Joyrides! Liquor! Haunted House Party!

The October 7, 1922 edition of the Rocky Mountain News reported a twenty-three year old woman was found unconscious on the lawn in front of a house at East Thirty-fifth Avenue and Gilpin Street. She was taken to the central police station, where a police surgeon dressed a deep scalp wound. She told of going to a party with three young men at the Haunted House Roadhouse where they all drank and danced, but she became unconscious on the way back to town. Police were seeking the three youths.

The January 28, 1929 edition of the Rocky Mountain News carried another interesting tale. "Two men were arrested and 28 pints of liquor were seized when the Haunted House Roadhouse ... was raided last Saturday night by Sheriff Lee Templeton and 10 deputies." 

Fifty persons were whooping it up when the officers arrived. The raiders entered so quickly that an elaborate warning system failed to alert the partygoers. Proprietor Leo Bomareto was arrested when one pint of liquor was found under a rug near the entrance. Officers found another 25 pints of "hooch" hidden near a pump house. Although Sheriff Templeton and a representative of the District Attorney's office searched all the attendees in the roadhouse, no additional liquor was found and all were released.

The house on 55th and Washington had once been the dream home of John B. Hindry, an early Denver builder and entrepreneur. In 1873 he built his two-story Italianate mansion on 110 acres of high ground overlooking the Platte River with a plan to create an exclusive subdivision of fine homes nearby. 

The influx of railroads, smelters, and meatpacking plants made the area more suitable to heavy industry than exclusive homes. Fumes from the smelters poisoned the grass and trees, and ate up the lace curtains and carpets. But Hindry stayed and rumors spread that the old man had a hoard of money hidden in the house. After being robbed several times, Hindry devised a solution. He set up a shotgun with the trigger tied to a cord so the shotgun would fire if the window was raised. It didn't take long.

On September 18, 1901 Hindry set his trap and traveled to Golden on business. When he returned home at 6:00 pm he found a man dead in his front yard. Eventually, the trap became his undoing. One night he bought he heard a prowler, tripped over the trigger cord and was wounded in the right side. Although he physically recovered, he abandoned the house and moved to California in 1906. The empty mansion and poisoned grounds was known for years as Globeville's Haunted House. 

In 1921, Leo Bomareto purchased the property at a tax auction and made enough repairs to open a Roadhouse (during Prohibition). Sheriffs and Federal agents raided the place frequently. The fines paid and the bail posted must have been a good source of revenue for the city, but neighbors were less pleased with the rowdy establishment, drunk drivers, and party patrons passed out nearby.

In 1923, Bomareto leased the property to the city for an isolation hospital, which also distressed the community. In 1940, Bomaretos fixed up the house and lived in it. In 1962, a mysterious explosion and fire destroyed the house. But tales of bootleg parties and mysterious ghostly appearances remain.

The Hindry Mansion - a rural estate

Bomaretos Market occupies the site today

Holy Rosary Pancake Breakfasts

Russ and I would pick up my mom, June Jackson Egan at about 7:30 am and then Dolores Saltz and head across town from Washington Park to Holy Rosary Church in the Globeville neighborhood. No need to hurry - the pastor, Father Joseph Meznar, lived right across the street from the church but couldn't seem to get to the 8:00 o'clock Mass until 8:30. If fact, when he strolled in, he didn't have his vestments on, so it was another 10 minutes before the Mass began. It didn't matter.

On the third Sunday of each month, the church held a pancake breakfast, with hearty portions of scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, toast and coffee. But people didn't really come to the breakfast for the reasonably priced meal. After Mass, the congregation filed in to the school cafeteria, armed with memorabilia and stories. The Polish folks from St. Joe's Polish church a half block away also arrived, as well as people who used to attend Holy Rosary, or who'd been married there, or gone to school at Holy Rosary.

There was sort of an order to the gathering with folks sitting next to family members or others they knew well. And the conversation started with current events - Margie Mauser's granddaughter had been accepted into law school, Bert Gizewski was in the hospital, Bernice Chacon's grandson Isaac was graduating from North High AND was the Valedictorian! 

Once the substantial breakfast was finished, the visual aids were shared.

There were photos, yearbooks, scrapbooks, notebooks, newspapers, and recipes. (A few had X-rays from their most recent procedure - a sure-fire way to get a second opinion). There were stories of working in the smelter, the railroad, Gardner Denver, foundries, packing houses, and the phone company. There were recollections of school plays, the Holy Rosary choir, Sister Magdalene and Sister Rita. People remembered the Slovenian Gardens and Johnny "Pop" Popovich, the Mayflower Lounge and the Logan Grill (former home of St. Jacob's No. 12, the Croatian Fraternal Society). 

