Envisioning the Future of Golden

Learning About the History and Envisioning the Future of Golden

History is a spacious realm encompassing the full sweep of human experiences; at the core it’s all about change. The seasons, relationships, people, places and things. Embracing it, resisting it, and understanding it. Change is a constant in our personal lives and in the communities we call home.

This is a simple idea and may sound obvious. We all know it, yet many of us resist. We find something we like and then we don’t want it to change. And for good reason – we’re a community with a rich history, beautiful trails, and friendly people. At the Golden History Museum, we regularly hear folks comment about how quickly our community is changing, and all of the opportunities and challenges those changes bring to our city.

In the Museum Gift shop, we sell a book titled, “The Changing Face of Golden,” published in 2004. What’s remarkable about this book — published nearly 20 years ago — is that the city was changing then too. It’s an important reminder that change is constant, which is why we take our role of preserving the history of Golden so seriously.

Stop by and check out how Golden has changed through the years, pick up a copy of “The Changing Face of Golden” and let us how you’ve seen our community change over the years, and your vision for the city’s future. Mark Dodge, Curator

Washington Avenue has changed drastically over the past 150-plus years. The avenue and arch, about 1975. Golden History Museum & Park, City of Golden Collection.