30 years ago – May 24, 1991
Saturday, May 18, was the kickoff day for a new Gilpin County Historical Society venture. Starting Saturday, May 25, and continuing through September 2, Coors is sponsoring the Central City Walking Tour, which will be held daily from noon until 5 p.m. The tour will begin at the Teller House Gardens, where tickets may be purchased for $3 for adults. Children under the age of 12 are admitted free. The tour group will be escorted up Eureka St., wind around St. James Methodist Church, and continue east on High St. to Clark Annex. Descending the stairs to Lawrence St., the tour will go south on Spring St. to Nevada St. and continue on Burion to Pine St. The tour ends up at the Teller House Gardens. The tour includes history of public houses and businesses, which will be highlighted by the guides as well as the city’s history and well-known pioneers. Group rates and advance tickets will be available at the Gilpin History Museum, the Golden Rose Inn, and the Teller House tour desk. Coors Brewery of Golden, is sponsoring the tour in cooperation with the local historical society. Coors has had a longstanding connection with the Gilpin area. The very first distributor of Coors, back in the 1800s, was Black Hawk. In recent years, Coors has sponsored many local events, one of the most popular being the Central City Jazz Festival.
Mid-morning on Tuesday smoke from old Engine No. 71 was once again curling towards the sky, bringing curious passersby up the hill. Floyd Cothran was on hand, who was the mastermind behind the restoration of the old steam engine. His wife Marie was also there, complete with railroad cap and a big smile. The Cothrans love Central City, and the train. When asked to fire up the engine for the International Association of Museums they were more than happy to oblige. The Association made the request so they could see how the steam operates the locomotive. Also, the Travel Agents Pow-Wow in Denver wanted to see the train up and running. Of course, the train cannot be moved down the track until legalities are worked out. The old engine can still be fired up though, and Floyd says, “She’s running good.” Marie Cothran says it’s going to take a lot of help from people that care to get the train back on track. Floyd Cothran is 80 years old, and steam engines are the love of his life. Originally from Shawnee, OK, his family owned a coal mine there. In the winter of his ninth year his whole family came down with pneumonia. Floyd was the only one who didn’t get sick. There was a bad cold spell in Oklahoma that year, and Floyd stayed in the mine to keep the steam boilers going so they wouldn’t freeze. Neighbors brought him food so he didn’t have to leave the mine. One of his first jobs was working on steam thrashers in Kansas for the wheat harvests. One year he rode a thrasher from Enid, Oklahoma, to Canada, harvesting wheat the whole way! Floyd’s railroad career started with the Missouri-Pacific line in Van Buren, Arkansas. He then moved on to the Denver-Salt Lake Railroad, and used to run from Phippsburg to Craig, also known as the Moffat Line. After some time on the Denver-Rio Grande, Floyd moved on to the Burlington-Northern, where he worked until retiring in 1973. On Tuesday, and Wednesday, with some help from his friend Stan Maury, Floyd was doing what he does and loves the best. Under his skilled hands old Engine 71 was running like a champ.
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