152 Years Ago
The June 11, 1873 Colorado Transcript wrote that the Golden Paper Mill was running night and day. Since we generally think of paper as a forest product, Golden doesn’t seem like an obvious place for a paper mill. Golden’s paper was made of straw and occasionally ropes and rags.
The article stated that straw made excellent wrapping paper, used by grocers and clothing stores. Rags were added to make a higher-grade paper, which was popular with bakers.
The mill was originally powered by water diverted from Clear Creek. This proved to be an unreliable power source, so the mill owners later installed a coal-powered boiler.
The editor of the Transcript was delighted to have a paper mill in town. He occasionally gloated to his fellow newspaper owners when they ran short of paper, reminding them that Golden had a paper mill, so he was able to get paper when they could not. On the other hand, the Golden Paper Mill seldom produced suitable stock for newspapers. It generally produced wrapping paper. When necessary, early Transcripts were printed on wrapping paper.
In 1869, the Paper Mill was sold to Mr. E. C. Wells, who upgraded the machinery and increased the capacity of the mill. He upgraded again in 1874, but ran into financial difficulties later that year, and the Mill was put up for auction. The country was in a depression at that time. Apparently, he retained or recovered it, because he was the owner again and running for the State Senate in 1878. He must have won the election, because later Transcript articles referred to him as Senator Wells.
In 1878, the Mill was severely damaged in a flood but rebuilt and expanded and was back in operation by the end of the year. It employed 15 men at that time. When possible, the machinery was powered by the diverted Clear Creek water, but they also had a large, coal-powered steam boiler to heat their bleaching vat and dry the paper. The boiler consumed about 2 tons of coal per day.
The 1893 Golden Globe Industrial Edition stated that Senator Wells and his business partner were both in poor health and would be glad to find a purchaser. Apparently, none appeared. The country was again in a depression, which may have complicated the prospects for a sale.
In 1896, the Mill was again severely damaged by a flood but again rebuilt. Later that year, the water in the flume froze, again forcing a shutdown. In the spring of 1898, the Mill was shut down due to low water in Clear Creek (and therefore, in the flume that powered the Mill).
Mr. Wells upgraded his machinery again in the spring of 1900 and afterwards was running two shifts of workers. In November of that year, the mill caught fire and was entirely destroyed. It was valued at $45,000 and only insured for $12,000. It was never rebuilt. The Transcript placed some blame on the superintendent of our water works. The fireplugs were so rusty that the firemen had trouble opening them, and the rust in the lines was so thick they had very low water pressure.
In 1901, an eastern company bought the property, intending to build a “concentrator” (smelter) there. Apparently (and fortunately) the plan didn’t go through, and the property was for sale again not long after. Mr. Wells died in Golden in 1914. In addition to his 30 years ownership of the Golden Paper Mill, he served two terms in the state legislature, several terms on Golden City Council, and one term on the Board of Trustees for the School of Mines. He is buried in the Golden Cemetery.
The Golden Paper Mill property is now occupied by the Miners Mesa apartments (map). All traces of the mill are long gone, but it’s interesting to know that it once stood on 9th Street, between Cheyenne and Illinois.