Joseph Yelenick was the best! He had newspaper clippings from the 1940s, photos from Western Slavonic dances, picnics and bowling teams, and pictures of Yelenicks, Horvats and Canjars. Old Slavic names like Vucksinic, Videtich and Krasovich peppered the conversation. My mom, June Jackson Egan, could have worked for the CIA. She could recite all thirteen Grabrians, who they married and where they worked. 

The congregation from the second Mass arrived, as well as visitors from other parishes.Veterans from World War II recalled battles fought and won (some apparently single-handedly) and the formation of the Globeville Veterans' Club.  Dick Sadar and Chris Rouse provided well-known Slovenian tunes as well as requests. By12:30 pm, the event was coming to a close. 

The parish no longer has pancake breakfasts because the space is used for religious education. Most of the people are gone now, but their stories and memories live on. 

Dolores Saltz and June Egan share a story

Russ Markowski, Don Snyder and George Putnik 

identify the person in that photo

                               June Egan listens to Joseph Yelenick

The Trostles are a big family

Dick Sadar and Chris Rouse provide accordion entertainment

 

Church festivals in Globeville are the best!

Summertime is full of memorable events and the parish festivals in Globeville are among the best! Family-friendly activities won't break the bank and there is something for every member of the family.

The first of these will be at Holy Rosary Parish at 4688 Pearl Street. Founded by Slovenes and Croats, today's congregation is mostly Hispanic and the mixture of cultures results in a vibrant diversity.  You'll want to try Italian sausage sandwiches, burgers, churros, tacos, gorditas, flautas, and fruit ices. Make a bid for the silent auction items or try your hand at loteria!  

 

Holy Rosary parish bazaar

The following weekend, you'll want to head over to St. Joseph's Polish Roman Catholic Church, serving Polish Catholics since 1902. Celebrate all things Polish, including Polish sausage, potato pancakes, cabbage rolls, pierogi (several different varieties), desserts, and robust Polish beer. The Gama vocal ensemble and the Wiki Polish Dancers from Chicago, as well as the Amber Band will ignite your Slavic soul. Polish crafts make lovely gifts.

St. Joseph's Polish Roman Catholic Church at 517 E. 46th Avenue

 

Krila from Slovenia to perform at Holy Rosary Church

You are cordially invited to an evening of vocal music with Krila from Slovenia. This unforgettable performance promises energy and artistry in the atmosphere of Globeville's Holy Rosary Church.

The concert is complimentary, but we ask attendees to make a donation to this historic church. There will be light refreshments and an opportunity to visit with this remarkable group following the concert.

RSVP: Tamara Gorenc at 

tamiegorenc@gmail.com 

 Krila - Vokalna skupina Krila

Date: Friday, August 7th
Time: 7:00 pm 
Venue: Holy Rosary Catholic Church
           4688 Pearl Street, Denver, CO 80216

This church was dedicated on July 4th, 1920 and has faithfully served 

generations of Slovenes, Croats and Hispanic parishioners for over 120 years.

Holy Rosary Parish is located at 

4688 Pearl Street

(off of I-70 and Washington Street

in the historic Globeville neighborhood

www.holyrosarydenver.org

Graffiti Art Class in Globeville

If anyone knows anything about graffiti, it's muralist Anthony Garcia. His work can be seen everywhere in Globeville: on highway overpasses, businesses, garages and Garden Place School. His impact on the neighborhood is even bigger than the monumental paintings he creates.

Garcia was raised in the community. His grandmother was an artist and his mother is an activist, so combining his talent with service came naturally. When he was young, Garcia painted graffiti, sometimes in places that weren't appropriate. But then he worked with the Center for Visual Arts, channeling his talents in constructive ways. At the Center, he built a network to serve local youth as well as up and coming artists. 

In 2009, Garcia founded the nonprofit BirdSeed Collective which provides creative avenues for kids, like this summer's Graffiti Art Class. Beginning Monday, June 8th at 5075 Lincoln Street, classes will be held from 4:30 pm to 7:00 pm. Lessons will cover lettering and style development, spray can control, color their and composition, and graffiti history and culture. Supplies are provided. Ages 10 to 17 are welcome and will collaborate on a piece at the end of the class. 

Don't miss this opportunity to learn a craft and make an impact!

A student works on one of Globeville's

significant murals

Groundbreaking for a Library for Globeville!

The Globeville Community House, site of Globeville's first library

Globeville's first library was housed in the Community House, which was built during the summer of 1920 and accepted by the city at the Denver City Council meeting on December 29, 1920.

The Community House became a welcome gathering place, with an auditorium for plays, movies, dances, social functions, meetings and the resident thirteen-piece orchestra. In addition to the library, there was the University of Colorado Extension, which offered classes in home economics and American history. Two part-time social workers were available to help residents with legal and family issues, as well as learn American ways. 

