Calendar
Homestead Open House
Come to our next Open House! Interested in seeing sparks fly at the blacksmith shop, taking a lesson at schoolhouse, or watching the Pearce/Helps Cabin woodstove in action? Visit the Golden History Park, adjacent to downtown Golden, on select Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., May through September.
Family Friendly Event
During these family-friendly open house events, you will be able to participate in hands-on activities, learn about pioneer history from our interpreters, and see special demonstrations. Homestead Open House is free and drop-in style; there is no registration. Experience history in action!
Photo: Povy Kendal Atchison
What’s in Golden History Park?
The History Park is home to many of the original buildings from the old Pearce Ranch in Golden Gate Canyon. Stroll through the park and imagine yourself growing potatoes or raising chickens as part of a homesteading family. Peek through the windows of real 1800s cabins and see other buildings from the ranch like the barn, chicken coop and two-seat outhouse. You’ll also see the 1876 Guy Hill schoolhouse at the park. It was moved to Golden in 1976. Read more here.
Location and Pricing for Open House
Golden History Park
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.; drop-in anytime
Free for all
Membership
GHM&P membership pays for itself with attendance at just a few programs. Memberships start at $40 and all levels include a 10% discount at our gift shop. It features books about Golden as well as crafts from local artisans. The best value starts at the Patron level ($125) and includes admission and benefits at hundreds of North American museums from both of these networks: North American Reciprocal Museums (more than 1,250 participating museums) and Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums (more than 440 participating museums). Join us today.
More Golden History
Check out the Golden History Museum & Park blog for the latest behind the scenes videos and stories, personal memoirs, and history tidbits about Golden.
Hands-on Activities at the Museum
After enjoying story time presented by the Golden Library on the grass outside the museum, visit the museum for free hands-on activities from 10:30 a.m. – noon! Activities are free, as is admission to the museum. Stop by and enjoy playing and learning!
Please visit the Golden Library’s website for more information about story time. No sign-up required to visit the museum.
Photo: Povy Kendal Atchison
Pricing
Free
Membership
Membership pays for itself with just a few programs for your family. Join us.
More Golden history
Check out the Golden History Museum & Park blog for the latest behind-the-scenes videos and stories, personal memoirs, and history tidbits about Golden.
Homestead Open House
Come to our next Open House! Interested in seeing sparks fly at the blacksmith shop, taking a lesson at schoolhouse, or watching the Pearce/Helps Cabin woodstove in action? Visit Golden History Park, adjacent to downtown Golden, on select Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., May through September.
Family Friendly Event
During these family-friendly open house events, you will be able to participate in hands-on activities, learn about pioneer history from our interpreters, and see special demonstrations. Homestead Open House is free and drop-in style; there is no registration. Experience history in action!
Photo: Povy Kendal Atchison
What’s in Golden History Park?
The History Park is home to many of the original buildings from the old Pearce Ranch in Golden Gate Canyon. Stroll through the park and imagine yourself growing potatoes or raising chickens as part of a homesteading family. Peek through the windows of real 1800s cabins and see other buildings from the ranch like the barn, chicken coop and two-seat outhouse. You’ll also see the 1876 Guy Hill schoolhouse at the park. It was moved to Golden in 1976. Read more here.
Location and Pricing for Open House
Golden History Park
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; drop-in anytime
Free for all
Membership
GHM&P membership pays for itself with attendance at just a few programs. Memberships start at $40 and all levels include a 10% discount at our gift shop. It features books about Golden as well as crafts from local artisans. The best value starts at the Patron level ($125) and includes admission and benefits at hundreds of North American museums from both of these networks: North American Reciprocal Museums (more than 1,250 participating museums) and Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums (more than 440 participating museums). Join us today.
More Golden History
Check out the Golden History Museum & Park blog for the latest behind the scenes videos and stories, personal memoirs, and history tidbits about Golden.
