Jacqueline Hart, Golden Gate Canyon. Golden Gate Grange held a History Night, on the evening of January 25, 2019. Mary Ramstetter, a descendant of one of the charter families of Golden Gate Grange, led a group of four panel speakers, Jeanne Hostetler, Idella Lewis and Vicky Tripp, in recounting family tales of Golden Gates early years, homesteading, prospecting and ranching. Some were original stories, and others passed down from parents and grandparents.

In addition to the stories shared, photos were displayed, depicting Guy Hill School when it still held classes and students. There were photos of the original families who homesteaded the area. There were even photos of the first community baseball teams in Golden Gate.

Mary’s husband Charlie shared the time he and his younger brother stole dynamite from one of the mines. Charlie’s older brother found it and set it off in the local school, with some friends, just before a dance. No one was injured but the school was destroyed and had to be rebuilt. Some of the boys received probation, according to Charlie, and others were sentenced to use their unique explosive interests more productively, in military service.

Today some mountain folk struggle with plowing driveways and high energy costs to warm homes. Charlie spent his childhood sharing an attic floor with his four brothers that he says, “Wasn’t really an attic. It was just a floor near the space where the two halves of the roof met.”

According to Idella, who grew up in Wheatridge but spent summers in Golden Gate with her grandparents as a child, ranching was common in the 1940s and 1950s. Idella’s grandparents ranched in Wheatridge in the winter and Golden Gate in the summer. The cattle were herded through the canyon when the seasons changed. She said that back then, most of Wheatridge was farm and ranch land, in fact, her family lived on 32nd and Simms which was a dirt road back then. She joked that her family never moved to town, town moved to her family.

Idella also remembered stories of the overturned milk truck in Golden Gate Park. She said during prohibition the truck would travel the roads and the driver would inquire to informed residents, “Would you like some milk?” But according to Idella, there wasn’t milk in that truck and those who were so inclined were aware of the product it truly contained.

Horse races were common in Golden Gate and the stories passed down state that dude ranch horses, the fancy rich horses, couldn’t beat the real mountain horses. Mountain horses were adept a navigating the rocky trails, while dude ranch horses fell behind. The term “mountain strong” appears to apply to livestock as well as residents.

Vicky Tripp, who grew up on Crawford Gulch in the 50s, remembers picking flowers along the road with her dog brownie and her trusty wheelbarrow. She was two or three years old and wandered for a few hours, eventually getting lost. It was the mailman who found her and returned her to her then pregnant mother.

Mary Ramstetter, a local historian who has interviewed many people from the area, was able to fill in and expand upon many of the stories of others. Among Mary’s colorful and numerous stories was the story of how Mayhem Gulch was so named. According to Mary a woman she interviewed, Leila White-Green, told her that the road down Douglas mountain should never have been built. Leila said that because a commissioner wanted to sell land in that area a road had to be built, despite the obvious fact that the terrain was unsuitable for horses, let alone vehicles. Leila said the name of the road was Mayhem Gulch. Mary added her story to her second book, and it was printed. Later, Leila said, ”Oh, no, I think the name was actually Maynard.” But then it was too late. The book was printed and the name, far better than Maynard Gulch, stuck.

Golden Gate Grange has an interesting history of its own. Chartered August 6, 1940, the Grange was organized so rural families would have access to group insurance like Blue Cross and the community could provide help when needed. Dances, cake auctions, card parties and a country store at the Grange all helped to fund the needs of the community.

Over the years, Golden Gate Grange has expanded and helped to support firefighter training, funding students involved in outreach overseas and was even responsible for the paving of Golden Gate Road. Today, they host dances, exercise classes, AA meetings, game nights and community activities. If you’re interested in applying for membership at the Grange, you can visit their website at www.goldengategrange.com or contact Jayne Ruesch at 303-215-9257.

(Originally published in the January 31, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)