Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Lifehouse and Switchfoot / Fillmore Auditorium / July 23, 2017

LIFEHOUSE AND SWITCHFOOT
UNITE FOR THE FIRST TIME ON
“LOOKING FOR SUMMER” TOUR
Fillmore Auditorium
July 23
Showtime 7:00 pm / Doors 6:00 pm


Rock fans across North America can look forward to Lifehouse & SWITCHFOOT together for the first time on the “Looking for Summer” Tour, delivering 30+ shows to venues across the U.S. and Canada. The tour kicks off July 23 at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver and will run into the fall, culminating at The Masonic in San Francisco on September 10. Up-and-coming songstress Brynn Elliott will open every night of the tour. 

Pre-sales for the Lifehouse and SWITCHFOOT fan clubs begin today as early as 11am, with additional pre-sales rolling throughout the week, including Citi card member pre-sale (Tuesday, April 4 @ 10:00am), Facebook pre-sale (Wednesday, April 5 @ 10:00am), Spotify pre-sale (Wednesday, April 5 @ 10:00am), and Live Nation pre-sale (Wednesday, April 5 @ 10:00am). General on-sale beginning Friday, April 7 @ 10:00AM at livenation.com.

"We are amped to announce that we are going on tour with LIFEHOUSE for the first time ever” said SWITCHFOOT co-founder and lead singer Jon Foreman. “We're calling it the "Looking for Summer" Tour and we can't wait to sing these songs with you.” 

It was in 2001 when the Los Angeles-based Lifehouse first broke through in a big way when “Hanging by a Moment,” from No Name Face, spent 20 weeks in the Top Ten, and won a Billboard Music Award for “Hot 100 Single of the Year.” Since then, the band has released six more albums, three of which made the Billboard Top Ten, sold over 15 million records worldwide and spun off such hit singles as “You and Me”, “First Time”, “Whatever it Takes”, “Broken”, “Halfway Gone”, “Between the Raindrops” and “Hurricane.”  Lifehouse’s 7th album, Out of the Wasteland, debuted at #1 on the independent album charts in 2015. 

SWITCHFOOT’s latest album, Where The Light Shines Through, released on July 8th, 2016 via Vanguard Records.  Where The Light Shines Through is the band's tenth album and the first since 2014’s highly acclaimed Fading West. The album was self-produced in collaboration with John Fields, who helmed the multi-platinum breakthrough The Beautiful Letdown.

ABOUT LIFEHOUSE:
Since their debut album No Name Face, released in 2001, Lifehouse has sold over 15 million records worldwide and played to sold-out shows around the globe throughout their 17-year career.  Comprised of Jason Wade (lead vocals, guitar), Bryce Soderberg (bass, vocals) and Ricky Woolstenhulme Jr. (drums, percussion), Lifehouse is an American rock band like no other.  With songs in the top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 100, Alternative, Adult Top 40, Mainstream Top 40, Adult Contemporary and Adult Pop charts, Lifehouse has proven their versatility and longevity. 

Their staying power is due in large part to Jason Wade’s signature voice and heartfelt songwriting talents, as well as his long-time partnership with co-writer, co-producer Jude Cole.  Known for their infectious, upbeat hit songs “Hanging by a Moment”, “First Time”, “Halfway Gone” and “Hurricane” as well as the emotionally charged, ballads “You and Me”, “Broken” and “Whatever It Takes”, Lifehouse has spanned the radio dial for well over a decade.

But Lifehouse won’t be pigeonholed as a radio band. High-energy rock performances and intimate acoustic moments are to be expected from a Lifehouse set.  Having toured the world extensively, they have amassed a fiercely loyal fan base in the States, Europe, Australia, South East Asia and South America.  For more information on Lifehouse, please visit www.lifehousemusic.com/.

ABOUT SWITCHFOOT:
Formed in San Diego in 1996, SWITCHFOOT is Jon Foreman (vocals, guitar), Tim Foreman (bass), Jerome Fontamillas (keyboard, guitar), Drew Shirley (guitar), and Chad Butler (drums). Since their start, the band has sold over 5.7 million copies worldwide of their first nine studio albums (including their 2003 double-platinum breakthrough The Beautiful Letdown and 2009's Grammy Award-winning Hello Hurricane), racked up a string of Alternative radio hit singles, and performed sold-out world tours with over 4 million concert tickets worldwide.
  
Beyond their career achievements, SWITCHFOOT has also been active in a variety of philanthropic efforts, raising over a million dollars to aid kids in their community through the band's own Bro-Am Foundation, providing services to underprivileged and disadvantaged youth. They've also maintained a deep commitment to a variety of humanitarian causes, lending their support to such worthy organizations as CURE International, DATA, the ONE Campaign, and Habitat for Humanity.  For more information on SWITCHFOOT please visit http://switchfoot.com/.


TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
at the Fillmore Auditorium Box Office, online at www.ticketmaster.com or call 800-745-3000.   

Tickets are $35.00 GA ADV and $38.00 GA DOS plus applicable service charges.   

The Fillmore box office is open Monday - Friday from 12:00 Noon - 6:00pm & Saturdays from 10:00am - 2:00pm. On days of Fillmore shows, the box office is open from 12:00 Noon – 9:00pm.  The box office accepts cash, MasterCard, Visa and American Express – No checks!  Service charges may apply. 

THE FILLMORE AUDITORIUM IS LOCATED AT 1510 CLARKSON ST. AT COLFAX.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
THIS SHOW IS AGES 16+

CONNECT WITH US ON THE WEB                                                         

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Tiki Kai Restaurant and Lounge


Opened in 1964, this restaurant and lounge was housed in a noteworthy mid-century style building. The sign outside announced “Food” and “Cocktails”, and then (below the clock) further clarification: “Polynesian Food”. The red-and-tan interior boasted some Witco décor, Tiki masks, faux-tapa designs on paper, lots of bamboo, and hanging floats and lanterns. A 1964 Denver Post review praised the food and the “suffering things” (you can guess which cocktail the reviewer was hesitant to name). Ernie Menehune provided entertainment—when he wasn’t busy is Las Vegas. Ernie still played gigs in Arizona well into his 80’s.

Two waitresses (Elizabeth Madrid and Judith Finchum, both 23) were arrested on January 19, 1966, for waiting tables in lingerie, a gimmick that had been used in the Tiki Kai in Albuquerque for some time. Madrid was fined $100; owner Harry Jew said that business had doubled in the single week that the two girls had been working there. A former waitress named Pat tells us: “(in 1966) Harry was the owner, Gordon the manager, Lou the maître D, Linda the hostess, Mike the bartender, Speedy the backup bartender, Tommy Jung the chef. I left Tiki Kai when I married Tommy.” Tiki Kai closed in 1972, became the Islander until 1975, and then Herb Wong's New China restaurant (which still served Polynesian drinks in their Kahuna Cocktail Lounge) until being demolished in 1992.

From: Tiki Road Trip: A Guide to Tiki Culture in North America, by James Teitelbaum, 2007.

There's a quick shot of the sign as Paul McCartney was vacationing in Colorado around 1967 or so. You can see it at 4:47 in the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CID6AxDLNU8


Today it's the Safe Splash Swim School.


Monday, April 24, 2017

'Mercan Made

Photo by Jonny B.
'Mercan Made Custom Cab, seen at Century Autos at 5300 W Colfax Avenue in Lakewood, CO.

Sunday, April 23, 2017

Friday, April 21, 2017

Driftwood Motel Neon Sign

A fine lookin' sign. The Driftwood Motel, as photographed by Walt "Highway 40" Hackney.

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Blue Star Memorial Highway

Photo courtesy Jonny B.
Blue Star Memorial Highways are highways in the United States that are marked to pay tribute to the U.S. armed forces. The National Council of State Garden Clubs, now known as National Garden Clubs, Inc., started the program in 1945 after World War II. The blue star was used on service flags to denote a service member fighting in the war. The program has since been expanded to include Memorial Markers and Memorial By-ways (since 1994). These markers are used in National Cemeteries, parks, veterans facilities, and gardens.

The Marker is at Abbie Duston Roadside Park on West Colfax Avenue (U.S. Route 40) in Lakewood, Colorado.

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

#SeenOnColfax: Leon Russell

Flyer courtesy The Colfax Museum Collection
Colfax Avenue has sure seen its' share of legends over the years. We lost Leon Russell in 2016, but Denver will never forget him!

Monday, April 17, 2017

Tour de Fat coming to Denver August 26, 2017

Fat Tire’s Tour de Fat Brings its Party to 33 Cities in 2017
More cities, bigger acts, and greater attendance to generate more $$ for local causes


Ft. Collins, Colo., March 21, 2017 - New Belgium Brewing’s “Fat Tire presents the Tour de Fat” is back for its 18th season and this year without question will be the biggest and boldest yet. The traveling philanthropic beer, music, and bike festival will kick off a 33-show season May 20th in Asheville, NC and wrap up Oct. 7th in Tempe, AZ.

