This Week in Colorado History: Success and summer

In late February of 1907, The Colorado Transcript reports, Rev. W. N. Friend offered a paper entitled “The Geography of Hell” at a Foothill club meeting.  The paper was interesting enough to draw two scholars from Denver, Dr. David Utter and Rev. H.W. Pinkham, who were welcomed by the club.  Somehow, the paper managed to discuss the geography of hell in a manner that circumvented the club prohibition on religion.  The Colorado Transcript commented, “It was a most interesting evening and the means of enlightening many of the club men on the nature of the after-punishment they are to receive.”

Also in late February, 1907, a pottery plant opened in Golden.  The plant had faced extensive vandalism, making its opening seem tenuous.  The Colorado Transcirpt described the extent of the damage saying, “Every piece of brass and every fixture had been stripped from the engine and boiler and every valve in the shop had been stolen.”  However, proprietors Mr. Marley, Mr. Hunt, and Mr. Bourne stuck with the shop and as of February 21, 1907 had their first batch of pottery ready to be fired in their kiln.  The author praised the proprietors for funding their operation independently and voiced his opinion that the business will eventually be a successful incorporated, publicly-traded firm.  The plant began by manufacturing flower pots as well as stoneware including jars and crocks.  Again, the author was confident in the success of this venture, and disclosed some Golden residents were willing to contract with the Golden Pottery Works for sewer pipes, though this was currently a “sewer-pipe dream.”

Those looking forward to summer in 1907 found few small traces of it already.  A variety of wild flowers were already reported to be in bloom.  One man sent a bouquet to his wife in California to demonstrate California was not the only state with temperate winter weather.  Easterners were reportedly shocked at the presence of the flowers at that time of year.