Events
Golden History Museum & Park Events and Programs
Virtual programming
POSTPONED
Wharf Rats from New Orleans
On May 3, 1855, three mercenaries known as the Immortals, and identified as Edward Chinn, Mark Taylor, and Edgar Vanover, boarded a ship in San Francisco and sailed under the command of William Walker to Nicaragua. The hired guns gave battle to the Nicaraguan nationalistic troops at Rivas and for a short time opened the South American country to slavery. The victory at Rivas was ill conceived, poorly led, and the Immortals were lucky to escape Nicaragua with their lives. Rumors abounded in California that they swam back to the States. Other rumors circulated that they rode stolen horses from California to their destination of Golden City, Colorado Territory.
Dennis Potter, retired Captain of the Jefferson County Colorado Sheriff’s Department, criminal justice professor, and previous presenter of the popular “Operation Hideout: The Investigation into the Kidnapping and Murder of Adolph Coors III” returns for this exciting program.
 San Francisco |
Location and Pricing
6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Free for members; $10 plus online registration fee for non-members
Membership
Membership pays for itself with just a few programs for your family. Join us.
Facility Rental
Learn how a Golden Museum Rental offers unique experiences that range from rustic to ritzy.
photo: Scott Dressel-Martin
CANCELED
Join us at Golden History Museum for storytime. We’ll read books related to various themes found inside the museum.
No registration.
Free for all.
What are we really arguing about? Environmentalism in the 21st Century
Sandy Woodson
Climate change has emerged as the central environmental problem facing humanity in the 21st century. According to NASA, 97% of climate scientists agree that climate change is occurring. There are daily news items featuring truly stunning facts about hurricanes, melting glaciers, increased turbulence during trans-Atlantic flights, etc. Many Americans, however, remain unpersuaded or even infuriated by this barrage of bad news. This lecture uses philosophical tools to unpack the competing claims that surround environmental issues, and to provide new ways of looking at the arguments that continue to pit us against each other.
Sandy Woodson teaches ethics and environmental philosophy at the Colorado School of Mines. She holds degrees from North Carolina State University, Colorado State University, and the University of Montana. She has been teaching at Mines since 1999.
Location and Pricing
6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Free for members; $10 plus online registration fee for non-members
Membership
Membership pays for itself with just a few programs for your family. Join us.
Facility Rental
Learn how a Golden Museum Rental offers unique experiences that range from rustic to ritzy.
Museum Collection Storage Tour
Join Curatorial staff for a rare behind-the-scenes tour of offsite collection storage. Hear about the Legacy Collection Inventory Project, and leave with a better understanding of what we are doing to create the best City of Golden collection ever.
We will meet at the offsite storage location; details will be provided upon registration. Limited to 15 participants.
Membership
Membership pays for itself with just a few programs for your family. Join us.
Facility Rental
Learn how a Golden Museum Rental offers unique experiences that range from rustic to ritzy.
Let the Women Vote: How Colorado Women Led in the Women’s Suffrage Fight
Colorado women began their fight for voting rights in 1876 during the Constitutional Convention. By 1920 and the passage of the 19th Amendment, Colorado women took the lead and helped gain voting rights for most American women. Join CU Denver historian Rebecca Hunt as she reveals how all of this came about.
Dr. Rebecca A. Hunt is Associate Professor C/T in history at the University of Colorado Denver. She teaches gender, immigration and American Western history as well as museum studies. Rebecca’s books include A Century of Healing: Swedish Medical Center (2005) and Wyoming Medical Center: A Centennial History (2011). Natrona County: People, Place and Time (2011) and Casper Chronicles II (2016). Rebecca was the historian for A Woman to Match a Mountain (2008) a documentary on Neal Forsling, Casper, Wyoming homesteader, artist and writer. Her current projects are Urban Pioneers: Continuity and Change in Two Denver Immigrant Neighborhoods and Snow Stories: Skiing in Central Wyoming.
Location and Pricing
6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Free for members; $10 plus online registration fee for non-members
Membership
Membership pays for itself with just a few programs for your family. Join us.
Facility Rental
Learn how a Golden Museum Rental offers unique experiences that range from rustic to ritzy.
Cretaceous Colorado and The Greenhouse Climate
Have you ever wondered what it was like in Colorado during the Cretaceous era? Can you imagine yourself living among surfing dinosaurs and swimming in the waters that covered our current terrain? Maybe the present is not the key to the past, but it might be the key to the future! In this lecture, we will look at how combined processes of storms and waves interact with shelf topography from deposits that cause us to rethink our ideas of the gentle ocean shelf and what it means when climates change. The Cretaceous time of the western seaway of North America holds many intriguing questions and few important answers! Join presenter Dr. Lesli Wood to take a swim through the Cretaceous era in Colorado and New Mexico.
