Golden History Museum & Park
Golden History Museum & Park
4.5
12:00 AM - 11:30 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:30 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:30 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:30 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:30 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:30 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:30 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:30 PM
About
Pioneer life in the hills and canyons near Golden was harsh, difficult, and not for the faint of heart. Most who survived in the beautiful, if inhospitable region, succeeded as farmers and ranchers. Relive the experience by exploring the blacksmith shop, log cabins, hay barn and root cellar. Visit with our heirloom-breed chickens and discover a buzzing beehive. On select days, interact with costumed interpreters who enliven the landscape with cooking and blacksmithing demonstrations. Step inside the one-room Guy Hill Schoolhouse and take a seat in a student’s desk, but don’t wisecrack to the school mistress! After your History Park visit, remember to check out the free (for all of 2019) Golden History Museum directly across Clear Creek.
Duration: < 1 hour
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
89 reviews
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Hollywood B
Cocoa Beach, FL106 contributions
Aug 2014 • Friends
Stumbled upon the park while exploring golden. Saw people walking around with tubes, got curious asked them where they were going and an hour later I was whizzing down the river in a tube having the time of my life. There are some good currents along with some calm areas. Water on average is a couple feet deep so no dragging and scraping on the bottom. A lot of people fishing, swimming, panning for gold. Couple tips we rented tubes in town at Golden River Sports great people $18 a day. Guy suggested we walk up to the impoundment which is approx 1.5 to 2 miles upstream from the park through some beautiful woods. If there is a moderate flow at the impoundment jump down into the "ramp" get your tube situated and off you go; we did it tons of fun. Wear sneakers or some type of water shoes it is a creek and the sidewalk in the park ends up river a little ways so your walking on stone dust. Don't bring beer saw a party in front of us get stopped by the park police along with the guy at the tube rentals advising us the police post up along the river looking for that stuff and will fine you. We took the river almost down to the front door of the brewery what a blast. Did it a couple times can't wait to go back.
Written August 6, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Barry G
Los Angeles, California, United States64 contributions
Jun 2015 • Friends
The best thing about this little park is that it's located on Clear Creek, in beautiful Golden, Colorado. You can park to the west, and gain access by walking 100 yards or so across the bridge, or park to the east in the nearby lot (or on the street)—no charge for parking, and handicap accessible from either direction.
There are a few buildings of interest here from an earlier era (c. 1876), making for photo opportunities, but mainly you come here for the wonderful location—a stroll along the creek or through the trees and (depending upon the season) the flowers.
Among the buildings here, you'll find the Guy Hill Schoolhouse, built around 1876, in use until 1951, and moved from its original location to the park in 1976; the Reynolds Cabin, built in 1873; the Pearce/Helps cabin, 1878.
The latter are representative of the log cabins built at that time, the main structure being hewn from large trees and fashioned for assembly with little more than an axe.
You can obtain more information at www.golden history.org.
There are a few buildings of interest here from an earlier era (c. 1876), making for photo opportunities, but mainly you come here for the wonderful location—a stroll along the creek or through the trees and (depending upon the season) the flowers.
Among the buildings here, you'll find the Guy Hill Schoolhouse, built around 1876, in use until 1951, and moved from its original location to the park in 1976; the Reynolds Cabin, built in 1873; the Pearce/Helps cabin, 1878.
The latter are representative of the log cabins built at that time, the main structure being hewn from large trees and fashioned for assembly with little more than an axe.
You can obtain more information at www.golden history.org.
Written June 24, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
richard b
Wendover, UK60 contributions
Jun 2015 • Couples
School room and boarding house great to see. Nearby history centre was excellent too with very friendly staff. And to top it all we had fresh snacks from the Saturday farmers' market and ate them on the history centre patio in the open air
Written July 4, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Victoria N
Gateshead, UK3,191 contributions
Aug 2022
I visited for the first time recently from the UK. My sister and I managed to get parked for free nearby, however it was difficult due to so many people tubing on the river! The little park is free and you can see the remains of a few old pioneer buildings, including old cabins, a schoolhouse and cart etc. It's interesting however certainly not a museum.
Written August 29, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RockyRaccoon
Port Saint Joe, FL897 contributions
Jul 2015 • Couples
A couple of small houses on the banks of Clear Creek. I don't know what the concept was supposed to be, but it didn't work. Seems as if this could be a nice little excursion with some more thought. It's free and if you're just walking around downtown it's no real loss. Just don't get your hopes up for something more.
Written July 8, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Travelgnome
Carefree, AZ136 contributions
Apr 2015 • Couples
In the early 1990’s Irma Whys and her husband often drove up Golden Gate Canyon. One day she spied a For Sale sign on the old Pearce Ranch. Tom Pearce, a miner from Wales homesteaded this ranch in 1878. He and his family farmed and ranched in addition to mining.
