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Bibliography Historical Golden Area Postcards
| Prior to 1858 For centuries, various Native American Indian tribes including the Arapahoe, Cheyenne and Ute roamed the area that is now Golden, Colorado. In 1843, Rufus Sage became the first known non-Indian to settle in the area when he pitched his tent near Clear Creek at the mouth of the canyon from whence it flows. Sage was a hunter -- and was not particularly interested in yellow flakes of gold he saw in the stream in front of his tent. However, he did tell his friends about it when he went back East. 1, 2 |
| 1858 - 1859 Interestingly, Golden would not take its name from this valuable mineral. Instead, the town is said to have been named after Thomas Golden, who arrived in the area in 1858. The story is that Golden, unable to get his wagon up Clear Creek Canyon, stopped near the mouth of the canyon and sold all his provisions and mining equipment to other prospectors. 1 David Wall was the first to permanently settle in Golden (1858). Wall settled near Clear Creek at what is now Brooks Field, a part of the School of Mines campus. It was George Jackson who found gold in Chicago Creek in 1859, and with the news of his discovery thousands of pioneer prospectors began to arrive in the Golden area. 1, 2 Wall took advantage of the influx of humanity by laying out a two-acre garden which he irragated from Clear Creek. Wall supposedly made $2000 in 1859 -- a considerable sum for the time! 1, 2 Golden also took shape as a town in 1859. George West and a fellow group of Bostonians built the first frame building for what was the Boston Company and laid out Golden City. This was in June, 1859. 1, 2 |
| Methodist circuit riders Rev. William H. Goode and Rev. Jacob Adriance arrived less than one month later. Goode and Adriance used the Ford Brothers tent, near the toll bridge across Clear Creek, as the site for the first religious ceremony held in Golden. On July 17, 1859, they organized the Golden Methodist Episcopal Church, which Adriance served as pastor through 1860! |
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| It was in this year that Colorado's first Masonic Lodge meeting was held in Golden City. 2 This was also when coal was discovered at Leyden and in Coal Creek, both north of present-day Golden. 2 Leaders of this frontier community in led the establishment of the Jefferson Territory in September, 1859. There was no Congressional action in the establishment of this territory so it was, in essence, a rogue government independent of the United States. 1, 2 Some 700 - 800 people resided in Golden by the end of 1859. 1, 2 |
| 1860 - 1869 Golden City's first school session was held on January 9, 1860 as Professor T. Daugherty began teaching to a class of 18 children. 2 1860 also found locals working to develop a mountain road system that would connect mining camps with Golden City. A weekly mail service was also begun. 1 Local citizens decided to seek affiliation with the United States in 1860. Governor R. W. Steele managed to pursuade the people of the Jefferson Territory that such affiliation was desirable, and on August 7, 1860 the Jefferson Terrotory was merged with the Kansas Territory of the United States. 2 In February, 1861, Congress created the Territory of Colorado. 3 Golden City became the county seat for Jefferson County and, in 1862, the Capitol of the Colorado Territory. The Capitol Building was built at the corner of 12th Street and Washington Avenue by W. A. H. Loveland - one of Golden's most distinguished first citizens. 2 It stands today. |
| Loveland chartered the Colorado Central Railroad in 1862. Colorado's first railroad company was the Colo- rado Central and Pacific Railroad. It was incorporated in 1865, but the first train did not run until 1870. 1, 2 One of Golden's residents at this time was George Pullman. Pullman operated a gold and money broker- age in Russell Gulch. It was Pullman who would build a railway sleeping car with bunks similar to those found in miners' cabins. 2 |
 Above: Golden's Washington Avenue with Mt. Galbreath beyond! This view is to the north. |
| In 1866, George West began publishing the Colorado Transcript. West had started an earlier Golden City publication called the "Western Mountaineer" in 1859, but that paper ceased publication less than one year later. 1 West's second effort would be sucessful, however. Today the Colorado Transcript is known as the Golden Transcript. It is Colorado's oldest weekly publication. 2 It was also in 1866 that Episcopal Bishop George M. Randall arrived in Golden City. Randall immediately recognized the need for higher education in the area, and began plans for a university. 4 On December 9, 1867, the capitol of the Territory of Colorado was officially moved from Golden City to Denver. 5 In November, 1868, construction began on the first brick-and-mortar home for Golden's Methodist-Episcopal Church. The project was begun and completed under the pastorate of Rev. Bethuel T. Vincent. The building was dedicated in January, 1869. |
| 1870 - 1879 The very first passenger train to arrive in Denver, Colorado came in 1870 -- and Rev. Franklin C. Millington, Golden's Methodist-Episcopal pastor in 1870-1871, was riding on it! Golden City was the center of transportation and mining activity in the region at this time. Mountain communities like Black Hawk, Central City, Dumont, Empire, Georgetown, Idaho Springs, and Silver Plume were dependent upon Golden City for goods and supplies. Horse-drawn wagons initially carried materials from Golden City to these mountain communities, but in the 1870's rail lines provided a better means for supplying the mining needs of these mountain communities. 1, 2 At one time, 23 trains moved through the Golden City switching facilities. There was a growing rivalry between Golden City and Denver, however, and around 1880 railroad officials were successful in their efforts to move the railroad headquarters from Golden City to Denver. 2 |
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In 1870, Bishop Randall opened the Jarvis Hall Collegiate School in a building south of the town of Golden City. 4 Golden City officially became Golden through in 1872 through an act of territorial legislation. 1 |
| In 1873, Adolph Coors, Sr., founded the Adolph Coors Company. 1 That was also the year the the School of Mines opened under the auspices of the Episcopal Church. In 1874, the School of Mines became a territorial institution. 4 In 1876, Colorado became the 38th State admitted to the United States. |
| 1880 and Later... It is worth noting that two funiculars were in operation in the Golden area in the early 1900s. One went up Castle Rock, a prominent rock outcrop on the northwestern corner of South Table Mountain overlooking Golden. The other went up Lookout Mountain near where Buffalo Bill Cody's grave site is today. 1, 2 Both funiculars left linear scars on the mountain slopes which are visible today. Additional photos are available here [click]. |
 Above: Lookout Mountain Funicular. Golden and North Table Mountain are visible beyond! |
| Bibliography | ||
| 1 | History | |
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Greater Golden Chamber of Commerce Web Site, December, 2002. http://www.goldencochamber.org/ |
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| 2 | Golden's History | |
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Colorado School of Mines Web Site, December, 2003. http://www.mines.edu/Beyond_csm/region_info/golden/history.html |
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| 3 | Colorado Government | |
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Colorado State Archives Web Site, December, 2003. http://www.archives.state.co.us/arcgov.html Note: The above URL is no longer served. |
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| 4 | Brief History of the Colorado School of Mines | |
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Colorado School of Mines Web Site, December, 2003. http://www.mines.edu/All_about/history/history.htm |
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| 5 | Early Capitol and Legislative Assembly Locations | |
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Colorado State Archives Web Site, December, 2003. http://www.archives.state.co.us/cap/locate.htm Note: The above URL is no longer served. |
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| URLs in the bibliography were last checked on March 30, 2005. | ||
Golden First UMC History Home | Golden First UMC Home Golden, Colorado's First United Methodist Church.
Last Revised: March 30, 2005.