In addition to greatly expanding the festival’s reach to accommodate more fans, this year’s events will include world-class entertainment by the likes of The Roots, Third Eye Blind, The All-American Rejects, The Naked and Famous, Michael Franti & Spearhead, X-Ambassadors, and many more.

All events will be ticketed (price varies by city) and tickets will be available in advance online at Newbelgium.com/ tour-de-fat or at any of the box offices for Tour de Fat venues. New Belgium has raised more than $4.5 million for partnering non-profits since its inception. This summer Tour de Fat hopes to generate more than $600,000 in support of local causes.


"This is one of the greatest ways we can give back to local communities,” said Brand Manager, Sam Sawyer. “Not only do folks get a great event with top musical acts and plenty of spectacle, local non-profits get a cash injection and the opportunity to share their message. It’s like a win-win-and win-again scenario. This is without a doubt some of the most fun we have all year.”

In addition to musical headliners, a touring ensemble of artists, cirque performers, and general mayhemists will appear alongside local buskers and street performers. New Belgium Brewing will host a battle of the bands in many cities prior to the event to give local bands the chance to represent their hometown scene.

Ticket sales are first come, first served. Information will be updated online in the weeks leading up to each event.


About New Belgium Brewing

New Belgium Brewing, makers of Fat Tire Belgian Style Ale and a host of Belgian-inspired beers, is recognized as one of Outside Magazine’s Best Places to Work and one of the Wall Street Journal’s Best Small Businesses. The 100% employee-owned brewery is a Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Business as designated by the League of American Bicyclists, and one of World Blu’s most democratic U.S. businesses, and a Certified B Corp. In addition to Fat Tire, New Belgium brews fourteen year-round beers; Citradelic Tangerine IPA, Citradelic Lime Ale, Voodoo Ranger IPA, Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA, Voodoo Ranger 8 Hop Pale Ale, Dayblazer Easygoing Ale, Tartastic Lemon Ginger Ale, Sunshine Wheat, 1554 Black Ale, Bohemian Pilsner, Abbey Belgian Ale, Trippel and a gluten-reduced line, Glutiny Pale Ale and Glutiny Golden Ale. Learn more at: www.newbelgium.com.

Saturday, April 15, 2017

RUSS coming to the Fillmore Auditorium


RUSS

 Fillmore Auditorium
June 26
Showtime 8:00 pm / Doors 7:00 pm

“I’ve been at this shit nine years and now they start to call,” Russ sings on his breakout single, “What They Want.” Don’t confuse this as idle boasting from the eclectic Atlanta phenom; it’s a reminder that his rapid ascent was anything but accidental.

As the truism goes, there are 10 years of hard work behind every overnight success. In an industry filled with plants and manufactured hype, Russ did it all himself. No deep-pocketed managers funded his ascent. No co-signs propelled his rise.

Since 14, the Atlanta native has dedicated himself to music with a passion you usually only see in Tour De France champions and fictional whaling captains. His music boasts the diverse tastes of someone who grew up everywhere: New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Kentucky and Ohio, and eventually Georgia.

You can detect those regional influences in his hooks of the artists he grew up with—a rich gumbo that resembles 50 Cent passing blunts with Jim Morrison; The Allman Brothers jamming with Drake; The Beatles with George Martin swapped for Outkast.

Early in his teenaged years, his family eventually settled 20 miles outside of Atlanta. Around that same time, he began making beats. Towards the end of high school, he picked up a mic, and taught himself how to play the piano, guitar, and drums. After dropping out of Kennesaw State as a freshman, Russ formed his DIEMON Crew. They shot their own videos, made their own merchandise, and mostly recorded in isolation. At the age of 23, he’s emerged as a DIY pioneer.

When most of his peers mimic the most popular disposable art, Russ has created an uncategorizable style—one almost as brilliantly alien as history’s finest ATLiens.  No exact analogues exist. Russ doesn’t slip back and forth from hyper-melodic inspirational guitar anthems to raw East Coast hip-hop—they’re all effortlessly combined in the same song. There are hints of hammock-rocking reggae, whiskey-soaked Southern rock, and soul-scarred R&B. No gimmicks, just eclectic fusion at its most advanced.

Russ made all the beats. He wrote all the raps and the hooks. He engineered and mixed and sang the songs, played the guitar, programmed the drums, and delved deep into his soul to figure out who he is and what he wants out of life. Then he wrote manifestos like “Do It Myself” to outline the road map for others to follow.

This is heartfelt, truthful music for self-empowerment. Real soul. It’s hard but melodic, sophisticated but with a direct emotional message. There is a quote from the Alchemist, “and, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” Russ internalized that message, actualized it, and now, this story’s really about to begin.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
at the Fillmore Auditorium Box Office, online at www.ticketmaster.com or call 800-745-3000.   