Irma Whys is a Golden resident who is well-known for her interest in historic preservation. After driving by the For Sale sign several times, Whys decided to try to preserve the Pearce Ranch – then owned by Harvey Mozer.
She began by contacting Jefferson County Open Space to see if there was any interest in creating a “living history museum.” Whys also approached Golden Parks and Recreation. With the assistance of numerous volunteers including Golden Landmarks Association, the Historic Preservation Board and the City, plans began to fall into place. The City designated land near the Astor House for the park. This land was a former trash heap and had to be cleaned up before any structures could be relocated to the site. It was decided that if the Pearce cabins could be moved into Golden – a living history museum was a definite possibility.
Whys received a letter from Bill Bailey in Delta, who restored old cabins and was known for his preservation expertise. It was almost as if his letter was a sign to go ahead with the project. She then began looking for sponsors and more volunteers. By 1993 one of the most difficult tasks of the new project began. It involved moving two log cabins, a barn and an outhouse. They were taken apart log by log, numbered and carted from the Crawford Gulch, down Golden Gate Canyon and into Golden. Each log had to be re-chinked. Rotten logs were replaced. Bailey did some of the preliminary dismantling since the buildings were vacant since 1975 and deer mice had found a home in them. Volunteers worked on everything from windows, to roofing and doors. There is a long list of donors and volunteers who strived to bring this history to Golden. The park opened in 1999.
Today the Clear Creek History Park consists of the Guy Hill Schoolhouse, the Pearce Cabin, the Reynolds Cabin, a blacksmith shop, an outhouse, a chicken coop, a flower and vegetable garden. Go back in time to the 1880’s with a visit to this wonderful attraction – you won’t be disappointed!
Irma Whys is a Golden resident who is well-known for her interest in historic preservation. After driving by the For Sale sign several times, Whys decided to try to preserve the Pearce Ranch – then owned by Harvey Mozer.
She began by contacting Jefferson County Open Space to see if there was any interest in creating a “living history museum.” Whys also approached Golden Parks and Recreation. With the assistance of numerous volunteers including Golden Landmarks Association, the Historic Preservation Board and the City, plans began to fall into place. The City designated land near the Astor House for the park. This land was a former trash heap and had to be cleaned up before any structures could be relocated to the site. It was decided that if the Pearce cabins could be moved into Golden – a living history museum was a definite possibility.
Whys received a letter from Bill Bailey in Delta, who restored old cabins and was known for his preservation expertise. It was almost as if his letter was a sign to go ahead with the project. She then began looking for sponsors and more volunteers. By 1993 one of the most difficult tasks of the new project began. It involved moving two log cabins, a barn and an outhouse. They were taken apart log by log, numbered and carted from the Crawford Gulch, down Golden Gate Canyon and into Golden. Each log had to be re-chinked. Rotten logs were replaced. Bailey did some of the preliminary dismantling since the buildings were vacant since 1975 and deer mice had found a home in them. Volunteers worked on everything from windows, to roofing and doors. There is a long list of donors and volunteers who strived to bring this history to Golden. The park opened in 1999.
Today the Clear Creek History Park consists of the Guy Hill Schoolhouse, the Pearce Cabin, the Reynolds Cabin, a blacksmith shop, an outhouse, a chicken coop, a flower and vegetable garden. Go back in time to the 1880’s with a visit to this wonderful attraction – you won’t be disappointed!
Written May 7, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
michele m
Sunnyvale67 contributions
Jul 2014 • Couples
Small, but full of information and interesting facts about Golden and the surprisingly large number of innovative people from the area. Strong and proud community. Several videos of people recalling history, good music history and instruments, and a cool laser machine that etched a souvenir for us. A great alternative to visiting a Denver museum. Get the $5.00 ticket to also visit the Astor House across Clear Creek for a great step into history.
Written July 28, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KendraP05
Windsor, CO198 contributions
Sep 2015 • Family
We've used this area for family pictures and my husband and I just wander around sometimes and look at the buildings and read the plaques. Being in the foothills and with the mountains against the scene, it's a gorgeous setting. Fun to visit.
Written March 21, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amy S
Durand, WI450 contributions
May 2015 • Couples
My husband and I stumbled upon this little gem while walking along the trail. It is a little settlement village that contains a ranch, a blacksmith barn, garden, school and chicken coop with live chickens. You can see how the early settlers lived in the late 1800's. The buildings were locked and there was no staff when we were there, but you can walk all over the property anytime. You can peek inside the windows and see old furniture and decor, and how settlers lived back then.
Written July 16, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wayne C
Merrimack, New Hampshire62 contributions
May 2015 • Family
Right in the center of this wonderful western town on the banks of Clear Creek you will find the very informative History Park. If you wish to truly understand your surroundings you will spend an hour or so educating yourself in this compact but highly effective historical display. Be sure to see the many bronze plaques on the Washington Street Bridge.
Written June 1, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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