During the Depression, Denver struggled with diminishing funds and reduced the hours of the city’s libraries to two nights and one day a week. On January 3, 1934, it closed the Globeville branch completely, posting a notice on the door. Immediately, Lad Felix and Adolph Anzich of the Globeville Voters Taxpayers Association organized the community, gathering signatures on petitions and demanding a meeting with the library’s board. At the meeting, Felix and Anzich explained that the library was used by foreign-born children and adults, and “played a great part in Americanizing residents.” The men pointed out that Globeville citizens paid a higher percentage of taxes than other areas of the city and were not receiving the same city services. The Rocky Mountain News kept the cause in the spotlight and the library was reopened on February 4, 1935. The News gladly proclaimed, “Globeville Branch Library Is Swamped as It Reopens.”

In 1950, the city again closed the neighborhood’s library, and, in 1952 the branch in nearby Elyria was closed as well. It would be more than seventy-five years before Globeville would have a library of its own.

The Valdez-Perry Branch Library opened at 47th and Vine March 18, 1996. Part of a major capital improvement project that began in 1990 when Denver voters approved $91.6 million in bond money. The library features a bilingual staff, meeting rooms, a large collection of children’s books, audio books, videos and magazines. There are computers, internet access and instruction in the use of both. But Globeville residents would have to walk more than a mile across busy streets and railroad tracks to get there. The nearby Bob Ragland Library at 1900 35th Street poses the same challenges. 

Gil Herrera and Nola Miguel celebrate

Globeville residents have wished for a library for a long time. In 2021, Denver voters approved Rise Denver Bonds for more than 80 projects and a library for Globeville was included.

$12 million dollars were designated for Globeville's Library and neighborhood meetings were held to gather input from residents, including the site, the "look" of the structure and what would meet the needs of the community. The GES Coalition steered the effort through the many hurdles that arose.

Dedication day was a culmination of the work of many individuals and groups. The building will be five stories tall and feature 170 affordable apartments (particularly important to so many who have been displaced over the last 70 years). Also included is a youth space, study rooms, meeting spaces, IdeaLab, computers and tech assistance. There will also be community-run Cafe. The completion date is set to be spring of 2027. At last!

A rendering of the building at 4965 Washington Street.
John Ronan Architects and Gilmore Construction Group 
listened to community input. 

 

Easter Sunday in Globeville, April 4, 1983

"I thought the Russians were coming," said Kathryn Simsik, who lived at 601 East 47th Avenue in Globeville, across the street from Holy Rosary Church. It was not the Russians, but an acrid orange mist rising ominously from the Rio Grande Railroad yards. Simsik said a neighbor called her about 6:00 am to tell her of radio reports about a toxic cloud. Ten minutes later Simsik, her second cousin Nicholas Staresinik and neighbor Marie Mares left as warning sirens wailed. 

The emergency created a reported 2,300 refugees early Easter morning who made their way by RTD buses, private cars and police vehicles to eight Denver area shelters. Simsik and her party joined some 200 other evacuees at Mapleton, at East 64th Avenue and Washington Street. Among them were two young men who brought along their parrot and 75-year-old Angeline Arko, survivor of two heart attacks. Arko barely had time to dress. "I don't have my green pills with me, which I'm supposed to take four times a day."

Red Cross volunteers served 250 sandwiches and tried to connect worried relatives to each other by telephone. Rose Unterfeldner, 66, of 4650 Pearl Street, wondered is the Easter ham she'd left in her crockpot would be overdone and dry when she got home. "Nothing we can do about it, but it's not my idea of Easter. I'm glad I went to church last night."

Skinner Middle School housed 340 evacuees, many who had hastily thrown on clothes and come directly to the school. Some children were still in their pajamas and carried Easter baskets with cellophane grass and chocolate bunnies. 

The Denver Office of Emergency Preparedness (OEP) was pleased with their response to a plan that had never before been implemented. James Garner, director of the OEP said the Hazardous Materials Response Plan was about 10 years old. It was updated yearly and agencies involved conducted periodic training. When the real thing happened, "the plan worked real well. No doubt training contributed to the success of the operation," said Garner. By 1:00 pm, heavy snow was whipping through Denver and the "all clear" was given.

Residents of the area had a different view. Simsik said, "We were not informed where to go or what to do. In the case of a real disaster, the lack of information could have been a real problem."

According to the Rocky Mountain News story of April 4, 1983, at least 15 chemical spills had led to injuries and evacuations in the Denver area between 1979 and 1983. Since the birth of the RiverNorth neighborhood (RiNo) in 2005, and the expansion of multi-story condos and apartments close to Denver's rail lines, this type of incident is more likely than ever to happen.

Nitric acid is shown leaking from a car in the Rio Grande
(now Union Pacific) rail yards, Sunday
April 4, 1983