The 2010s
2010
- CoorsTek celebrates 100 years in Golden
- MillerCoors begins manufacturing Banquet Beer, brewed from the original Adolph Coors formula, as well as Colorado Native beer
May 1, 2010
Basket handled 6th Avenue Bridge moved into place in Lakewood: the largest object ever moved within Jefferson County. Curving 17-span Indiana Bridge completed the same year at Golden, both part of West Corridor light rail project.
2011
St. Anthony West Hospital, Jefferson County’s first major hospital built from scratch in a century, completed in Lakewood
November 18, 2011
Jefferson County’s Sesquicentennial Gala held at Jefferson County Fairgrounds
2012
- James Baugh House at 11361 W 44th Avenue in Wheat Ridge listed on the National Register of Historic Places - one of the oldest log structures still standing in Colorado as of 2012
- Golden Cemetery listed on the National Register of Historic Places
February 7, 2012
New $23.7 million, state-of-the-art airport traffic control tower at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (formerly Jefferson County Airport) dedicated by the Federal Aviation Administration
March 26 - April 2, 2012
Lower North Fork Fire claims three lives, making it the first lethal wildfire in Jefferson County in 152 years. The fire spreads over 1400 acres burning 23 houses, a barn, and the historic 1887 Lamb School on Kuehster Road.
April 13, 2012
Burial of sesquicentennial time capsule in the Memorial Garden west of the Courts and Administration Building on the Jefferson County Government Center campus
May 2012
- Colorow Council Tree (at least 400 years old) and Rooney Ranch Picnic Site approved as county’s newest landmarks. This designation marks the first natural feature to be named as a landmark.
- Denver Mountain Parks celebrates its centennial (100 years)
September 13, 2012
President Barack Obama visits Golden for a public event. He is the second sitting President known to visit Golden.
November 2012
Colorado voters pass Amendment 64, legalizing marijuana for recreational use. The first retail marijuana businesses are licensed in January 2014.
November 7, 2012
Jefferson County Open Space celebrates its 40th anniversary
2013
Fruitdale School at 10801 W 44th Avenue in Wheat Ridge added to the National Register of Historic Places. Designed by Temple Hoyne Buell in 1927.
April 26, 2013
West corridor light rail line (W Line) opens, linking Golden and parts of Jefferson County with 11 stations that connect to downtown Denver. New line follows the historic Denver, Lakewood and Golden line.
May 18, 2013
Staunton State Park opens to the public. Staunton Ranch buildings designated as National Rural Historic Landscape on December 4, 2012.
July 7, 2013
Baehrden Lodge in Pine Valley Ranch Park reopens to the public after restoration. Designed by J.J.B. Benedict in 1928.
September 2013
Major floods hit the Front Range. In Jefferson County, Clear Creek, Bear Creek, and Coal Creek Canyon hardest hit.
2014
- Little White Schoolhouse in Conifer added to the National Register of Historic Places
- MillerCoors’ Golden brewery named Colorado Recycler of the Year by the Colorado Association for Recycling
January 2014
Colorado’s first retail marijuana businesses are licensed. The operation of marijuana cultivation facilities, product facilities, and retail marijuana stores are prohibited in unincorporated Jefferson County.
October 5, 2014
Travis Sandlin is first person to escape from the Jefferson County Detention Center. He escapes from the 6th floor of the North Tower and is on the run for 10 days, recaptured in Boulder County.
October 17, 2014
Ken-Caryl Ranch celebrates 100 years
2015
- Colorado School of Mines named top engineering college in the US by USA Today newspaper
- The Bradford-Perley site in Ken Caryl Ranch listed on the National Register of Historic Places
- Tiny Town celebrates 100 years
- Red Rocks Park and Mount Morrison Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp designated National Historic Landmarks
- Church’s Crossing Stage Stop Well designated a Jefferson County Landmark
- The 1886 District 17 Medlen School listed on the National Register of Historic Places
- Casa Bonita restaurant, in the JCRS Shopping Center on West Colfax, awarded Landmark status by the Lakewood Historical Society
January 2015
Jefferson County Sheriff K-9 Flash passes away from cancer after nine year tenure with Sheriff’s Office
May 21, 2015
Golden’s Frederick A. "Heinie" Foss, of Foss General Store, dies
October 1, 2015
Historic Horton House in Morrison severely damaged by fire
September 8, 2015
Astor House in Golden closes to undergo a major, two year rehabilitation and preservation project
2016
- Jefferson County Archives celebrates 25 years
- Golden Transcript celebrates 150 years of continuous publication of its newspaper, never having missed an edition
- Alderfer Ranch House and Barn, Buffalo Park Road, declared a Jefferson County Landmark
- Arvada Jaycee Hall at 5640 Yukon Street, built 1901 to 1902, declared a Jefferson County Landmark
- The "Big Red Barn" at Beaver Ranch, 11299 S Foxton Road in Conifer, declared a Jefferson County Landmark
- The Center for the Arts Building in Evergreen declared a Jefferson County Landmark
- Golden’s Heritage Square Victorian Village and Alpine Slide close by end of year
September 15, 2016
Joe Coors, Jr., great-grandson of Adolph Coors, dies at the age of 74
2017
- CSU Extension celebrates 100 years in Jefferson County
- Boettcher Mansion on Lookout Mountain celebrates its 100th anniversary
- Romano residence on S. Golden Road named to the National Register of Historic Places
- Olinger Woods Chapel at the corner of Washington Ave. & 11th St. in Golden closes after 102 years in business.