Ranching Women of Colorado
Register on eventbrite or purchase tickets in-person at the museum.
The 19th century west opened opportunities for women, including entering the male-dominated ranching industry. Join author Linda Womack as she tells the stories of women ranchers in Colorado. These women not only survived, but thrived, in a role outside the conventional norm.
About Linda Wommack
A Colorado native, Linda Wommack is a Colorado historian and historical consultant. An award-winning writer, she has written eighteen books on Colorado history, including Murder in the Mile High City, Colorado’s Landmark Hotels, From the Grave; : A Roadside Guide to Colorado’s Pioneer Cemeteries, Our Ladies of the Tenderloin: Colorado’s Legends in Lace, Colorado History for Kids; Colorado’s Historic Mansions and Castles, Colorado’s Historic Schools, Ann Bassett; Colorado’s Cattle Queen, Haunted History of Cripple Creek and Teller County, Growing Up with the Wild Bunch, Ranching Women of Colorado, Cripple Creek, Bob Womack and the Greatest Gold Camp on Earth, and From Sand Creek to Summit Springs; Colorado’s Indian Wars. She has also contributed to two anthologies concerning Western Americana. She is the proud recipient of three Will Rogers Medallion awards for her work.
Linda has been a contributing editor for True West Magazine since 1995 and has been a staff writer for Wild West magazine, contributing a monthly article since 2004. She has written for the Tombstone Epitaph, the nation’s oldest continuously published newspaper, since 1993. Linda also writes for several publications throughout her state. She was earned two Six-Shooter awards for her magazine articles.
Linda’s research has been used in several documentary accounts for the national Wild West History Association, historical treatises of the Sand Creek Massacre, and as critical historic aspects for the Lawman & Outlaw Museum as well as the Heritage Center, both in Cripple Creek, Colorado.
Linda feeds her passion for history with activities in many local, state, and national preservation projects, participating in historical venues and speaking engagements, hosting tours, and is involved in historical tours across the state.
She is a member of both the state and national Cemetery Preservation Associations, the Gilpin County Historical Society, the national Wild West History Association, and is an honorary lifetime member of the Pikes Peak Heritage Society. As a member of Women Writing the West, Linda has organized quarterly meetings for Colorado members of WWW for the past ten years, served on the 2014 and 2020 WWW conference steering committees, and recently concluded her term as a board member. Linda is the chair for the Women Writing the West DOWNING Journalism Award, an award category she created for the organization in 2017.
Linda Has received numerous awards for her writing including a three-time recipient of the Will Rogers Medallion Award – Best Biography, Ann Bassett and Growing Up With the Wild Bunch, and Best Non-fiction for Ranching Women of Colorado. She has received the Six-Shooter Award twice for her magazine articles, Confidentially Told in Brown’s Park and In the Shadow of Tom Horn.
Pricing
Free for museum members, $10 non-members
Membership
Membership pays for itself with just a few programs for your family. Join us.
More Golden history
Check out the Golden History Museum & Park blog for the latest behind the scenes videos and stories, personal memoirs, and history tidbits about Golden.
Homestead Open House
Come to our next Open House! Interested in seeing sparks fly at the blacksmith shop, taking a lesson at schoolhouse, or watching the Pearce/Helps Cabin woodstove in action? Visit Golden History Park, adjacent to downtown Golden, on select Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., May through September.
Family Friendly Event
During these family-friendly open house events, you will be able to participate in hands-on activities, learn about pioneer history from our interpreters, and see special demonstrations. Homestead Open House is free and drop-in style; there is no registration. Experience history in action!
Photo: Povy Kendal Atchison
What’s in Golden History Park?
The History Park is home to many of the original buildings from the old Pearce Ranch in Golden Gate Canyon. Stroll through the park and imagine yourself growing potatoes or raising chickens as part of a homesteading family. Peek through the windows of real 1800s cabins and see other buildings from the ranch like the barn, chicken coop and two-seat outhouse. You’ll also see the 1876 Guy Hill schoolhouse at the park. It was moved to Golden in 1976. Read more here.
