Public Health References
CDC * Colorado * Jefferson County * City of Golden
Jefferson County’s case count page says that as of 3PM yesterday, there have been 2,875 cases in Jefferson County (up from 2,848). There have been 189 deaths (up from 186) and 405 have been hospitalized (up from 402). There are 255 known cases in Golden (up from 253).
The Safer at Home protocol is in effect. Check the City’s site to learn more about what that entails. Everyone is still requested to wear a mask that covers the nose and mouth when leaving the house. City and County fire restrictions are in place. Clear Creek is open for Kayaks and Canoes. Learn more….
Virtual Golden
8-8:55AM Virtual Zumba
10:15-11:15AM Preschool Time with the Library
2PM History in the Baking on Facebook Live
Learn about the history of the Applewood area and its rich orchards. Then we’ll bake a surprise recipe that you can use right away!
6-7:30PM Community Conversation on Fighting Racism with Golden United (on Zoom) Learn more….
City Business
1:30PM GURA Virtual Development Committee Meeting to discuss affordable housing policies.
6:30PM City Council Meeting
City Council will meet via Zoom tonight. You can still make public comment: you can send an email by 5PM to councilcomments@cityofgolden.net or you can make a comment “live” during the meeting by registering here by 5PM.
They will read a proclamation for LGBTQ Pride Month and vote on a resolution declaring racism to be a public health crisis. The Finance Director will provide a report on the City’s financial status in light of the reduced sales tax revenue. Based on that report, Council will discuss their budget priorities for next year. They will vote on whether to approve the West Downtown Plan. City Staff will report on plans to demolish the Coors Office building at 311 10th Street, at an estimated cost of $1,723,000.
Council will discuss next steps for the Astor House. The current plan is to keep it under City Ownership and allow Golden-based non-profits to submit proposals to lease it long term.
They will discuss the barricades, etc., designed to allow downtown businesses to be opened safely. They will decide whether it’s working well and consider whether any adjustments are necessary. The City Manager will give an update on all City responses to COVID-19.
Real Life Golden
5PM Bruce Cole at Wrigley’s
6PM The Grind 5280 at Dirty Dogs Roadhouse
Golden History Moment
Last night, I decided to research and write about one of Golden’s more lurid stories–the tale of banker Francis E. Everett. To that end, I searched the old Transcripts for the term “Everett.” I spent several hours reading about his arrival in Golden, the construction of “The Everett Block” (one of the prettiest buildings in town), and his many civic virtues.
He came to Colorado from his home town of Boston in 1868. He spent a couple of years in Gilpin and Boulder counties, engaged in mining and milling business, before arriving in Golden in 1871 and buying a banking business. Golden was happy to have him: he was clearly a man of substance, virtue, and acumen.
In 1873, he built his “banking house” at 12th and Washington, and in December of that year, held an open house to welcome his friends and customers. The Transcript reported that he entertained them in a princely manner, with a fine collation. “Golden could illy afford to lose a gentleman of his integrity and worth.”
In 1873, he was a member of the school board. In 1874 he was elected as a trustee for Jefferson County, and a trustee for the Golden and South Platte Railway. In 1877 he contributed greatly to establishing a new Hook & Ladder company (firefighters), which was then named “F.E. Everett Hook & Ladder Co.” In 1879, he became a trustee for the School of Mines. In 1881 he was elected as Mayor of Golden, and in 1884 he was reelected.
I was happily cruising through the articles that traced his charmed life, when suddenly I arrived at August of 1884, where an article referred to the administrators of the estate of the late F. E. Everett. Wait…did I miss something?
That’s when I discovered that our online Transcript archive is missing the issues from mid-July to mid-August, 1884. That’s the very period I had most hoped to read about! There are occasional gaps in that online archive, and they usually cover some of our most interesting events.
Fortunately, Lorraine Wagenbach and Joann Thistlewood covered this story in great detail in their book, Golden – The 19th Century. From their book, I can report that Everett killed himself in July of 1884. It seems he had been using bank funds to speculate in various mining and milling businesses. He probably intended to repay the funds when the investments paid off–he gave the bank his personal notes for the amounts borrowed–but his investments did not pay, and he got deeper and deeper in debt, until at last he committed suicide.
The first issue of the paper after his death expressed great sorrow at his untimely end and assured everyone that the bank was sound and would be opened in a few days. He was given a spectacular funeral, very well-attended. As days went by, concern about the state of the bank grew. A committee was formed to examine the assets of the bank, and at that point, Everett’s speculations and bad investments were uncovered.
Among the depositors who lost money with this bank failure were the County, the City, the School District, the Industrial School, the School of Mines, the Masons, the Odd Fellows, the Presbyterian Church, and the Presbyterian Ladies Aid Society.
Along with his fellow 19th-Century Golden business elites, Everett owned a house on 12th Street–910 12th Street. It was burned down by the Fire Department as a training exercise in 1984. An office building now occupies that spot.
Interestingly, that office building looks a bit like the Everett building, and I can’t help but wonder if the architects had that in mind when they designed the building.
The Golden Transcript (originally called the Colorado Transcript) has been publishing since 1866. The Golden History Museum has been working on digitizing the historic issues. You’ll find old Transcripts online at coloradohistoricnewspapers.org.
