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

 

 

Burglar Captured by Girls While Trying to Rob Church

The Rocky Mountain News headline of July 12, 1906 sums up the bravery of two young women from Globeville. Sisters Lottie Kalamajska and Mrs. Bertha Raczynski stepped into Saint Joseph's Polish Roman Catholic Church to pray when they heard a noise coming from a small cupboard near the altar. They investigated and found Globeville resident Louis Steckley on his knees, not in prayer but vigorously attempting to force the lock on the cupboard door. Miss Kalamajska quickly ran to her home a short distance away and returned with a revolver. Steckley was trying to conceal a silver communion service in his coat and make his getaway when Miss Kalamajska leveled the gun and ordered him to raise his hands. Steckley obeyed the order, then turned around and expressed surprise at the sight of the slender young girl. He became docile as she threatened to shoot. 

Neighbors heard the commotion and called the police. Policeman William Hanley arrested Steckley, who was fined $200 and sentenced to three months in the county jail by Judge Grant L. Hudson.

The month of March has been designated "Women's History Month" and these young Globeville sisters are worthy of remembrance for their quick thinking and courageous actions.

 Louis Steckley

Three Historic Denver Neighborhoods

Future Ancestors, Crossing Timelines

with three historic North Denver Neighborhoods: 

Join the Globeville–Elyria–Swansea Coalition (GESC) for a one-night journey through time – an immersive experience that reveals how these three neighborhoods were made: shaped by historic disinvestment, redlining, labor struggles, industrial zoning, and highway expansion, and transformed by neighbors organizing for racial, environmental, and economic justice for more than a century. 

Then we step forward across timelines into a thriving, community-owned
future, where neighbors have built a neighborhood model rooted in collective governance, healthy housing, land stewardship, and community-led investment.
This is their story, a celebration, and a public invitation:
become excellent ancestors to the next generation of GES.

Hosted by the Forney Museum of Transportation
at 4303 Brighton Blvd, Denver, CO 80216
Friday March 6, 4-7 pm

Doors: 4pm
Time Warp: 5pm

More information: info@ges-coalition (720) 432 - 1188
forneymuseum.org 

Last chance to indulge before Lent

Pączki  (pronounced "poonch-key) are tasty Polish donuts with a rich history. Originating in Poland, they were made to be enjoyed from Fat Thursday (the Thursday before Lent begins) to Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras) - a final opportunity to indulge before 40 days of fasting begin.

Pączki are fried donuts usually filled with marmalade, jelly, or vanilla pudding and sprinkled with powdered sugar. If you have a Polish grandmother to show you how to make these treats, you are truly blessed.

But you can purchase genuine Pączki made by the scout troop at St. Joseph's Polish Church at 525 East 46th Avenue in Globeville, Sunday February 15th, beginning at 11:00 am, in the school cafeteria. Your fasting will be more meaningful when you remember what you're missing and you'll be supporting the scouts and the church!

Biscuits and Gravy at Holy Transfiguration of Christ Orthodox Cathedral

The invitation posted on Facebook

It's hard for me to resist biscuits and gravy on any day, but on a frosty 3-degree morning, I could hardly wait. When I arrived at Holy Transfiguration 9:00 am, Justin and Kristine Clark were busy in the kitchen and their son Henry was occupied at one of the tables. The purpose of the breakfast was for Globeville's residents to check out Holy Transfiguration and for the members of the church to become acquainted with their neighbors in the community.

I helped myself to the hot breakfast and sat down to visit with Justin and Kristine. We were soon joined by two-year-old Winnie and her mother Meghan, then Matthew. I asked about Orthodoxy and what brought each of them to this church. All found something lacking in churches they had attended and were actively seeking a richer religious faith. Justin had experienced hypocrisy in the Southern church he once belonged to - with a pronounced difference between the preaching on Sundays and the practices during the week. Carla Fabrizio, who is related to half of Globeville, took a break from working in the kitchen. She explained her journey from Catholicism to the more substantial Orthodox faith and now teaches Sunday school in her home next door. The process of learning about and becoming part of the Orthodox faith can take up to three years. This is not a rash decision but an informed commitment. 

I then talked a little about the history of Holy Transfiguration and of knowing Father Hirsch and Matushka Paulette Hirsch. They revitalized the parish and the community during their twenty five years in Globeville (1984 -2009). The walls of the parish hall are covered with historic photos, and treasures from the past.

I enjoyed the breakfast and the conversation. Another breakfast is planned for the third Saturday of February, the 21st. Invite your friends and get to know members of this Globeville treasure.

Justin, Kristine and Henry Clark

Holy Transfiguration of Christ Orthodox Cathedral
at 349 East 47th Avenue
was built and dedicated in 1898,
which makes it the oldest of Globeville's 
active congregations. If you attend any
 of their parish festivals, the church
will be open for tours - make a mental note
 to see the inside of this jewell.