Article Contributed on: 7/4/2009 12:43:25 AM
The first holiday ever celebrated in Golden and our longest lasting has been Independence Day, highly regarded by the gold rushers even when separated by a vast territory between them and any recognized state of the union. It has since been celebrated in Golden for 150 years, with this year marking the anniversary of the milestone events in the history of our community that took place on our original 4th of July:
On July 4, 1859 there were two major events that took place which continue to influence Golden to this day. One was the laying of the cornerstone of Golden's first building, the Boston Company's store, at what is now Parfet Park. It was laid in undoubtedly Masonic ceremony, and placed inside were "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." Upon this cornerstone rose the substantial 2-story log store of the Boston Company, made up of members
George West, James MacDonald, Walter Pollard, Mark Leonardo Blunt, James McIntyre, Thomas Panton and
Joe Bird, who made the windows. The place according to West was a commercial rendezvous for many customers, where the company ran a general mercantile and trading business, express and stage business, and published the
Western Mountaineer, our first newspaper. Its editor, West, founded today's
Transcript, now Colorado's 2nd oldest newspaper, in 1866. The Boston Company and its building have since vanished, but the community which rapidly built forth from their beginning is going 150 years strong.
Across the river on July 4th another ceremony was taking place inside the Ford Bros. saloon and gambling tent at today's northwest corner of 12th and Ford Streets. The Methodist missionaries
William H. Goode and
Jacob Adriance took the Fords up on their offer of one hour's worth of preaching while gambling ceased, and held our first Methodist service that day. The two had started out from their native Iowa on May 30th with 6 months' provisions, Goode intending to stay a few weeks while Adriance intended to settle awhile. The arrived in Denver on July 3rd, holding their first service that day, and showing up in Golden on the 4th. From here they started for the Gregory Diggings, now Gilpin County, via the Golden Gate road but due to bad road conditions they had to leave their wagons and ride muleback to their destination. At today's Central City they organized Colorado's first Methodist church after preaching in a service in the open air. However, Golden was not forgotten by any means in their minds and they would be back.
Elsewhere in today's Jefferson County another momentous building ceremony took place, when on July 4th pioneer
Thomas Bergen completed his cabin, the first building of today's Bergen Park area. That became another area of gold rush settlers of Jefferson County, celebrating its sesquicentennial today too.
On July 4, 1860 a much greater Golden ushered in the 4th with the usual celebratory gunfire, and more. The main events started at 10:30am when Golden citizens gathered at the new Metropolitan Hall, where several of the ladies and gentlemen gave great instrumental and vocal music, followed by a speech by
John F. Kirby, part of which was as follows:
"It gives me great pleasure, Mr. President, to find that in whatever part of the world our people are - whether on Plymouth Rock, where the first Pilgrims' prayer was offered to a kind and smiling Providence, or across a mighty continent, thousands of miles from where the march of Empire began to move on its Westward way - there we find the patriot and the man who loves his country. The man who can stand upon these rocky hills, and with enlarged and patriotic view look over the great expanse that divides him from his Eastern home, can in turth say of this as he did of that, 'this too, is my own, my native land.' A man may never forget the home of his youth. He may roam in Arctic or in Indian seas; a foreign land may be the land of his adoption; yet the flowers of memory will always trew his pathway with the remembrances of his youth, and the memory of those who guarded his infant years, till he grew to hardy health and manhood, under the kind watching of a father's and a mother's care. As it is with an individual, so it is with a people. Although our national birthplace was upon the plains of Monmouth and Saratoga, although upon Bunker Hill stands the lofty column upon which is engraved the advent of our being, yet I am proud to say that here in this far off land there exists the same feeling of patriotism and American nationality which existed then; and that, beneath this same old flag we meet to do honor to the memory of our illustrious fathers."
At the close, remarks were made by area dignitaries including Lt. Governor
Lucien W. Bliss, Mayor
Daniel L. McCleery, and noted
Mountaineer journalist
Albert D. Richardson. After this the audience formed a procession led by Marshall
James A. Dawson which marched through the principal streets of Golden, our first parade, to the new building of Harris & Dawson on Washington Avenue, where all took in an excellent free lunch with ice water and lemonade, furnished by ladies of Golden and arranged by a group led by Dr. Isaac E. Hardy, Golden's 1st Postmaster. A number of toasts were given, including according to the
Mountaineer:
The day we celebrate, - First made a Golden Fourth in Golden City.
George Washington, - The Father of his country.
Our States and Territories, - To our elder and full grown sisters, the youngest of the family this day sends her patriotic greeting.
The Pick, the Shovel and the Pan, - may their sturdy wielders ever have a good prospect.
After the toasts there was a merry spontaneous dance of the people there. However, not known to any of them would be that within two years the sisters referred to would be locked in mortal combat with the family's youngest targeted for invasion, with our parade marshall fighting to defend it and the union, and losing his life not long after, the first of at least 46 Goldenites who would make the ultimate sacrifice to preserve the nation's freedom.
Through that afternoon in 1860 there were several private parties including ones by
John M. Ferrell and the Miners Hotel where Clear Creek Commons is now and
Gilbert N. Belcher at the Elkhorn Lodge across the river. When evening came there was the Grand Opening Ball of Metropolitan Hall, at today's 1117 Washington Avenue, a large 2-story false front wooden grocery store with the hall above that was Golden's largest building. The ball, given by
O.B. Harvey who ran the Jefferson House hotel at today's 914 Washington, featured Marion's Cotillion Band making fine music for the dancing couples. A supper was prepared by Harvey and his wife, and the festivities went well into the wee hours of the morning, and a great time was had by everyone.
Since then Golden's 4th of July celebrations have taken on a number of forms. On July 4, 1867 the flag of the USS
Cumberland, the first ship sunk by the Confederate ironclad
Virginia before its fateful battle with the
Monitor, began making its annual appearance on the Avenue, raised by Col.
Parker B. Cheney. In later years there were parades on the 4th of July. Golden's fireworks traditions began with Heritage Square and the Golden Jaycees at the beginning of the 1970s. Today the Golden Lions Club will usher in the 150th anniversary edition of Golden's oldest holiday when they hold their raffle and festivities at Lions Park and light the fireworks over the city. Golden has much grown and changed since our original celebration, with many more buildings built after that first cornerstone, but its patriotic feeling remains strong as ever.