As Seen by a Newcomer
Photo by Heather Lucas
Click to enlarge
What's happening in Golden today?
Events for Sunday, Nov. 9th
- All day - CURRENT EXHIBITS AT THE MUSEUMS
- All day - Golden History Tours
- All day - Church Services
- All day - 1PM and 7PM Mines Little Theater - Little Women
- 10AM-3PM - Brunch at the Rose
- 12-4PM - The American Revolution Experience Traveling Exhibition on Tour
- 1-3PM - Sunday at the Museum - Treadles, Hand Cranks & Motors- Oh My!
- 2PM - Diva Royale
- 5-9PM - Board Game Night
For more information, click the item above or visit the Golden Today Calendar
1-3PM Sunday at the Museum - Treadles, Hand Cranks & Motors- Oh My! @ Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum
Lisa Selzler is remarkable at fixing very old antique sewing machines. She will share her insights on sewing machines and how they changed the world!
Did you know, antique chainstitchers to modern, computerized, embroidery capable machines all have no fewer than 7 components in common that make a stitch possible?
From treadle to motor, shuttles to bobbins, leaf tensioners to tension assemblies that automatically adjust for the thread, needle and stitch selected, Lisa is going to show us how these technologies of the past - have created our quilting world of today. She will bring several machines to show their inner workings as well!
Free to members | $15 for non-members |Pre-registration is required
Location:
Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum
200 Violet Street (Map)
1PM and 7PM Mines Little Theater - Little Women @ Colorado School of Mines
Join us for a show of warm family moments and the nuances of daily life.
More information
Location:
Colorado School of Mines
Green Center (Map)
When:
All day on Sunday, Nov. 9th
4-7:30PM Sunday Swing Supper Club @ The Buffalo Rose
A special evening for fans of big band and swing dancing at the historical Buffalo Rose in downtown Golden. Doors open and delicious food service starts at 4:00. Learn to swing dance with a free dance lesson 4:00-5:00! Then enjoy entertaining live BIG BAND JAZZ MUSIC from 5:00 to 7:30 by the Flatirons Jazz Orchestra - featuring Deborah Stafford. Dance or just enjoy the great Swing Era music of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and more played on one of Colorado great historic stages. All ages welcome.
Dance or just listen to the great Swing Era music of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and more.
All ages welcome – under 18 with a guardian.
Tickets
Location:
The Buffalo Rose
1119 Washington Avenue (Map)
When:
4-7:30PM on Sunday, Nov. 9th
The Golden Word - 11/9/25
Live Music for Sunday, Nov. 9th
- 3-6PM DJ & 1 @ Golden Mill
- 4:30-7:30PM Jeff Goodwin @ Buffalo Rose Sky Bar Stage
- More Live Music
4-7PM Chuck Grossman @ Columbine Cafe
8PM Karaoke @ Ace Hi Tavern
For more information, visit the Golden Today Calendar
Golden History: Golden’s Black Diamonds
Historic coal mines in the Golden area. Compiled from Amuedo and Ivey, 1978, Carroll and Bauer, 2002, various issues of the Colorado Transcript.
Click to enlarge
By Donna Anderson
From the late 1860s to early 1890s, Golden had about 12 working coal mines. They were all lined up along a north-south line on the west side of today’s city limits, reflecting the geology of the Laramie Formation in which coal seams were located. Coal mining in Golden declined after 1900 due to the high expense of underground mining, competition from other coal fields, such as in the Boulder and Pueblo areas, and decrease in local demand for smelting use after the Financial Panic of 1893. The Denney coal mine, north of today’s US 40 (Colfax) and Zeta Street, was opened in 1933, as a big hope for local employment during the Depression, but only lasted a year. By 1940, no coal mines operated in Golden.
Mines were named after the owner/operator, properties of good-quality coal, and/or famous coal mining districts in other parts of the world. One of Golden’s early coal mines near todays’ West Campus Drive at Colorado School of Mines was the “Little Pittsburgh,” recalling the dominance of Pittsburgh, PA coal fields and industries. “Black Diamond” was another popular name, reminding how good-quality Golden coal had a shiny luster that twinkled like a diamond in the light. “White Ash” was a common name promoting how good-quality coal burned to a clean, white ash.
Who started and ran these mines? A combination of local business men, landowners, and coal miners from other mining districts leased mining rights and operated the mines. John Nicholls emigrated from Wales as a metals miner to the Pennsylvania coal fields and then to Golden where he established the Little Pittsburgh mine. C. C. Welch, who owned a large amount of land in the area around today’s Fossil Trace Golf Course, was heavily involved in promoting and financing, as was W.A.H. Loveland, Welch’s business partner. The early coal miners themselves hailed from England and the Appalachian coal fields of the eastern U.S., and in some cases, local boys.
A legacy of coal mining was the collapse of the ground surface above the abandoned mine shafts and side tunnels. Today, two Golden city-parks commemorate coal mining: New Loveland and New White Ash Mine parks, both north of Highway 58. The parks form buffer zones around the old mine workings. Also, a strip of ground in north Golden, paralleling New Star Way to Brickyard Rd., has restrictions on building types due to coal-mine subsidence.
Black diamonds formed a major part of the late 1800s history of Golden: perhaps a surprising story!
Sources:
Amuedo and Ivey, 1978, Coal and clay mine hazard study and estimated unmined coal resources, Jefferson County, Colorado, prepared for the County of Jefferson and the cities of Arvada, Golden and Lakewood, Colorado.
Carroll & Bauer, 2002, Historic coal mines of Colorado, Colo. Geological Survey Information Series 64.