Tickets are $29.75 GA ADV and $33.00 GA DOS plus applicable service charges.   

The Fillmore box office is open Monday - Friday from 12:00 Noon - 6:00pm & Saturdays from 10:00am - 2:00pm. On days of Fillmore shows, the box office is open from 12:00 Noon – 9:00pm.  The box office accepts cash, MasterCard, Visa and American Express – No checks!  Service charges may apply.

THE FILLMORE AUDITORIUM IS LOCATED AT 1510 CLARKSON ST. AT COLFAX.              

THIS SHOW IS AGES 16+

CONNECT WITH US ON THE WEB                                                         

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Bonfils Memorial Theatre

Courtesy The Colfax Museum Collection
Artist rendering of the spectacular Bonfils Memorial Theatre for its' opening in 1953. Today it's the Tattered Cover Bookstore.

When former Denver Post publisher Helen Bonfils built her 550-seat theater palace as a memorial to her parents, it was the first new live theater built anywhere in Denver in 40 years. It soon became the epicenter of Denver society.

For untold millions of Coloradans, the Bonfils served as their first experience in live theater. And for many of their grandchildren as well.

Bonfils Theatre: Some of the names

A few local Bonfils theater alumni:

John Ashton, Dwayne Carrington, Tony Church, Joe Craft, Tupper Cullum, Paul Dwyer, Michael R. Duran, Robert Garner, Michael Gold, Bev Newcomb-Madden, Jeffrey Nickelson, Cleo Parker-Robinson, Deborah Persoff, Alex Ryer, Rick Seeber, Roger L. Simon, Robert Wells.

Celebrities who appeared in Bonfils Theatre productions:

Helen Bonfils, Mary Jo Catlett, Julia Child (she gave an onstage cooking demonstration), Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Gary Montgomery, Ted Shackelford, David Ogden Stiers, Marilyn Van Derbur (Miss America), Joan Van Ark, Paul Winfield, Emlyn Williams.


 

Ten unforgettable events in the theater’s history

1. When the Bonfils Memorial Theatre opened in October 1953, millionaire Broadway producer Blevins Davis (“Porgy & Bess”) called it the finest theater of its kind in the country. “There is nothing better in New York,” he said. A congratulatory telegram was sent to founder Helen Bonfils by president Dwight D. Eisenhower. “All of Denver society would show up for every opening night, presided over by Miss Helen, who would walk to her seat as the audience applauded her,” said former theater critic Thom Wise. “The society writers would cover, in detail, what all of the prominent women would wear, and who sat next to whom. In those days, the Bonfils Theater was the social center of the city.”

2. Tragedy struck in 1954. During the intermission of “Jack and the Beanstalk,” a crew member fell from 18 feet up the stalk and down through an open trap door to his death. A shaken Bonfils was determined “she better have someone in there who knew what they were doing,” said producer Henry Lowenstein. “And that’s how I got hired.”

3. People still buzz about the night Carol Channing attended “Sorrows of Stephen” in 1982 and hung out with the cast for hours afterward. But nothing topped a 1955 tribute to Denver playwright Mary Chase. She was being honored after a performance of her “Harvey” when Jimmy Stewart, the star of the film version, emerged from the back row; he had watched the entire performance unnoticed.

4. In 1957, Judge O. Otto Moore, chief justice of the Colorado Supreme Court, played the William Jennings Bryan-inspired role in the Scopes Monkey Trial drama “Inherit the Wind.” “We all thought that issue was finally behind us, and look what’s going on now,” Lowenstein said. “Here we are 50 years later and the issue is as alive as ever.”

5. In a 1965 production of “Dark of the Moon,” a backwoods Ozarks preacher rapes a woman as townspeople crowd around, shielding the audience from view. Lowenstein was prepared for the worst when he was summoned to the lobby to face a preacher who had an unexpected agenda. “He said, ‘I have a couple here who really wanted to see your show before they leave on their honeymoon. But they haven’t been married yet. Since you already have the lectern set up, can we marry them onstage here?’ They got married right then and there, with all my staff as witnesses. It was absolutely wonderful.”

6. The new “Perry Mason” series was filmed inside the Bonfils from 1987-89, among many other Denver locales. Raymond Burr was a consultant to Helen Bonfils on the original design of her theater. That’s why he chose to film his series there, Wise said.

7. A large portrait of “Miss Helen” graced the building’s foyer. The newspaper magnate’s first love was the theater. She would spend most theater seasons in New York as an actor and producer. She summered in Denver with her husband, George Somnes, who produced and directed plays at the Elitch Theatre. After her death in 1972, many Bonfils regulars became convinced that in her portrait, the sky behind Bonfils would grow gloomier if the current show were one she would not have liked.