Location and Pricing for Open House
Golden History Park
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; drop-in anytime
Free for all
Membership
GHM&P membership pays for itself with attendance at just a few programs. Memberships start at $40 and all levels include a 10% discount at our gift shop. It features books about Golden as well as crafts from local artisans. The best value starts at the Patron level ($125) and includes admission and benefits at hundreds of North American museums from both of these networks: North American Reciprocal Museums (more than 1,250 participating museums) and Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums (more than 440 participating museums). Join us today.
More Golden History
Check out the Golden History Museum & Park blog for the latest behind the scenes videos and stories, personal memoirs, and history tidbits about Golden.
Hands-on Activities at the Museum
After enjoying story time presented by the Golden Library on the grass outside the museum, visit the museum for free hands-on activities from 10:30 a.m. – noon! Activities are free, as is admission to the museum. Stop by and enjoy playing and learning!
Please visit the Golden Library’s website for more information about story time. No sign-up required to visit the museum.
Photo: Povy Kendal Atchison
Pricing
Free
Membership
Membership pays for itself with just a few programs for your family. Join us.
More Golden history
Check out the Golden History Museum & Park blog for the latest behind-the-scenes videos and stories, personal memoirs, and history tidbits about Golden.
Homestead Open House
Come to our next Open House! Interested in seeing sparks fly at the blacksmith shop, taking a lesson at schoolhouse, or watching the Pearce/Helps Cabin woodstove in action? Visit Golden History Park, adjacent to downtown Golden, on select Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., May through September.
Family Friendly Event
During these family-friendly open house events, you will be able to participate in hands-on activities, learn about pioneer history from our interpreters, and see special demonstrations. Homestead Open House is free and drop-in style; there is no registration. Experience history in action!
Photo: Povy Kendal Atchison
What’s in Golden History Park?
The History Park is home to many of the original buildings from the old Pearce Ranch in Golden Gate Canyon. Stroll through the park and imagine yourself growing potatoes or raising chickens as part of a homesteading family. Peek through the windows of real 1800s cabins and see other buildings from the ranch like the barn, chicken coop and two-seat outhouse. You’ll also see the 1876 Guy Hill schoolhouse at the park. It was moved to Golden in 1976. Read more here.
Location and Pricing for Open House
Golden History Park
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; drop-in anytime
Free for all
Membership
GHM&P membership pays for itself with attendance at just a few programs. Memberships start at $40 and all levels include a 10% discount at our gift shop. It features books about Golden as well as crafts from local artisans. The best value starts at the Patron level ($125) and includes admission and benefits at hundreds of North American museums from both of these networks: North American Reciprocal Museums (more than 1,250 participating museums) and Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums (more than 440 participating museums). Join us today.
More Golden History
Check out the Golden History Museum & Park blog for the latest behind the scenes videos and stories, personal memoirs, and history tidbits about Golden.
History, Legacy, and Policymaking in Territorial Colorado, 1861-1876
Register on eventbrite or purchase tickets in-person at the museum.
This presentation discusses policymaking, political obstacles, cultural conflicts, and institutional racism experienced by Hispano legislators in the wake of the legal establishment of the Territory of Colorado in 1861. These Hispano territorial legislators are introduced as a forgotten piece of Colorado’s early history. The new territorial laws put in place had effects on the lives of the 7,000 Hispano settlers from New Mexico Territory, who were displaced into the newly formed Colorado Territory.
About Virginia Sanchez
Virginia Sanchez is a historian, author, and independent scholar living in Denver. She has deep roots going back 16 generations in northern New Mexico as her ancestors settled there in 1598 with explorer Juan de Oñate. Her research about early Hispano and Indio history in southern Colorado appears in several published books and articles.
