Golden Transcript
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The ''Golden Transcript'' is the second oldest
newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as p ...
in
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
, behind the '' Central City Register-Call''. The ''Transcript'' is also the oldest media outlet of the
Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
metropolitan area. It is published by Mile High Newspapers in
Golden, Colorado Golden is a home rule city that is the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 20,399 at the 2020 United States Census. Golden lies along Clear Creek at the base of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountai ...
.


History

This newspaper was established as the ''Colorado Transcript'' in Golden on December 19, 1866. It was begun by George West, one of the founding fathers of Golden, who came west as leader of the Boston Company during the
Colorado Gold Rush The Pike's Peak Gold Rush (later known as the Colorado Gold Rush) was the boom in gold prospecting and mining in the Pike's Peak Country of western Kansas Territory and southwestern Nebraska Territory of the United States that began in July 1858 ...
in 1859. West began his journalistic career as an apprentice of the newspaper of
Claremont, New Hampshire Claremont is the only city in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 12,949 at the 2020 census. History Pre-colonial native populations Before colonial settlement, the Upper Connecticut River Valley was home to the Pe ...
, continuing as a journalist at the ''
Boston Transcript The ''Boston Evening Transcript'' was a daily afternoon newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts, published from July 24, 1830, to April 30, 1941. Beginnings ''The Transcript'' was founded in 1830 by Henry Dutton and James Wentworth of the firm of D ...
''. After coming west, he fortuitously helped William N. Byers publish the first extra edition of the ''
Rocky Mountain News The ''Rocky Mountain News'' (nicknamed the ''Rocky'') was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, United States, from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company from 1926 until its closing. As ...
'' on June 11, 1859, and then (with his partners in the Boston Company) established Colorado's fourth newspaper, the ''Western Mountaineer'', in Golden on December 4, 1859. After that newspaper ceased operating in 1860, West fought with the
Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...
in the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
, and resumed his journalistic career as Local Editor of the ''News'' in 1865. With money West saved he established Colorado's eighth newspaper, and Golden's third newspaper, in 1866. He named it the ''Transcript'' after his old newspaper, the ''Boston Transcript'', which published from 1830 to 1941 on Milk Street across from the Old South Meeting House in
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
. The namesake has now outlived the 110-year career of the original. Originally a weekly, the ''Transcript'' would continue publishing along this line for a century. Its founder remained at the helm for 40 years, a remarkable accomplishment in Colorado journalism, until his death in 1906. An ardent
Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...
, West used his paper often to promote Democratic candidates and causes. He also was a tireless promoter of Golden and constantly reported on and encouraged its growth and progress. Upon his death the newspaper passed to his son, Harley Dean West, a veteran of the
Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...
, and it remained in the West family for some years. During the 1960s the newspaper became a twice-weekly, three days a week, and finally a daily newspaper, publishing on weekdays throughout the 1970s. It resumed being twice weekly in the 1980s, and resumed being a weekly in the 2000s. Through the years the ''Transcript'' outlasted formidable competitors, including the ''Golden Globe'' (1872–1919); ''Jefferson County Republican'' (1919–46); and ''Golden Outlook'' (1940s–90s). The ''Golden Transcript'' carries the remarkable distinction of having never missed an edition throughout its publishing history. This has been accomplished despite such adverse events as a major paper shortage that caused it to print on single sheets of wrapping paper in 1869 and a fire that struck it as a daily in 1978. As of December 24, 2009, the ''Transcript'' has published a total of 10,832 issues. In May 2021, The Colorado Sun and nonprofit organization ''The National Trust for Local News'' became joint owners of ''The Golden Transcript'' along with over a dozen more local newspapers.


Homes of the ''Transcript''

The ''Golden Transcript'' has been headquartered at five locations in Golden: * Boston Building – 1005 Washington Avenue (1866–67; now destroyed) * Loveland Block – 1225 Washington Avenue (1867–70; second building of that name, now destroyed) * Transcript Building – 1115 Washington Avenue (1870–1967) * Transcript Building – 1000 10th Street (1967–2007) * ClickData Building – 110 North Rubey Drive (2007–2014) * Washington Station – 722 Washington Avenue (2014–present) In 1978, the Hesteds Building (1225 Washington Avenue; now destroyed) became the emergency quarters from which the ''Transcript'' was published after its headquarters was damaged by fire on November 4, 1978. Ironically, the paper was printed on exactly the same site as its second home.


Other ''Transcript'' publications

Over the years, companion editions of the ''Transcript'' have been published by its creators. These include Golden's original daily edition, reporting on the Colorado Territorial Legislature, published from 1866 to 1867; the Denver edition, published in 1875; and the Wheat Ridge edition (originally Jefferson County edition), published from 1982 to the present. These are considered distinct publications apart from the original ''Transcript''.


References

{{Reflist Newspapers published in Colorado Weekly newspapers published in the United States Transcript