night: Mostly Clear, 62°F
Wednesday: Sunny, 88°F
Wednesday Night: Partly Cloudy, 62°F
Thursday: Mostly Sunny, 82°F
Thursday Night: Mostly Clear, 59°F
Friday: Sunny, 85°F
Friday Night: Partly Cloudy, 61°F
Saturday: Partly Sunny then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 82°F
Saturday Night: Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Mostly Cloudy, 58°F
Sunday: Slight Chance Rain Showers then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 76°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, 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, and Esther Kettering
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, 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, Jim Garner, John and Carol McEncroe, the Golden Welcome Center, and the Golden Transcript
Followers:
($5-9.99/month)
Golden Community Garden, Lora Haimes, Mariane Erickson, J.J. Fraser