Dr. Lesli Wood joined the faculty at Colorado School of Mines in January 2015 as a Professor and the Robert Weimer Endowed Chair in Sedimentary and Petroleum Geology, where she is director of the Sedimentary Analogs Database and Research Program (SAnD). Prior to joining CSM, Dr. Wood held positions at the University of Texas at Austin, Amoco Production Company and Arco. She received her doctorate in 1992 from Colorado State University following her MS work at the University of Arkansas. Dr. Wood specializes in quantitative seismic geomorphology of clastic basins, structural and sedimentary system interactions, submarine mass failures, petroleum geology, mobile shales and geomorphology of Mars. Dr. Wood has published widely on the nature of modern and ancient deep- to shallow-water systems around the world and has won numerous best paper and poster awards, including AAPG’s Sproule Award, and most recently the 2014 EAGE Norman Falcon Award as co-author of the Best Paper in Petroleum Geosciences. She, her wife, and her pig are very pleased to be relocated in the Rocky Mountains after 23 years in Texas.
Location and Pricing
6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Free for members; $10 plus online registration fee for non-members
Membership
Membership pays for itself with just a few programs for your family. Join us.
Facility Rental
Learn how a Golden Museum Rental offers unique experiences that range from rustic to ritzy.
Homestead Open House
Homestead Open House is a series of open days that will allow you to experience 1800s homesteading life. It’s held on summer Saturdays at Golden History Park, adjacent to downtown Golden.
Activities
Homestead Open House may include the following fun, volunteer-led activities:
- woodstove cooking
- cabin exploration
- schoolhouse lesson
- blacksmithing
This event is drop-in style; there is no registration. Come any time between 10 am and 2 pm.
Each event will be unique based on how many and which volunteers are available to interpret their craft.
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. Also, see the 1876 Guy Hill schoolhouse which was originally located in the canyon too, but on a different property. It served the needs of canyon locals until 1951.
We reserve the right to cancel any occurrence with short notice.
Location and Pricing
Golden History Park
10 am – 2 pm; drop in anytime
Free for all
Membership
Membership pays for itself with just a few programs for your family. Join us.
Facility Rental
Learn how a Golden Museum Rental offers unique experiences that range from rustic to ritzy.
Our rustic three-acre park is ideal for those with a “Do It Yourself (DIY)” mindset. Whether you are interested in having your wedding ceremony and/or reception with us or intent on hosting a large event such as family reunion or a corporate retreat, Golden History Park offers a unique experience for your guests. It’s only a short walk from downtown Golden which features shopping, restaurants, and more.
Homestead Open House
Homestead Open House is a series of open days that will allow you to experience 1800s homesteading life. It’s held on summer Saturdays at Golden History Park, adjacent to downtown Golden.
Activities
Homestead Open House may include the following fun, volunteer-led activities:
- woodstove cooking
- cabin exploration
- schoolhouse lesson
- blacksmithing
This event is drop-in style; there is no registration. Come any time between 10 am and 2 pm.
Each event will be unique based on how many and which volunteers are available to interpret their craft.
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. Also, see the 1876 Guy Hill schoolhouse which was originally located in the canyon too, but on a different property. It served the needs of canyon locals until 1951.
We reserve the right to cancel any occurrence with short notice.
Location and Pricing
Golden History Park
10 am – 2 pm; drop in anytime
Free for all
Membership
Membership pays for itself with just a few programs for your family. Join us.
Facility Rental
Learn how a Golden Museum Rental offers unique experiences that range from rustic to ritzy.
Our rustic three-acre park is ideal for those with a “Do It Yourself (DIY)” mindset. Whether you are interested in having your wedding ceremony and/or reception with us or intent on hosting a large event such as family reunion or a corporate retreat, Golden History Park offers a unique experience for your guests. It’s only a short walk from downtown Golden which features shopping, restaurants, and more.
RESCHEDULED FROM 2019
Viva Los Americanos! Colorado Volunteer Infantry in the Philippines, 1898-1899
Viva los Americanos looks at the adventures, trials and tribulations of the First Colorado Volunteers who fought in the Philippines in the Spanish American War. Follow the 1898-1899 exploits of the First Colorado as they travel from Denver to Manila to first fight the Spanish and then later the Filipinos. Get to know such Colorado characters as Dr. Rose Kidd Beere, Sgt. Dick Holmes, and Colonel Henry McCoy.