Pricing
Free for museum members, $10 non-members
Membership
Membership pays for itself with just a few programs for your family. Join us.
More Golden history
Check out the Golden History Museum & Park blog for the latest behind the scenes videos and stories, personal memoirs, and history tidbits about Golden.
Fire Master Class with Aaron “Hutch” Hutchings
In Hutch’s Own Words
“Whether adventuring in the outdoors or enjoying a book about adventuring in the outdoors, fire always comes up. In fact, it has been said that fire is directly related to every other survival priority. Not just survival but most outdoor adventures are enhanced with safe, effective fires. It helps regulate core body temperature, boils water for purifying, cooks food, signals for rescue, makes tools, scares away the bumps in the night, and so much more. This is also one of the areas that I see most people struggle with, especially if they do not have the perfect situations and resources. There is a great deal to learn and master with fire, including basic principles about tinder, ignition tools, strategies, and techniques.
Teaching different methods of fire is without a question one of my favorite subjects. This four-part series will be a culmination of over 30 years of professionally teaching pioneer, survival, primitive, boy scout, military, and every other type of fire hack. We will explore both modern and historical ways of making fire as well as looking at safety and dealing with poor fire situations. At the end of this series you will look at fire in a totally different way and will be able to achieve it with a tiny spark, sticks only, modern tools, pioneer tools, wet wood, windy weather, no wood, and more.”
Photo: Povy Kendal Atchison
Class Details
This will be a true adventure in mastering the art of fire. Anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult. You do not need to attend the whole series, but the classes will build upon one another. There is a discounted price for attending all four classes and supplies are include in class price.
Four-class package dealPromo Video
About Hutch
Aaron “Hutch” Hutchings is a Colorado native, veteran, and father of four. He was raised in the Rocky Mountains by a real mountain man and hunting guide he called Grandpa. His love for adventure was first sparked by his grandfather’s teaching and stories. This spark was blown into flame in the Boy Scouts and fanned to a full-on bonfire in the Marine Corps. Read more about Hutch in his instructor bio or on his website. You can also find him on Facebook and Instagram.
Time and Location
Golden History Park
9 a.m. to noon
Pricing
Single class: $35 for museum members, $50 non-members
Series of all four classes: $115 for museum members, $175 non-members
Membership
Membership pays for itself with just a few programs for your family. Join us.
More Golden History
Check out the Golden History Museum & Park blog for the latest behind the scenes videos and stories, personal memoirs, and history tidbits about Golden.
Homestead Open House
Come to our next Open House! Interested in seeing sparks fly at the blacksmith shop, taking a lesson at schoolhouse, or watching the Pearce/Helps Cabin woodstove in action? Visit Golden History Park, adjacent to downtown Golden, on select Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., May through September.
Family Friendly Event
During these family-friendly open house events, you will be able to participate in hands-on activities, learn about pioneer history from our interpreters, and see special demonstrations. Homestead Open House is free and drop-in style; there is no registration. Experience history in action!
Photo: Povy Kendal Atchison
What’s in Golden History Park?
The History Park is home to many of the original buildings from the old Pearce Ranch in Golden Gate Canyon. Stroll through the park and imagine yourself growing potatoes or raising chickens as part of a homesteading family. Peek through the windows of real 1800s cabins and see other buildings from the ranch like the barn, chicken coop and two-seat outhouse. You’ll also see the 1876 Guy Hill schoolhouse at the park. It was moved to Golden in 1976. Read more here.
Location and Pricing for Open House
Golden History Park
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; drop-in anytime
Free for all
Membership
GHM&P membership pays for itself with attendance at just a few programs. Memberships start at $40 and all levels include a 10% discount at our gift shop. It features books about Golden as well as crafts from local artisans. The best value starts at the Patron level ($125) and includes admission and benefits at hundreds of North American museums from both of these networks: North American Reciprocal Museums (more than 1,250 participating museums) and Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums (more than 440 participating museums). Join us today.