Golden History Museum online collection, and digital editions of the Colorado Transcript.
Author Donna Anderson, along with Paul Haseman, wrote Golden Rocks: The Geology and Mining History of Golden, Colorado by Donna Anderson and Paul Haseman. It's a terrific book. You can buy a copy from the Lulu website, borrow one from the library (there’s usually a waiting list!), or read it online for free.
Weather
Overnight: Mostly clear. Low around 29, with temperatures rising to around 31 overnight. Southwest wind around 2 mph.
Sunday: Sunny. High near 49, with temperatures falling to around 43 in the afternoon. South southeast wind 2 to 6 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear. Low around 34, with temperatures rising to around 39 overnight. West southwest wind 2 to 7 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly Clear, 34°F
Monday: Mostly Sunny, 69°F
Monday Night: Mostly Cloudy, 47°F
Veterans Day: Mostly Sunny, 69°F
Tuesday Night: Mostly Clear, 42°F
Wednesday: Mostly Sunny, 66°F
Wednesday Night: Mostly Cloudy, 46°F
Thursday: Sunny, 70°F
Thursday Night: Mostly Clear, 45°F
Friday: Mostly Sunny then Slight Chance Rain Showers, 68°F
Friday Night: Slight Chance Rain And Snow Showers, 43°F
Saturday: Chance Rain And Snow Showers, 60°F
News About Golden - November 9, 2025
Golden, Colorado’s Hidden Beer History: Beyond The Famous Brewery
By Jill Barth
Forbes
Just 15 miles west of Denver, Golden, Colorado, has mastered something many beer destinations struggle with: honoring its past while pouring innovation into every glass. While many travelers associate the town with Coors, the world's largest single-site brewery, Golden's craft beer scene tells a more nuanced story about how historic preservation and brewing culture can enhance each other... Read more...
6 DUI suspects arrested at memorial checkpoint for fallen Golden officer
By Sage Kelley
Denver Gazette
Multiple Jefferson County law enforcement agencies conducted a DUI checkpoint on Thursday in honor of a fallen Golden Police Department officer who died on the same date last year... Read more...
CHSAA state football playoffs: How the first round played out in Class 5A and 4A
By Matt Schubert
Denver Post
City of Golden Police Blotter
Crimewatch
October 29, 2025
October 30, 2025
October 31, 2025
November 1, 2025
November 2, 2025
November 3, 2025
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 Cultural Alliance, Miners Alley Performing Arts Center, The Golden Mill, Golden Chamber of Commerce, Golden History Tours, Miners Saloon, Golden Hayride Outpost, Unite Fitness, Tom Reiley, Michael Mason, Colorado Railroad Museum, Goosetown Station, and Earth Sweet Boutique
Friends:
($50-99.99/month or $550/yr)
Tall Pines Painting, Baby Doe’s Clothing, Goozell Yogurt & Coffee Paul Haseman, Donna Anderson, Carol & Doug Harwood, Stephanie Painter, Greg Poulos, Ann Norton & Jonathan Storer, Mary & Don Parker, Saré Merrigan, The Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, and Joy Brandt
Supporters:
($25-49.99/month or $250/yr)
Laura King and Scott Wilson, Bobby German and Alison McNally, Forrest Jones, Barry & Liz Bettis, Cheryl & Tom Schweich, Marjorie Sloan, Chris and Joyce Davell, Rick Flint, Forrest Jones, Cynthia Merrill Tamny, Stephen Pero, Meg Van Ness & Steve Kalasz, Steve & Karla Schaefer, Bud Rockhill, Steve Enger, Kristie Brice & Mike Schwartz, The Golden Hotel, Kurt & Janet Siegfried, Ella Lyons & Jeanne Fritch, Robert Thresher, Tonie Mattox, Centennial State Wealth Advisors, and Steve & M.L. Richardson
Members:
($10-24.99/month or $110/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, Sandy Schneider, Mark and Cathy Pattridge, Cheryl G Leidich, Jen Rutter, 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 & KC Gilliland, Lynne Haigh, Elizabeth Hilliard, Frank Young & Terre Deegan-Young, Kathy Hirons & Jack Markin, Jess & Anthony Monasterio, Heather Duncan, Lee Ann & Pete Horneck, Carol Cameron, Cheryl Williamson, San Daugherty, Jim Garner, John and Carol McEncroe, the Golden Welcome Center, the Golden Transcript, Koshare Eagle, Ken and Colleen Krantz, Traci Neuman Lacey, Jo Barber, Jamie Cookinham, Kermit Shields, Meridee Cecil, Vicki Olson, Colleen & Michael Ramey, Nancy & Pete Torpey, Jax Baker, Simon Maybury, Rose McLaughlin, Cameron Chambers, Joyce Gravina, Patrick Klein, Barb Robie, Richard Caldwell, Janice Waring, Sam & Marilyn Baron, Carmen Johnson, Mary Eiberger, Kevin Nichols, Ed & Carol Freza, Laura and Curtis Moore, Ruth Hund, Shelley & Jerry Devitt, Eileen Masterson, Kate Olivier, Amy Korengut, Pam Logan, Clare Shier, and Wendy Weiman
Followers:
($5-9.99/month)
Golden Community Garden, Lora Haimes, Mariane Erickson, J.J. Fraser, Mel Perkins, Bob Hamilton, Steve Stevens, Vicki Olson, Emily Kurzinski, Nanette Johnson, Peyton Gibson, Sally Berger, Kristen Morgan, Joyce Sutton, Mary Rains, Craig Champlin, Stan Swisher