Presenter Geoff Hunt earned his Bachelors of Arts in History at the University of Wyoming, Masters of Arts in Museum Studies at Cooperstown, NY, and Ph.D. in History from the University of Colorado Boulder. Hunt was the Founding Director of Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum, and just retired after 22 years as Professor of History at the Community College of Aurora.
Location and Pricing
Membership
Membership pays for itself with just a few programs for your family. Join us.
Facility Rental
Learn how a Golden Museum Rental offers unique experiences that range from rustic to ritzy.
Homestead Open House
Homestead Open House is a series of open days that will allow you to experience 1800s homesteading life. It’s held on summer Saturdays at Golden History Park, adjacent to downtown Golden.
Activities
Homestead Open House may include the following fun, volunteer-led activities:
- woodstove cooking
- cabin exploration
- schoolhouse lesson
- blacksmithing
This event is drop-in style; there is no registration. Come any time between 10 am and 2 pm.
Each event will be unique based on how many and which volunteers are available to interpret their craft.
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. Also, see the 1876 Guy Hill schoolhouse which was originally located in the canyon too, but on a different property. It served the needs of canyon locals until 1951.
We reserve the right to cancel any occurrence with short notice.
Location and Pricing
Golden History Park
10 am – 2 pm; drop in anytime
Free for all
Membership
Membership pays for itself with just a few programs for your family. Join us.
Facility Rental
Learn how a Golden Museum Rental offers unique experiences that range from rustic to ritzy.
Our rustic three-acre park is ideal for those with a “Do It Yourself (DIY)” mindset. Whether you are interested in having your wedding ceremony and/or reception with us or intent on hosting a large event such as family reunion or a corporate retreat, Golden History Park offers a unique experience for your guests. It’s only a short walk from downtown Golden which features shopping, restaurants, and more.
Iron, Dynamite and Intrigue: David Moffat and Colorado Railroads
Banker and entrepreneur David Moffat was instrumental in Colorado railroad development and worked to connect the Colorado Territory to the national rail system. His first efforts were to link Denver to Cheyenne, which some credit as reviving the city of Denver. Through his investments, his work even went beyond his living years.
Take a ride through Colorado history with presenter Stan Moore from territorial days to the present where we will look at what happened and the lessons learned (or not). This talk is based on Moore’s three historical novels about David Moffat’s railroad.
Stan Moore is a husband, father, and grandfather; a third generation Coloradan; a graduate of the University of Colorado; an author and historian; a Vietnam veteran; a retired small business owner; an amateur blacksmith, and an avid mountaineer, backpacker and desert rat. Moore and his wife make their home near Denver with a cat that lets them stay there. More information can be found at stanmoorewriter.com.
Location and Pricing
6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Free for members; $10 plus online registration fee for non-members
Membership
Membership pays for itself with just a few programs for your family. Join us.
Facility Rental
Learn how a Golden Museum Rental offers unique experiences that range from rustic to ritzy.
Homestead Open House
Homestead Open House is a series of open days that will allow you to experience 1800s homesteading life. It’s held on summer Saturdays at Golden History Park, adjacent to downtown Golden.
Activities
Homestead Open House may include the following fun, volunteer-led activities:
- woodstove cooking
- cabin exploration
- schoolhouse lesson
- blacksmithing
This event is drop-in style; there is no registration. Come any time between 10 am and 2 pm.
Each event will be unique based on how many and which volunteers are available to interpret their craft.
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. Also, see the 1876 Guy Hill schoolhouse which was originally located in the canyon too, but on a different property. It served the needs of canyon locals until 1951.
We reserve the right to cancel any occurrence with short notice.
Location and Pricing
Golden History Park
10 am – 2 pm; drop in anytime
Free for all
Membership
Membership pays for itself with just a few programs for your family. Join us.
Facility Rental
Learn how a Golden Museum Rental offers unique experiences that range from rustic to ritzy.
Our rustic three-acre park is ideal for those with a “Do It Yourself (DIY)” mindset. Whether you are interested in having your wedding ceremony and/or reception with us or intent on hosting a large event such as family reunion or a corporate retreat, Golden History Park offers a unique experience for your guests. It’s only a short walk from downtown Golden which features shopping, restaurants, and more.
Homestead Open House
Homestead Open House is a series of open days that will allow you to experience 1800s homesteading life. It’s held on summer Saturdays at Golden History Park, adjacent to downtown Golden.
Activities
Homestead Open House may include the following fun, volunteer-led activities:
- woodstove cooking
- cabin exploration
- schoolhouse lesson
- blacksmithing
This event is drop-in style; there is no registration. Come any time between 10 am and 2 pm.