More Golden History
Check out the Golden History Museum & Park blog for the latest behind the scenes videos and stories, personal memoirs, and history tidbits about Golden.
Reminisce about your high school years by joining us for this fun exhibit opening! Hands-on activities will include viewing GHS yearbooks (both paper and electronic) and making your own themed photo with our unique props. Finally, see items from the collection which highlight alumni, clubs, and fashions, including rare relief maps which once hung on the school walls in Golden.
Event features:
- make your own graduation cap
- make a corsage with crepe paper flowers
- make a memory at the unique selfie station
- leaf through old yearbooks
- chat with the curator about the new exhibit
- listen to live music by Alibi
- purchase delicious eats from the “Truck Eddy BBQ & Milkshakes” food truck
- relax at the cash bar provided by Coda Brewing
Homestead Open House
Come to our next Open House! Interested in seeing sparks fly at the blacksmith shop, taking a lesson at schoolhouse, or watching the Pearce/Helps Cabin woodstove in action? Visit Golden History Park, adjacent to downtown Golden, on select Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., May through September.
Family Friendly Event
During these family-friendly open house events, you will be able to participate in hands-on activities, learn about pioneer history from our interpreters, and see special demonstrations. Homestead Open House is free and drop-in style; there is no registration. Experience history in action!
Photo: Povy Kendal Atchison
What’s in Golden History Park?
The History Park is home to many of the original buildings from the old Pearce Ranch in Golden Gate Canyon. Stroll through the park and imagine yourself growing potatoes or raising chickens as part of a homesteading family. Peek through the windows of real 1800s cabins and see other buildings from the ranch like the barn, chicken coop and two-seat outhouse. You’ll also see the 1876 Guy Hill schoolhouse at the park. It was moved to Golden in 1976. Read more here.
Location and Pricing for Open House
Golden History Park
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; drop-in anytime
Free for all
Membership
GHM&P membership pays for itself with attendance at just a few programs. Memberships start at $40 and all levels include a 10% discount at our gift shop. It features books about Golden as well as crafts from local artisans. The best value starts at the Patron level ($125) and includes admission and benefits at hundreds of North American museums from both of these networks: North American Reciprocal Museums (more than 1,250 participating museums) and Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums (more than 440 participating museums). Join us today.
More Golden History
Check out the Golden History Museum & Park blog for the latest behind the scenes videos and stories, personal memoirs, and history tidbits about Golden.
Hands-on Activities at the Museum
After enjoying story time presented by the Golden Library on the grass outside the museum, visit the museum for free hands-on activities from 10:30 a.m. – noon! Activities are free, as is admission to the museum. Stop by and enjoy playing and learning!
Please visit the Golden Library’s website for more information about story time. No sign-up required to visit the museum.
Photo: Povy Kendal Atchison
Pricing
Free
Membership
Membership pays for itself with just a few programs for your family. Join us.
More Golden history
Check out the Golden History Museum & Park blog for the latest behind-the-scenes videos and stories, personal memoirs, and history tidbits about Golden.
Fire Master Class with Aaron “Hutch” Hutchings
In Hutch’s Own Words
“Whether adventuring in the outdoors or enjoying a book about adventuring in the outdoors, fire always comes up. In fact, it has been said that fire is directly related to every other survival priority. Not just survival but most outdoor adventures are enhanced with safe, effective fires. It helps regulate core body temperature, boils water for purifying, cooks food, signals for rescue, makes tools, scares away the bumps in the night, and so much more. This is also one of the areas that I see most people struggle with, especially if they do not have the perfect situations and resources. There is a great deal to learn and master with fire, including basic principles about tinder, ignition tools, strategies, and techniques.
Teaching different methods of fire is without a question one of my favorite subjects. This four-part series will be a culmination of over 30 years of professionally teaching pioneer, survival, primitive, boy scout, military, and every other type of fire hack. We will explore both modern and historical ways of making fire as well as looking at safety and dealing with poor fire situations. At the end of this series you will look at fire in a totally different way and will be able to achieve it with a tiny spark, sticks only, modern tools, pioneer tools, wet wood, windy weather, no wood, and more.”
