Events
Programs and Events
Did you miss any of our live programs?
Some recordings are available to the general public at no cost, while some are only available to members. Now is a great time to join, as we’re constantly releasing new and exclusive material. Call 303-278-3557 if you have any questions or if you want to join by phone. You can also reach us electronically.
Colorado Water and the American West
“Golden, Colorado, and Entrance to Clear Creek Canon [sic], from Castle Rock Mountain Scenic Incline Railway. Denver Mountain Parks.”
This is a virtual event. Register on eventbrite.
Please join us for a discussion dedicated to Colorado’s most precious resource: water. Matthew S. Makley, Professor of History at MSU Denver, will offer a lecture and conversation about the history of water in Colorado and the American West. This sweeping exploration begins with a look at how First Peoples used water on the Colorado Plateau and concludes with a brief examination of how Denver has developed its water infrastructure. This session will offer participants a basic understanding of Colorado water law, along with a few quick case studies, including the story of the Civil War veteran Rueben Coffin and his battle with the Lefthand Ditch Company for water rights in the late 1800s. If you have ever been curious about water in Colorado, this lecture will help quench your thirst.
About the presenter: Matthew S. Makley
Matthew S. Makley, PhD, is a Professor of History at Metropolitan State University of Denver. He is the author of two books. His most recent, The Small Shall be Strong: A History of Lake Tahoe’s Washoe Indians (2018), won an American Library Association’s award for “Outstanding Academic Title.” Born and raised at Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Makley has lived in Golden since 2007. While his heart is in the canyons and valleys of the Sierra Nevada, he has come to call Colorado and the Rockies home.
Pricing
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.
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
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.
Possible 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 crafts. We reserve the right to cancel any occurrence with short notice.
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
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.
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
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.
Possible 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 crafts. We reserve the right to cancel any occurrence with short notice.
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
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.
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
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.
Possible 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 crafts. We reserve the right to cancel any occurrence with short notice.
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
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.
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.
Excess to Extremism: How Colorado’s National Guard Spoiled Denver’s Kitchens 1903-1917
This is a virtual event. Register on eventbrite.
In the wake of violent labor disputes in Colorado’s two-year Coalfield War (1903-4) and a final climactic attack on miners and their families at Ludlow (1914), actions by Colorado’s national guard led to a domestic rebellion in the homes of Denver’s elitist Capitol Hill women. Leading the charge was a young woman and single mother named Jane Street who resolved to change the status quo. Unfortunately, antics within the National Guard dogged Street even as the housemaid rebellion made local and national news. Join author and presenter Jane Little Botkin to uncover the hidden stories behind the 1903-1917 domestic rebellion.
About the presenter: Jane Little Botkin
Jane Little Botkin turned to historical investigation and writing upon her teacher retirement. Now she melds personal narratives of American families with compelling stories of labor radicals, miners, lawmen, and outlaws in settings rich with a history that transitions into the New West. Though a Texas native, her family’s roots are entwined around Colorado’s mining camps, including the Central City-Black Hawk mining district and Louisville. She is the author of Frank Little and the IWW: The Blood That Stained an American Family, which won five awards, including two Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America and the Caroline Bancroft History Prize. Jane’s newest release, The Girl Who Dared to Defy: Jane Street and Denver’s Rebel Maids, is about a young woman who attempts to orchestrate a domestic mutiny against Denver’s elitist Capitol Hill women. Jane’s own grandmother was such a servant in Boulder in 1916.
Pricing
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.
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
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.
Possible 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 crafts. We reserve the right to cancel any occurrence with short notice.
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
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.
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
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.
Possible 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 crafts. We reserve the right to cancel any occurrence with short notice.
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
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.
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
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.
Possible 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 crafts. We reserve the right to cancel any occurrence with short notice.
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
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.
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
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.
Possible 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 crafts. We reserve the right to cancel any occurrence with short notice.
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
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.
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
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.
Possible 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 crafts. We reserve the right to cancel any occurrence with short notice.
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
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.
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.
Buffalo Bill: How his Tumultuous Past turned into Box-office Gold
This is a virtual event. Register on eventbrite.
Buffalo Bill has gone down in history as one of the greatest showmen who ever lived. However, before Bill Cody was famous (and even afterwards), he had a few of his own demons to put to rest. Led by returning presenter and historian, Randi Samuelson-Brown, this talk will focus on Buffalo Bill’s earlier years as the west opened, his enduring support of social justice and his later years when a rather tumultuous past turned into box-office gold, despite a rather precarious business sense. He can probably thank his wife for that last part.
Randi Samuelson-Brown is a native of Colorado, originally from Golden. Her ancestors came to the state in the 1880s/1890s, a fact she is proud of. She is the author of The Beaten Territory, an award-nominated historical fiction set in a vice-riddled Denver and Leadville during the 1890s. She lives in Denver, CO.
Pricing
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.
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
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.
Possible 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 crafts. We reserve the right to cancel any occurrence with short notice.
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
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.
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
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.
Possible 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 crafts. We reserve the right to cancel any occurrence with short notice.
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
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.
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
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.
Possible 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 crafts. We reserve the right to cancel any occurrence with short notice.
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
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.
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
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.
Possible 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 crafts. We reserve the right to cancel any occurrence with short notice.
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
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.
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.
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.