Summertime In Golden

It is summertime in Golden, Colorado and the streets are beginning to fill up with both tourists and locals, especially on the weekends when the weather is nice. Golden was founded back in 1859 during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush and quickly became a supply center for the mines up in the mountains. It became the territorial capital of Colorado in 1860 and was in competition with Denver to build a railroad to Cheyenne, connecting with the transcontinental railroad. Denver won that particular contest, and thanks to political maneuvering, the territorial capitol was moved to Denver, too. And thus, Denver became the major city in Colorado and the state capitol, while Golden stayed a small city, retaining its small-town charm and western atmosphere, with many commercial buildings and homes dating from the 1870s, 80s, and 90s. The Astor House, once a museum and now an art center, was built in 1867 and functioned as a rooming house. It had the only bathtub in town, and rented it out, making more money from that than renting rooms. Hopefully they cleaned it after every use.

The town is centered around Clear Creek, which is bordered on both sides by walking and biking paths, which are heavily used during the summer. This creek is a very popular spot for tubers and kayakers. The water runs fast and cold during the spring, and it was only 4 days ago that restrictions were lifted, and the creek opened for use. Even still, firefighters received calls for eight water rescues just yesterday. Clear Creek runs through Golden and then past the Coors Brewery, which I assume has pipes that filter that "Rocky Mountain Spring Water" directly into the tanks to make their beer. Nothing like a little taste of tuber and kayaker to add a little flavor to that beer.

The city has done a really nice job landscaping the city, with flowers all over the place. Plus, the city is filled with sculptures of old west figures, such as the one in the photograph on the left. My only complaint is that most of the parking on the residential streets near Clear Creek are restricted to permit holders only. You can always find parking on a weekday, but on weekends during the summer it can be a struggle. During the Goldens in Golden event a while back, not only could you not find a place to park, but there were so many cars that the lines to get out of town went on forever.

One of the highlights of the city is the Golden History Park, which runs along Clear Creek in downtown Golden and is close to the 12th Street Historic District. It consists of a number of 1800s cabins, such as the one in the photograph on the right, as well as the 1876 Guy Hill schoolhouse. Those buildings are periodically open to the public, including during an annual Open House in the summer. The Golden Fine Arts Festival takes place every August on the street running adjacent to that history park. I remember years ago going to that festival with my sister Susan and her late husband George. We would start walking past the various art booths, and when we got to Cheyenne Street, George would tell us he needed to take a rest and would meet us at the beer garden at Golden City Brewery, located a half block away. That brewery bills itself as the 2nd largest brewery in Golden, and is a great spot to hang out, even if no art festival is taking place. Try it - you'll like it, as they used to say in the old Alka-Seltzer commercials.