We Are All Connected

Golden has always felt connected—layered with history, memory, and meaning that runs far deeper than what we see today. This valley sits within the ancestral homelands of multiple Native peoples, including the Hinono’ei (Arapaho) and Tsétsėhéstȧhese (Cheyenne), who lived, traveled, and maintained cultural connections across the Front Range long before the city existed.

The Clear Creek Valley itself served as an important ecological and travel corridor between the Rocky Mountains and the Plains, rich with plant life, waterways, and migration routes that sustained Indigenous communities for generations.  These lands were not distant or abstract—they were living landscapes tied to ceremony, survival, and story.

In the 1800s, as gold was discovered in the region and settlers arrived, these tribal nations—already deeply rooted in the area—were pushed into conflict and displacement. The Cheyenne and Arapaho, who had long occupied and moved through parts of present-day Colorado, were directly impacted by events such as the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864, which forever altered their presence in the region. But their connection to this land was never fully broken. Today, their histories, voices, and cultural memory remain deeply tied to the landscapes of Golden and the surrounding foothills.

While honoring the deep history of the people and their lands, it’s important to recognize that their story is one essential and powerful part of a much larger puzzle that has shaped Golden into what it is today. This land holds many layers—Indigenous heritage, mining roots, early settlers, industry, education, and the everyday lives of the people who continue to call it home.

Through this series, I aim to explore all of these threads. While we look far back into the origins of this place, we also turn our attention to the more recent past and present—capturing the full spectrum of voices, experiences, and moments that define Golden across time. This is about honoring where we came from, while also preserving the living, evolving story of the community today.