115 Years Ago
The May 11, 1911 Colorado Transcript summarized business conducted at the recent City Council meeting. Among the items transacted was this interesting topic:
Alderman Curry, chairman of the street committee, reported on the various bridges reported in bad condition at the previous meeting. The big bridge at the corner of Ford and Fourteenth street seems to be in need of immediate attention, the piling and trusses being nearly rotted away. The replacing of this bridge will require considerable expenditure. Further investigation is to be made this week, and at the next meeting it is hoped that estimates will be forthcoming.
What "big bridge"? There is no bridge at Ford and 14th today. This sent me back to old maps and photos of that area.
A look at the 1873 Birdseye View Map of Golden shows that there was a bridge at that intersection at one time. It went over Kinney Run, a small stream that runs most of the year.
This photograph from the early 20th century shows that the bridge was "big," extending well beyond the width of Ford Street. The fact that Kinney Run ran diagonally to the street network made it awkward to bridge.
In 1959, the City "undergrounded" Kinney Run and built streets over it, thus eliminating the need for a bridge at 14th and Ford.
A few years ago, Coors began disinterring Kinney Run where it ran through their property. By providing such a large trench, they removed some of their property from the flood plain.
The City hopes to extend this project farther south. The rendering above shows a rather hazy view of the 14th and Ford intersection, but it appears that the "big bridge" (or more likely a big culvert) will be making a come-back.
