Article Contributed on: 6/12/2009 4:19:14 PM
150 years ago today on June 12, 1859 Golden's first business, the Boston Company, arrived in the Golden valley. They camped where the parking lot of the present Golden Hotel is now, on the southern shores of Clear Creek, though overgrazing by the many valley gold rushers had taken its toll, as the company diary pronounced the grass "very poor." However, company president George West remembered that Clear Creek was "then a beautiful stream, clear and sparkling as crystal and full of luscious mountain trout." He wrote "The remarkable pellucidity of its waters, filled as they were with myriads of trout, and the banks skirted with boundless pensile willows and waving cottonwoods, made it the admiration of all, and it was voted an ideal spot for a camping ground, a veritable haven of rest after more than two months journey with ox teams across the arid plains from St. Jo., Mo." West later recounted:
Then the founding of a town here had not been thought of, and the only signs of permanent settlement were a little patch of ground which had been plowed by Mr. D.K. Wall, and planted with vegetables, and the commencement of a rude bridge across the swollen stream, by Mr. J.M. Ferrell. The whole valley was dotted with the tents and wagons of the gold-hunters, many of whom had gone to the newly discovered "Gregory Diggings," leaving their wagons in charge of a portion of their party. All was then uncertainty regarding the richness of the mines, many fearing they might turn out as had those upon Cherry Creek, for which we had all crossed those weary plains. No house had as yet been commenced or thought of, but two or three had made claims to the land along the creek, and several days elapsed after our arrival before any steps were taken for an organization.
The scene and circumstances impressed the Boston Company members, with West also noting:
Upon our arrival here there were perhaps half a dozen small outfits encamped along the banks of the creek, some of them already preparing to push farther on into the mountains, packing their belongings upon ponies, and even upon the backs of their oxen, as at that time no roads had been opened into or through their rugged fastnesses. This circumstance struck us at once as evidence that if the mines which had at that time been discovered should amount to anything, this as a location for transfer of goods would be just the place for a town. With this in view the Boston company decided unanimously to establish themselves right here, and they proceeded at once to make arrangements for the erection of some sort of habitation. It was decided to put up a building suitable for business purposes and also for a bachelors' home, for the members of the Boston company were all bachelors, or bachelors by brevet.
This establishment was the beginning of the Boston Company here, whose legacy continues in Golden to this day. The company had originally started from the east in the spring, and crossed the Missouri at St. Joseph on April 1, 1859. However, at the Little Blue River before reaching Ft. Kearney they encountered the stampede of discouraged gold seekers returning east, and a bunch of company members lost faith and headed back east. However, seven persevered: president
George West, business manager
James MacDonald, and
Mark Leonardo Blunt, Thomas Panton, Joe Bird, James McIntyre,, and
Walter Pollard. They had arrived in Colorado and Denver on June 10th, where they'd been immediately hailed by the
Rocky Mountain News, which enlisted West and Blunt to print their first ever Extra edition, which hit the streets on the 11th. The next day the Boston Company traveled to the valley here. They did not found Golden by themselves, but they and others camped in the valley quickly saw the advantages of this place. On June 16, 1859, West, MacDonald and Pollard met with six other valley dwellers in the Grigsby & Bowles tent, pitched at Carpenter Spring which is now at 402 23rd Street, and founded the city of Golden.
Within 24 hours after their building lot was surveyed the Boston Company had materials on the ground to build their building, hewn timbers cut from the pineries of Clear Creek Canyon and floated down to Golden. On July 4, 1859 the cornerstone of this, Golden's first building, was laid ceremoniously, with the company members placing inside "a copper cent and two-cent of the mintage of 1858, a pair of scissors, a table fork, tea spoon, a steel bitt, an ox shoe, a mule shoe and a horse shoe." Their building that rose was a substantial 2-story log structure in the Saltbox style of their New England home, with windows made of 10x12 panes of glass brought across the plains by ox wagon by Joe Bird, who made the window sash here. Of the place West said "This building was the first house built in the town, a substantial log structure, but as regards the floors, stairs, etc., somewhat primitive. In fact the floor of the second story was as loose as the actions of some of the inhabitants of the city."
However, as the Boston Building was approaching completion, they had competition. Newcomer
William A.H. Loveland, who arrived on June 22nd, was fast building his own mercantile at today's 1105 Washington Avenue. He and the Boston Company were in a race to see who would have Golden's first completed building. One morning the Boston members woke up to discover all their shingles were gone, all placed atop the newly finished Loveland Building. However, Loveland quickly made amends by promptly returning the shingles along with a 5-gallon barrel of whiskey from his own stock, marking the advent of the man who would spearhead Golden's fortunes for years to come.
As described by West, the Boston Company "carried on a general mercantile and trading business, express and stage business" in their building, which was also the living quarters for its members. On December 4, 1859 the Boston Company began publishing the
Western Mountaineer, Golden's first and Colorado's fourth newspaper, edited by West. West, who had previously worked with the
Boston Transcript, wanted to name this new paper the
Transcript, but being Colorado's first corporate owned media concern his partners outvoted him, opting for the
Mountaineer as a name that reflected this new home they were at. West also deeply admired the area mountain men the newspaper was named after.
The Boston Company store became a true center of the city of Golden. On April 8, 1860 the Golden Post Office was established there, with
Isaac E. Hardy as postmaster. Later
Abraham Lincoln would appoint Blunt as postmaster. The
Mountaineer became a quite noteworthy publication, bringing on noted eastern news writers
Albert D. Richardson and
Thomas W. Knox. However, individual Boston Company members soon went on to other pursuits. The Boston Company was disbanded in 1860, with West, Blunt & Company taking its place; the
Mountaineer discontinued publication at the end of 1860, and by the Civil War all vestige of the Boston Company was gone.
However, the legacy of the Boston Company continues to this day. West, who lived the rest of his days in Golden until passing away in 1906, served on the Common Council, as Jefferson County Schools Superintendent, and established a new newspaper for Golden, with his choice name of the
Transcript, on December 19, 1866. It remains Golden's newspaper to this day, and Camp George West is also named after the 59er, and two of his homes and the longstanding Transcript Building also remain today. Pollard became Jefferson County Sheriff, among the earliest law enforcement officials in Colorado, and his office continues in full force today. He was the other company member who also passed away in Golden, in 1864, and he and West are buried at the Golden Cemetery today. Blunt also remained in Colorado, ultimately serving in the government land office at Pueblo. Bird's window craftsmanship may well continue on exhibit today as the 6/6 pane rear window of the Loveland Cottage at 717 12th Street, Loveland's first home in Golden. The Boston Building itself was dismantled for the creation of Parfet Park in 1925, reassembled just west of Rock Rest in Pleasant View as the Homestead Restaurant, the building being owned by the
Romano family, where it unfortunately burned down in 1942. However, it is possible something yet remains of this landmark, as West and latter day building owner
John Nicholls, after restoring it as Golden's first historic preservation project in 1896, donated one of its windows to the Colorado Historical Society in 1906. The Boston Company's diary and copies of every issue of the
Western Mountaineer are with the Colorado Historical Society today.