Heritage Square (Golden, Colorado) facts for kids
| Previously known as Magic Mountain | |
General Store building
(originally Magic Mountain Play House) |
|
| Location | 18301 West Colfax Avenue, Golden, Colorado, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°42′48.67″N 105°12′44.14″W / 39.7135194°N 105.2122611°W |
| Status | closed |
| Opened | 1959 (reopened 1971) |
| Closed | June 30, 2018 |
| Owner | Lafarge |
| Operating season | All Year, Seasonal (Amusement Rides) |
| Attractions | |
| Total | Alpine Slide, Go Karts, Bumper boats, Swan Style Paddle Boats, Rio Golden Train, Kiddie Rides, Magic Shows |
| Roller coasters | Kiddie Coaster |
Heritage Square was a fun theme park and shopping village in Golden, Colorado. It looked like a storybook town from the Victorian era. It first opened as Magic Mountain in 1959.
The park was created by Walter Francis Cobb and John Calvin Sutton. They hired experts who had worked on Disneyland to design it. This made Magic Mountain one of the first theme parks built after Disneyland. It was designed to look like buildings from movies and plays.
Magic Mountain closed in 1960. But it reopened in 1971 as Heritage Square. It had unique shops, rides for kids, and even an alpine slide. The park was free to enter and open all year. Most of Heritage Square closed in 2015, and the entire park officially closed on June 30, 2018.
Contents
Building Magic Mountain
Walter Francis Cobb saw how popular theme parks were becoming. In 1952, he teamed up with John Calvin Sutton. They wanted to build a fun place for families in the Denver area. The huge success of Disneyland made them even more excited.
In 1957, they started a company called Magic Mountain, Inc. They sold shares to raise money for the new theme park.
Choosing a Location
The first idea for Magic Mountain was to build it on South Table Mountain. This was just east of Golden, Colorado. They bought a large area of land, about 460 acres (1.9 km²).
The original plan for this spot was very grand. It included a rainbow entrance with giant genies. There would be an enchanted forest and a Queen's Castle on top of the mountain. There were also plans for unique food stands shaped like pumpkins or polar bears.
However, people living nearby in Applewood did not like this plan. They worried about traffic and building on the scenic mountain. Walter Cobb listened to their concerns. He decided to find a different location for the park. The original mountain site later became a golf course and open space.
The Apex Site
The new location for Magic Mountain was 600 acres (2.4 km²) at the foot of the mountains. This was near Apex Gulch, southwest of Golden. This area was once a gold rush camp called Apex. It was an important stop on the way to the gold fields.
Around this time, Cobb learned about Marco Engineering, Inc. This company was formed by Cornelius Vanderbilt Wood, who helped build Disneyland. Cobb hired them to design Magic Mountain at this new location. Many designers from Wood's team had worked in Hollywood. They even helped design Disneyland itself. The main designers for Magic Mountain were Wade B. Rubottom and Dick Kelsey.
Park Areas and Fun Rides
The design for Magic Mountain was based on the history and future of Colorado. A real narrow gauge train was planned to go around the park. This type of train was common in Golden and the Colorado mountains.
The park was going to have six themed areas:
- Cavalry Post and Stockade: This area showed how settlers were protected on the frontier.
- Centennial City: This was like an Old West downtown.
- Fairgrounds: This area had fun rides, including a Mine Ride.
- Forest River: This section was about mountaineers, American Indians, and fur traders.
- Magic of Industry: This area told the story of industrial progress in the American West. It included an Outer Space Lines ride.
- Storybook Lane: This was a fairy tale land for younger visitors.
Magic Mountain also planned to have a ski slope on Jackson Hill.
Building and Closing
From 1957 to 1959, the main parts of Magic Mountain were built. This included the Magic Mountain Railroad, Cavalry Post, and Centennial City. A very large carousel ride called the historic Eden Palais was brought in.
However, the park started to have money problems. Some plans were changed or made smaller. Only one building of the Fairgrounds was built. The Forest River Ride area was changed. Storybook Lane and Magic of Industry were not built at all.
One big part that did get built was the Magic Mountain ski area. It was smaller than planned, with a rope tow instead of a ski lift. But it was one of the first ski areas in North America to use artificial snow. The ski area was successful, but the theme park was not.