Photo: Povy Kendal Atchison
Class Details
This will be a true adventure in mastering the art of fire. Anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult. You do not need to attend the whole series, but the classes will build upon one another. There is a discounted price for attending all four classes and supplies are include in class price.
Four-class package dealPromo Video
About Hutch
Aaron “Hutch” Hutchings is a Colorado native, veteran, and father of four. He was raised in the Rocky Mountains by a real mountain man and hunting guide he called Grandpa. His love for adventure was first sparked by his grandfather’s teaching and stories. This spark was blown into flame in the Boy Scouts and fanned to a full-on bonfire in the Marine Corps. Read more about Hutch in his instructor bio or on his website. You can also find him on Facebook and Instagram.
Time and Location
Golden History Park
9 a.m. to noon
Pricing
Single class: $35 for museum members, $50 non-members
Series of all four classes: $115 for museum members, $175 non-members
Membership
Membership pays for itself with just a few programs for your family. Join us.
More Golden History
Check out the Golden History Museum & Park blog for the latest behind the scenes videos and stories, personal memoirs, and history tidbits about Golden.
Legendary Ladies (Costumed Interpretation)
Learn about extraordinary women who have made significant contributions to the history of the West. Hear how each made their own choices and worked through difficult times – empowering themselves and future generations to achieve and lead.
By providing several vignettes during a single performance, audiences learn about a variety of extraordinary ladies and are often inspired to read more about the characters. Featured ladies at this performance are Bertha Spears, Mabel Dodge Luhan, Virginia Reed, Mary Chase, and Lola Montez.
Featured Ladies
Bertha Spears
1908 – ?, a Harvey Girl
A chance encounter changed the life of farm girl, Bertha Spears. She seized the opportunity and adventure to work at a job that more than 100,000 women would also choose, becoming part of the largest migration of working women in US history. As a Harvey Girl, she waitressed along the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad in Pueblo, CO. Enchanting! 1930s Costume.
Mabel Dodge Luhan
1879 – 1962, Philanthropist/Bohemian Rebel
She was called a Bohemian rebel with too much money and too many husbands, but Mabel Dodge Luhan used her connections to make Taos, New Mexico, a world-famous art colony and was an advocate for the Taos Pueblo Indians. Her Taos home has been designated a National Historic Landmark. Artfully told. 1920s Costume
Virginia Reed
1834 – 1921, Child Pioneer
When Virginia Reed was 12 years old, she and her family left Illinois in covered wagons headed across the plains and mountains on her family’s quest to reach California. As an old woman, Virginia tells a thrilling and informative story of her travels from carefree days to dire circumstances and finally triumph on this cross country trek. Riveting. Edwardian Costume.
Mary Chase
1906 – 1981, Playwright
Journalist, playwright and children’s novelist from Denver, Colorado, Mary Chase received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her work, “Harvey” in 1945. A prolific playwright, her characters come to life on stage. Inductee in the Colorado Performing Arts Hall of Fame, the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame and Denver Press Club Hall of Fame. 1950s Costume.
Lola Montez
1818 – 1862, Dancer & Actress
Flamboyant dancer and actress, Lola Montez enjoyed worldwide fame while critics alternately praised and railed against her. Wildly adored by the American public, she reached her height of popularity in California during the gold rush years. Lively and entertaining. Inductee in Theater Hall of Fame. Victorian Costume.
Time and Location
Golden History Museum
6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Pricing
$5 for museum members, $12 non-members
Membership
Membership pays for itself with just a few programs for your family. Join us.
More Golden history
Check out the Golden History Museum & Park blog for the latest behind the scenes videos and stories, personal memoirs, and history tidbits about Golden.