Denver in the 1960s and 1970s (Memory Lane) (Colorado Springs, Boulder: nursing, ceramic)

[T. Hess]

My sisters and I had to live in the Denver Orphan's / Children's Home in east Denver in the early 60's. I was a dumb kid (6) and liked it alot better than my sisters (teens). We had many activities all year and I would never have seen them if I wasn't in "the home". I eventually went to a foster home. my sisters stayed at the home until they graduated from high school.........we used to go swimming at a lake at about Mississippi Ave. and Dahlia St. Can't recall the name. There's apartments all over that area now.....Downtown Woolworth's cafeteria had the best German Chocolate cake in the world, my Auntie and I both knew it......"Auntie". that's what we called her, and I used to take the bus (before it was called RTD) to the old Elitches on w. 38th Ave. The ride cost us a dime or a dime sized token with a hole in it. I hope Auntie had as much fun as I had. She was 55 years older than me! We had giant taffy pulls at the home at Christmas time. I don't know how the girls made it but who cares? It was great fun. Huge amounts of sticky taffy. And before I shut up, we (Kids from the home) spent many Friday nights at Celebrity Sports center, just having fun in so many ways, it's too bad we grew up

[T. Hess]

Did you ever have a Monaco Twin for lunch at Monaco Lanes. MAN those were good sandwiches! Who was that nice couple who owned the place in the 60's?

I remember Moonlight Bowling late at night, also used to bowl for S&H Green stamps at Monaco Lanes on Leetsdale Dr. My Wife had 10 strikes in a row one night and won thousands of those stamps. On her 11th ball she had so many people watching that she rolled a 5 but she picked up the spare. A little nervous I guess. Her score was 285. Better than I ever did. We spent alot of time licking stamps and putting them in books. We got a nice stereo for all her hard work though. Wow, that was 40 years ago. I must be old!

[nwerle]

what plot # at logan, will stop by next time there

[jude fawley]

Originally Posted by T. Hess

Red Barn, MAN those were good!! That was down on E. Colfax, a little west of East High School.

The building's still there, it's a Starbucks now.

[reed303]

Originally Posted by T. Hess

Red Barn, MAN those were good!! That was down on E. Colfax, a little west of East High School.

Originally Posted by jude fawley

The building's still there, it's a Starbucks now.

Except it is East of East High

https://goo.gl/maps/v7CZrRTMi9E2

[MikeFl1]

Originally Posted by Colorado oldtimer

That was the Alpine Village Inn. I worked there as a busboy (and wore lederhosen) from about 1967 to 1970.

The Alpine Village Inn was also associated with The North Woods Inn in Littleton, and the Olde Heidelberg Inn in Golden. The Alpine Village Inn also had locations in Reno and Las Vegas...

[SadlyMistaken]

The Flame (restaurant/bar). I think is must have been about where Inverness Business Park is now. I was a kind mid 60's and I remember seeing a flickering red neon flame "out there" in the darkness as we were driving on The Valley Highway. As I recall it was a "BIKER BAR" (and who knows what kind of violence and depravity went on out there!)

Dry Creek road as a single lane livestock tunnel under the Valley Highway?

When Preston Vickers (yes, THAT Vickers), and some friends stole some dynamite from some mine shed in the hills and tried to blow-up the 225 bridge over I-25 (as I recall), only to just blow off a tiny chunk of cement (then getting busted because they walked into a 7-11 with a stick of dynamite hanging out of a back pocket?)

The indoor tennis center on Arapahoe Rd east of the valley highway (bldg is still there).

When Smoky Hill High School was built? I was at Creek for 10th grade that year. I remember being utterly baffled that half of my friends were gone when school started that year because they had been relocated to SMHS.

Daniels Park and the "cave" kinda below the shelter? (now overlooks one of the most perverse examples of out-of-control narcissitic hubris EVER!). That Remax dude is pathetic.

The Barn parties on Crowfoot Valley Road (not sure that was the name of that road then). Burned down years ago, though the silo is still there.Ragers!!

