Search Term Record
Metadata
Name |
North Table Mountain |
Details |
Past uses of North Table Mountain-Compiled by Barb Warden from her research in the "Colorado Transcript" newspaper on May 8, 2020. The first business documented in the newspaper was ranching. An 1868 Transcript said the whole of the top of North Table Mountain was a stock ranch. "They have splendid feed, plenty of pure spring water, and altogether one of the best stock ranches in the country." Later years describe multiple ranches on both the top and the slopes of the mountain. The east and north sides of the mountain supported small farms and orchards. In 1882 there was a brief flurry of excitement as traces of silver and gold ore were discovered, but the nascent mines quickly played out. In the 1890s, Henry Koch established Table Mountain Park (later renamed "Cliff Springs"). That was located near where the Railroad Museum is now. The park offered a number of pavilions, food and drink, a bowling alley, dancing hall, and target shooting. There were many references over the years to the plentiful water available on North Table Mountain. Natural springs abounded. In fact, at one point people were discussing the feasibility of creating a sort of reservoir on the south side of the mountain. The plan was to drill a shaft down through the mountain and let it hold water until needed. It would be tapped as needed from the bottom of the shaft, at the base of the mountain. Possibly because of that high water content, the sides of the mountain had a tendency to slip down. Since the railroad ran along the base of the mountain, this slippage caused a recurring problem. Crews of men frequently needed to fend off the mud and rocks and at least once, the tracks had to be moved farther from the mountain. Beginning in about 1900, there were stone quarries, first on the southeast corner of the mountain and later on the west side, near Highway 93. In 1922 (during Prohibition), the county sheriff discovered an illicit brewery. The brewer stated that he made about 45 bottles of beer every week, but said it was all for personal use. In 1939, the new History Museum reported having a mold for making counterfeit silver dollars, which had been found on North Table Mountain. In 1939, a man who was described as the sole rancher on North Table Mountain (and a convicted murderer), shot at three local boys who were hunting on the mountain (and hit two of them). North Table Mountain’s most lasting industry has been real estate sales. After World War II, Golden had a housing explosion. The Plateau Heights subdivision was laid out in 1956. The North Table Mountain subdivision followed in 1961, North Golden Edge in 1964, and several others, including Mesa Meadows, followed. |
Related Records
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
2008.010.122 - 1970 Sheriff's Department Patrol Division Command Staff
2008.010
Record Type: Photographs
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
