What’s Happening in Golden Today?
8AM Saturday Morning Run and Social Walk @ Golden History Park
9:30AM-12PM Walk with a Geologist Tour @ Dinosaur Ridge
10AM-3PM Brunch at the Rose @ Buffalo Rose
10AM-noon Breakfast Burritos @ The Golden Mill
10AM-3PM Saturday Train Rides @ Colorado Railroad Museum
10AM Wild West Walking History Tour
10:15AM Family Time @ Golden Library
10:30AM-3PM Sewing Bee @ First Presbyterian Church of Golden
1-4PM Nature Journal Club: Winter Twigs @ Lookout Mountain Nature Center
1PM Wild West Pub Crawl
1-3PM Intro to Ukulele @ Golden Library
1PM Mother Goose @ Miners Alley Playhouse
1-2:30PM Essential Oil Candle Making Class @ Earth Sweet Botanicals
3:30PM CSM Womens Basketball vs. Chadron State @ Lockridge Arena
6PM CSM Mens Basketball vs. Chadron State @ Lockridge Arena
6:30-7:30PM Soundbath @ Pranatonic
7:30PM The Great American Trailer Park Musical @ Miners Alley Playhouse
Live Music
11AM-2PM Kevin Austin @ Buffalo Rose (Sky Bar Stage)
11:30AM Derek Dames Ohl @ Tributary Food Hall
5-8PM Live Music @ Eddy Taproom
5-8PM Mike Lamitola @ Goosetown Station
6PM Band of Brothers @ Dirty Dogs Roadhouse
7-10PM Howard Dlugasch @ Buffalo Rose (Sky Bar Stage)
7PM FACE Vocal Band @ Buffalo Rose (main venue)
7-10PM Lindsey Giffey @ Morris & Mae
9PM Karaoke @ Ace Hi Tavern
Celebrating Heart and Soul of Golden Month:
Colorado Railroad Museum
The Rocky Mountain Railroad Club was formed in the late 1930s. As the narrow gauge mountain railways were closing down, this group made a point of riding them one last time. They even bought some of the rolling stock from the dying railroads.
They did the same thing when the interurban railways ended service in 1950. They were there for the final trips, and they bought one of the cars.
The club hoped to found a railroad museum, so the history of Colorado’s railroads would be preserved and interpreted.
During the 1950s, several clubs in Golden were working to fix up the area on the north side of Clear Creek (now Lions Park). The Kiwanis Club built the camp ground. The Optimists built a playground. The Lions installed baseball diamonds, The DAR installed picnic tables. The City built a swimming pool.
This seemed like the ideal time and place to build a railroad museum. It’s common to see locomotives or railroad cars in city parks. The Rocky Mountain Railroad Club had several prime specimens that they offered to contribute to Golden’s new park: “an engine, a railroad car, a caboose, and a street car” with more to follow (Colorado Transcript – October 2, 1952). The Club brought the idea to City Council, and council was very supportive.
Meanwhile, in Alamosa Colorado, Bob Richardson had a similar goal. He too was acquiring retired railroad equipment and was building a museum. In 1958 he decided to relocate to Golden. He purchased property on 44th Street and moved his rolling stock and priceless railroad artifacts from Alamosa to Golden.
This was a welcome event for the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club. They abandoned thoughts of trying to build their own museum and instead helped Richardson with his. The members helped lay track and set to work refurbishing the old cars and engines. Over time, they donated several pieces of railroad equipment to the museum. In 2019, the Colorado Railroad Museum celebrated 60 years in Golden.
Thanks to the Golden History Museum for providing the online cache of historic Transcripts, and to the Golden Transcript for documenting our history since 1866!