January 5, 2017
Golden Transcript publishes its 11,200th edition
January 10, 2017
100th Anniversary of Buffalo Bill’s death
March 9, 2017
A fire on South Table Mountain south of 32nd Ave. near Coors facilities, grew to 75 acres in one day. The fire caused pre-evacuations and knocked out power to part of Golden.
May 8, 2017
Historic hailstorm pelts Golden, Lakewood, Wheat Ridge, Arvada, Westminster and surrounding sections of unincorporated Jefferson County. The most expensive insured catastrophe in the state, with costs exceeding $1.4 billion.
August 2017
Lockheed Martin Corp. begins construction of a $350 million satellite production facility at its Waterton Canyon location. The facility is scheduled for completion in 2020.
October 1, 2017
"Linking Lookout," a $25 million construction project at the interchange of US 6 and 19th St., is completed, linking downtown Golden with the communities at the base of Lookout Mountain
October 7, 2017
Man dies from rattlesnake bite received while hiking Mt. Galbraith
November 7, 2017
Roy Halladay, former Major League Baseball player and 1995 Arvada West High School graduate, dies when his single-engine plane crashes into the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida coast
December 7, 2017
Golden High School student falls down a 100-ft. mine shaft near Golden. His only injury is a broken leg.
December 22, 2017
100th Anniversary of the death of Mother Cabrini
2018
- 100th Anniversary of the Great Flu Epidemic
- 100th Anniversary of the end of World War I
- Foothills Art Center at 809 15th St. in Golden, celebrates its 50th anniversary
- The Jefferson Center for Mental Health celebrates its 60th anniversary. The Jefferson Center got its start on April 30, 1958, in the basement of the Jefferson County courthouse
- Heritage Square Amusement Park permanently closes June 30. Attractions, games and memorabilia are auctioned off in October.
- The Hiwan Museum in Evergreen, originally called Camp Neosho, celebrates its 100th anniversary
- The Jefferson County Historical Society renamed Evergreen Mountain Area Historical Society to better reflect its geographical focal area
- Conifer’s iconic Yellow Barn turns 100 years old
- Elk Creek’s Octagon and Barn are placed on Colorado Preservation Inc.’s (CPI) Endangered Places List for 2018.
February 2018
Jeffco Public Schools respond to threats at Arvada West, Dakota Ridge and Columbine high schools in the wake of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida in which 17 people were killed.
March 2018
Students in Jeffco schools participate in the organized #Enough National School Walkout to End Gun Violence organized by Women’s March Youth, as well as a county-wide rally organized by local students
May 2018
Historical monument at the site of Jefferson County’s first town, Arapahoe City, is stabilized and restored after vandals steal its bronze plaque in 2016
June 1, 2018
The Bergen Park Church in Evergreen listed on the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties
September 15, 2018
Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge opens on the site of the former nuclear weapons plant amidst an ongoing lawsuit filed against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A fenced-off core area of the old factory grounds remains off limits due to contamination.
October 13, 2018
William "Bill" Coors, former chairman of the board of Adolph Coors Company and creator of the aluminum can, dies at age 102
October 16, 2018
Olde Town Portland Loo officially opens for business in Olde Town Arvada. City Council members cut a "ribbon" of toilet paper for the grand opening of the new public restroom.
November 2018
A $567 million bond to improve facilities throughout the Jefferson County R-1 School District wins voter approval
December 2018
Lockheed Martin Space announces relocation of portions of its production for the Navy’s Fleet Ballistic Missile program to unincorporated Jefferson County
December 30, 2018
White Fence Farm restaurant in Lakewood closes after 46 years
2019
- Colorado School of Mines students win Solar Decathlon AFRICA - a competition in which students competed to build a full-sized solar powered home in Morocco
- Golden Lions Club installs Sondra Welsh as first female president
- Golden High School Demons win state championship lacrosse title
- Jefferson County Public Health celebrates its 60th Anniversary
- Jeffco’s Action Center celebrates 50 years
- Molson Coors Beverage Company moves its headquarters from Denver to Chicago
February 3, 2019
- Nearly 1000 golden retriever dogs plus their humans celebrate International Golden Retriever Day in Golden. Known as the "Goldens in Golden" event.
- Arvada Police Department featured in a Super Bowl commercial
March 13, 2019
The "Bomb Cyclone" is the strongest storm ever recorded in Colorado with winds up to 90 mph at Denver International Airport
April 11, 2019
School of Mines celebrates Marv Kay Day, celebrating Kay’s many contributions to the school and community
April 16-17, 2019
Florida woman obsessed with the 1999 Columbine High School shootings travels to Denver and purchases a shotgun, kicking off a massive manhunt and closure of Denver-area schools
April 20, 2019
Survivors and loved ones gather in Clement Park to remember the Columbine High School shootings of 20 years ago
April 26, 2019
RTD’s G Line commuter rail service officially opens, running from Union Station in Denver to Arvada and Wheat Ridge
June 2019
- The Golden Grizzlies youth baseball team travel to New York to play in the Cooperstown Dreams Park Tournament
- Lakewood celebrates its 50th Anniversary
- Wheat Ridge celebrates its 50th Anniversary
- Coors employees save woman’s life caught in Clear Creek’s freezing cold, swift-moving water
- Replica of the Vietnam War Memorial wall on exhibit in Arvada
September 28, 2019
Hundreds of volunteers gather to help clean up a 13-mile stretch in Clear Creek Canyon Park in celebration of National Public Lands Day
November 2019
Jefferson County Open Space and City of Boulder Open Space finalize the land acquisition of the 425 acre Lippincott Ranch