Keggers out somewhere off Parker Road up some dry creek bed. Huge bonfires. (If anyone remembers exactly where that was, I'd love to know!)

"The Trees" where Glenmore GC is now.

Able to ride your bike all the way to Morrison from Englewood before BearCreek Res was built.

Climbing into the missile silos out by where Aurora Res is now?

"Wildcat Canyon" (now Castlewood Canyon park)

"Shotguns Only" at Cherry Creek Damn

The "Martian Houses" at Cherry Creek Dam

Winchells at Happy Canyon?

My Sweet Lass

[West Side Boy]

Originally Posted by T. Hess

Stormy Rottman was my mom's neighbor in SE Denver back before 1977. And, my friend and I would drive out of our way for a burger from Red Barn, MAN those were good!! That was down on E. Colfax, a little west of East High School. Speaking of bars, when we turned 18, we drank and hit on girls (we called 'em chicks) at a 3.2 bar called Dirty Johns on West Mississippi. We even got lucky once in a long while

I remember Stormy, he was on Channel 9. Didn't he have a son who tried standing up on a roller coaster at Elitch's and was killed?

Bob Palmer's mother and father-in-law lived a few doors down from my Grandparents. Never got to meet him but remember thinking it was some sort of "celebrity" connection. Didn't know that outside of the Denver area, nobody knew who Bob Palmer was.

When I turned 18, my 3.2 joint was After the Gold Rush at 6th and Sheridan. I was so cool, just ask all of the girls that were impressed...

A right of passage for my friends and I when we turned 18 was to go to the Bare n' Boogie somewhere on north Sheridan, I believe. One of the few 3.2 stripper dives in Denver. We must have looked like idiots sitting there nursing a beer ogling over the strippers.

[DOUBLE H]

Originally Posted by West Side Boy

I remember Stormy, he was on Channel 9. Didn't he have a son who tried standing up on a roller coaster at Elitch's and was killed?

Bob Palmer's mother and father-in-law lived a few doors down from my Grandparents. Never got to meet him but remember thinking it was some sort of "celebrity" connection. Didn't know that outside of the Denver area, nobody knew who Bob Palmer was.

When I turned 18, my 3.2 joint was After the Gold Rush at 6th and Sheridan. I was so cool, just ask all of the girls that were impressed...

A right of passage for my friends and I when we turned 18 was to go to the Bare n' Boogie somewhere on north Sheridan, I believe. One of the few 3.2 stripper dives in Denver. We must have looked like idiots sitting there nursing a beer ogling over the strippers.

That would be Starr Yelland's son, it happened in 1965. Very sad situation. Speaking of Bob Palmer, he, Starr Yelland, and Warren Chandler was the best news/weather/sports station through much of the 1970's.

Correct on Stormy Rottman. Had gravelly sort of voice but was a very personable guy, very knowledgable on weather. Great guy!

I only went to After The Gold Rush a couple times, I was getting close to 21 when they first opened. The owner named the place because he was a big Neil Young/Buffalo Springfield fan. OK place though. My favorite ones were the Draught House in Thornton, Tulagi's in Boulder, and the Bachannal on west Evans.

[jude fawley]

Originally Posted by SadlyMistaken

Able to ride your bike all the way to Morrison from Englewood before BearCreek Res was built.

I used to ride my bike to Morrison from Bear Valley all the time, went on Yale to Estes Street to pick up Morrison Road. It was a two-lane road all the way to Morrison. By the time you got to Kipling you felt like you were really out in the country. The traffic wasn't heavy and the speed limit wasn't very high, so I guess it was safe enough to be biking along there, though I sure wouldn't want to do it now. I used to do this on a one-speed Stingray bike. One time I borrowed my brother's ten-speed and rode up to Evergreen just for the heck of it. If I tried any of this now on a bike, no matter how many speeds, I'd probably need to call Uber about halfway through to get a ride back home.