City of Golden Valley history

In 1873, Adolph Coors opened a brewery in an old tannery building, taking advantage of the mountain spring waters of Clear Creek.

Locals were outraged when neighboring Denver snagged the honor of becoming capital of the newly formed state in 1876, but the loss of name distinction did nothing to dampen Golden’s vital growth – business was booming.

The Village of Golden Valley was incorporated December 16, 1886.

Lori Ertl, Under Pressure co-owner, says: “We’re excited to co-sponsor an event that links local brewing history -from some of its earliest days in 1887 - to the present.

Right: A 1889 depiction of the Germania Brewing Company’s dance hall (foreground) and brewery behind.

In 1890, these two long-gone breweries merged with two others to form the Minneapolis Brewing Company, better known today as Grain Belt.

Residential development began after the Electric Luce Line Railroad was cut through the village in 1912.

In 1920, Chris and his four sons Ray, Dewey, Don, and Bob built their first creamery at 2919 Golden Valley Road.

Chester served in the United States Army 29th Infantry, 115th Regiment, which was part of the first wave of more than 32,450 soldiers to storm Omaha Beach in Normandy, France, June 6, 1944.

From beer to confections, Golden also holds the distinction of being home to Jolly Rancher candies, which were first created in 1949 by Bill and Dorothy Harmsen who owned a chocolate and ice cream shop at 1113 Washington Avenue in downtown Golden.

First issued in 1950, "Big Red" (as the big picture cookbooks have been dubbed in honor of the original) is now in its eleventh edition, released this year.

After earning a Master's degree in social work at Case Western Reserve University, he was hired as executive director of the Minneapolis Urban League in 1967, a time of great racial strife.

Don Byerly opened his first upscale grocery store in 1968 in the Spring Valley Shopping Center on Duluth Street in Golden Valley.

Founded in 1974 by the Carter administration under a different name, the NREL now serves as the country’s primary laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development.

He is perhaps most well known as one of the three original founders of the Ronald McDonald House in Minneapolis, which opened its first facility in 1979.

Did you know that one of the earliest pieces of evidence of human activity in Golden Valley is a precontact chipped knife blade? It was discovered during an authorized study near Bassett Creek in 1986.

A video history of Golden Valley ("Celebrate Golden Valley"), produced in 2003 by Curtis Laine of Studio 23, is available for purchase through the Golden Valley Historical Society.

In 2009, the City of Golden was awarded a $100,000 Heart & Soul Community Planning grant through the Orton Family Foundation.

In 2010, an archaeological investigation, commissioned by the Minneapolis Park Board, was begun of various areas within Theodore Wirth Park.

Any presidential visit to your city is a good thing; in this case it was a 2012 visit to the Honeywell plant in Golden Valley by President Barack Obama, the country’s first African American president.

The unique, medieval-themed Under Pressure Brewery and Blendery opened in early 2019, and through perseverance, outstanding customer service, and great products, has survived two years of a pandemic that followed shortly after its opening.

Crystal facilitated development of the Golden Valley History Museum, which won a national award from the American Association of State and Local History (AASLH) in 2020.

New officers for 2021-22 were selected at the October GVHS Board of Directors meeting.