Magic Mountain opened in 1959 but continued to have money troubles. It finally closed in 1960. Famous developer William Zeckendorf tried to save it, but it was too late. The rides were sold off to other parks, like Six Flags Over Texas. The main buildings stayed empty for a while.
Heritage Square Reopens
In 1970, a company called Woodmoor Corporation bought Magic Mountain. They decided to bring the park back to life as Heritage Square. It would be a shopping village with artisan shops and fun attractions.
Heritage Square opened in 1971. It had popular places like the Metal Master, General Store, and a Glassblower shop. A group of comedy actors started performing at the Magic Mountain Play House in 1972. They called themselves the Heritage Square Players. They opened the Heritage Square Opera House.
In 1973, they made another building into an auditorium theater. A Christmas Tree shop also opened nearby. It was one of the first shops in the country to sell Christmas items all year. Also that year, the second alpine slide outside a ski resort in North America was built on Jackson Hill. It became a very popular attraction.
A historic Lakewood schoolhouse was moved to the main street. It became Heritage Square's wedding chapel. In 1988, the Opera House became the Heritage Square Music Hall. It was a very popular dinner theater until it closed in 2013.
Storybook Buildings
Heritage Square is famous for its unique and artistic design. It is one of the best examples of "Storybook design" in the world. This style makes buildings look like they are from movies or plays.
The buildings use special tricks like "forced perspective." This makes them look taller or larger than they really are. The buildings are actually about two-thirds the size of real historic buildings in downtown Golden.
The designers, Kelsey and Rubottom, studied old Colorado building styles. They used styles from Golden and Denver, like Second Empire and Gothic Revival. This gave the park the feeling of an old west town. It was friendly and welcoming to children and other visitors. The buildings were very detailed and often hand-carved.
Who Owned the Park?
Over the years, Heritage Square had many different owners. The last owner was Martin Marietta Corporation. This company also owns the quarry next to the park.
Before that, Lafarge owned Heritage Square. They bought it in the early 1990s. The company used the park as a buffer zone. This helped prevent new buildings near their active quarry. It also helped reduce the sound from the rock blasts. On quiet days, you could hear and even feel the blasts from the park.
After the 2015 season, the Alpine Slide and the main town area closed. The Miner's Maze and the Church were moved to new locations. The Amusement Park at Heritage Square, including the Garden Grill and picnic areas, stayed open until 2018.
Fun Rides at the Amusement Park
The Amusement Park at Heritage Square had many rides for kids. These included Swings, a Balloon Ride, Banana Squadron, a Carousel, and the Crazy Bus. There were also the Himalaya, Miner Mike Roller Coaster, Python Pit Roller Coaster, Tea Cups, Tilt-a-Whirl, Scrambler, and a Ferris Wheel.
Besides these, there were bumper boats and swan-shaped paddle boats. In 2012, a space shuttle ride was added. A zipline was added in 2013. The park also had Go-Carts for juniors, adults, and a slick track. On weekends and holidays, you could even ride ponies! The Amusement Park was separate from the Rio Golden Railroad, Miners Maze Adventureland, and the Alpine Slide.
Park Railroads
Heritage Square had a railroad that changed names over time. It was known as the Magic Mountain Railroad, High Country Railroad, and finally the Rio Golden Railroad. Here are the steam-powered locomotives that operated there:
- D&RG/RGS locomotive #42 (built 1887) - ran from 1959 to 1961.
- Lima Shay locomotive #3118 (built 1920) - ran from 1975 to 1989.
- Denver & Rio Golden locomotive #463 (built 1998) - ran from 1998 to 2006.
- Rio Golden locomotive #1 (gas hydraulic drive) - ran from 2006 until the park closed.
Special Recognition
In 1975, the Jefferson County Historical Commission gave Heritage Square a special honor. It was named a Centennial Site. This was part of Colorado's Centennial-Bicentennial celebration. It recognized the area's history as the Apex town and Heritage Square's role in history.
In the News
At least one season of the popular Food Network show Unwrapped was filmed at the Notz Landing Diner, which was located at Heritage Square.