Each event will be unique based on how many and which volunteers are available to interpret their craft.
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. Also, see the 1876 Guy Hill schoolhouse which was originally located in the canyon too, but on a different property. It served the needs of canyon locals until 1951.
We reserve the right to cancel any occurrence with short notice.
Location and Pricing
Golden History Park
10 am – 2 pm; drop in anytime
Free for all
Membership
Membership pays for itself with just a few programs for your family. Join us.
Facility Rental
Learn how a Golden Museum Rental offers unique experiences that range from rustic to ritzy.
Our rustic three-acre park is ideal for those with a “Do It Yourself (DIY)” mindset. Whether you are interested in having your wedding ceremony and/or reception with us or intent on hosting a large event such as family reunion or a corporate retreat, Golden History Park offers a unique experience for your guests. It’s only a short walk from downtown Golden which features shopping, restaurants, and more.
Pulling the Teeth of the Tropics: American Public Health during the Construction of the Panama Canal
The construction of the Panama Canal between 1904-1914 was an engineering triumph, but less appreciated is the significant role that medicine and public health played in that achievement. Professor Paul Sutter will discuss how American sanitary officials managed diseases such as malaria and yellow fever, and how those efforts intersected with, and transformed, American ideas about the tropics and tropical nature.
About the presenter: Paul Sutter
Professor Paul Sutter, University of Colorado Boulder
Paul Sutter, Professor of History and Chair of the History Department at the University of Colorado Boulder, is the author of Driven Wild: How the Fight against Automobiles Launched the Modern Wilderness Movement (2002) and Let Us Now Praise Famous Gullies: Providence Canyon and the Soils of the South (2015). He has published widely on the American wilderness movement, the environmental history of the U.S. South, U.S. imperial environmental history, and environmental historiography. He is a series editor for Weyerhaeuser Environmental Books published by the University of Washington Press.
Location and Pricing
6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Free for members; $10 plus online registration fee for non-members
Membership
Membership pays for itself with just a few programs for your family. Join us.
Facility Rental
Learn how a Golden Museum Rental offers unique experiences that range from rustic to ritzy.
Homestead Open House
Homestead Open House is a series of open days that will allow you to experience 1800s homesteading life. It’s held on summer Saturdays at Golden History Park, adjacent to downtown Golden.
Activities
Homestead Open House may include the following fun, volunteer-led activities:
- woodstove cooking
- cabin exploration
- schoolhouse lesson
- blacksmithing
This event is drop-in style; there is no registration. Come any time between 10 am and 2 pm.
Each event will be unique based on how many and which volunteers are available to interpret their craft.
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. Also, see the 1876 Guy Hill schoolhouse which was originally located in the canyon too, but on a different property. It served the needs of canyon locals until 1951.
We reserve the right to cancel any occurrence with short notice.
Location and Pricing
Golden History Park
10 am – 2 pm; drop in anytime
Free for all
Membership
Membership pays for itself with just a few programs for your family. Join us.
Facility Rental
Learn how a Golden Museum Rental offers unique experiences that range from rustic to ritzy.
Our rustic three-acre park is ideal for those with a “Do It Yourself (DIY)” mindset. Whether you are interested in having your wedding ceremony and/or reception with us or intent on hosting a large event such as family reunion or a corporate retreat, Golden History Park offers a unique experience for your guests. It’s only a short walk from downtown Golden which features shopping, restaurants, and more.
How to register
Click the green ticket button in the upper left of each event to buy tickets online. 
Click “read more” in the lower right of each event for details. 
Event and Program Ticketing Policies at Golden History Museum & Park
(updated 11-20-18).
Please note: Tickets will only be available at the door if the program reaches its preregistration minimum.
Weather: All events are rain or shine. Tickets will not be refunded for any inclement weather including but not limited to snow, wind, rain or extreme temperatures.
Cancellation: GHM&P reserves the right to cancel a program for any reason. A full refund will occur automatically and notification sent if GHM&P cancels a program for any reason.
Refunds: Participants will not receive a refund except in the event that GHM&P cancels the program.
Facilities: Restrooms are not available on-site at the Golden History Park or Golden Cemetery. If at the Golden History Park, participants may use public restrooms located on 12th Street. Please call ahead to ask about accessibility concerns and mobility recommendations.
Additional details: Please note the minimum age requirements of some of our programs. Excessive disruptive behavior and any safety risks may result in a participant being asked to leave a program at the instructor’s discretion. Pets are not permitted at programs; service animals are permitted.
To purchase tickets, cancel your registration, or learn more about our events and ticketing policy, please call the Golden History Museum front desk during business hours at 303-278-3557.