Golden City Lodge No.1 of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Colorado - Golden's Masonic Lodge, #1 in all of Colorado, was founded on January 16, 1860. Continuing well today at their longtime home in Goosetown, the Masons began their great and long history of service to Golden in this way, as witnessed by the Transcript's founder George West who was there at the time:<br />"All during the summer and fall of 1859 Masons who had made Golden their home were in the habit of getting together frequently for social converse. We remember that Eli Carter, Isaac E. Hardy, Jim Dawson, Reuben Borton and one or two others were particularly active in arranging for a dispensation for the formation of a lodge at this place, and early in the following year they were successful. In January a dispensation was received from the Grand Lodge of Kansas, dated January 16, A.D., 1860, and Golden City Lodge No. 1, the very first lodge to be organized in the territory now constituting Colorado. The charter members and officers at the organization were Isaac E. Hardy, W.M.; Eli Carter, S.W.; James A. Dawson, J.W.; L.J. Harris, S.D.; J.W. Stanton, J.D.; Thos. H. Simmons, Sec.; J.M. Ferrell, Treas.; J. Hardy, Tyler, S.M. Breath, Reuben Borton, E.B. Smith, Daniel McCleary, John A. Moore and W.A.H. Loveland. The members of the lodge have always felt a justifiable pride in the fact that their lodge was the very first one organized in all of Colorado."