8. In 1971, 23-year-old Kevin Kline was joined by David Ogden Stiers, Patti LuPone, Mary Lou Rosato and others from John Houseman’s The Acting Company to perform three shows in repertory for three weeks. Lowenstein fondly remembers driving the young stars in his beat-up Scout through a blizzard to the Career Education Center, where they conducted a workshop for children. Kline came back for at least two other runs at the Bonfils in the 1970s.

9. In 1971, 10 days before an opening night, Lowenstein canceled a production of “The Imaginary Invalid,” being staged in conjunction with the University of Denver. After four months of rehearsal, it was looking like a disaster. “I was the bad guy,” said Lowenstein, who then rushed “The Taming of the Shrew” and “Becket” into simultaneous production so that the entire cast of the canceled show would have parts. But that didn’t quell the animosity. Opening night was canceled by a bomb threat. Then the next night as well. “By the third night I said, ‘I can’t do this anymore. They can close us forever if we do this night after night,”‘ he said. That night a threatening note was found in a dressing room with letters cut from a magazine. “It was pretty clear that somebody in the cast was involved,” Lowenstein said. “But I said, ‘I don’t give a damn. This show is going on. I am willing to risk it.”‘ Neither show, it turns out, was a bomb.

10. Lowenstein considers Robert Wells’ 1983 production of “Sweeney Todd” the theater’s greatest artistic achievement. “That was the one show I would say absolutely got it right,” he said. “Everything about it was the way it should be.” It was the highlight of Wells’ 35-show run as well. “It was a knockout,” he said. Three years later, the theater closed.

Thank you to John Moore for the information on this post.

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Monday, April 10, 2017

Denver Mint Holdup: Wildest Gun Battle in Denver History

Submitted by Tom Fesing

On a December morning in 1922, $200,000 was stolen from a Federal Reserve Bank delivery truck as it picked up its weekly cash shipment from the U.S. Mint in Denver, Colorado. A Federal Reserve Officer was killed in the line of duty as five gangsters engaged in a shootout with United States Mint Police.

The first Federal Reserve Bank in Denver was in The Continental Trust Office Building at 16th & Lawrence from 1918 to 1925. The building did not have adequate security or vaults to store cash going into circulation throughout the Rocky Mountain region, so the Denver Mint stored large cash deposits for the Fed from 1918 up until 1925.

The Federal Reserve would pick up shipments of cash from the Denver Mint and deliver it to banks in the area. A Federal Reserve truck would drive down Lawrence to W. 14th Ave and then drive East on 14th Ave until turning right on Tremont St to Colfax, stopping one block up at the front of the Denver Mint.

In 1920, the following five men arrived in Denver along with two women, whom were the common-law wives or girlfriends of Harold Burns and James Sloan: • Harold Burns - aka (Robert Leon Knapp) • James Sloan – aka (Nicholas Trainor) • Frank Farland – aka (Curley Gordon) & (The Memphis Kid) • Harvey Bailey – aka (Big Jim Franklin) • James Clark – aka (Frank Burke) • Margaret Burns – Wife /”moll” of Harold Burns • Florence Thompson – “moll” of James Sloan - aka (Queen of the Mob).

On November 15, 1922, gangster James Sloan, aka (Nick Trainor) and his girlfriend Florence Thompson started renting apartment # 37 at the Lemita Apts. at 1915 Logan Street, in downtown Denver.

On November 25, 1922, sometime between 5:30pm - 6pm the license plate of a Hupmobile Roadster belonging to a storekeeper D.C. Dabney was stolen from his vehicle in Brighton, CO. Later this stolen plate would be found on the Buick touring car used in the Mint robbery. At around midnight that night, another license plate of a car belonging to S.B. Fleming, the Deputy County Clerk of Jefferson County, was stolen from his vehicle in Golden, CO.

A 1922 Buick was stolen around 7pm from in front of 1410 Grant Street from the home of Clara Harie Peairs. Her son Arthur, a student at The Colorado School of Mines, was home at the time and saw two men get into his mother’s vehicle. He ran outside, jumping on the running board of the car as the thieves sped off. He claims to have yelled “Stop!” The man in the car put a revolver in his face, shouted back “this isn’t your car kid,” and pushed Arthur off as the Buick sped away down Grant.

On December 9, 1922, gangster Harold Burns and his wife Margaret Burns moved into Apt. #23 at the Arno Apts. at 18th & Logan.

A 1922 Cadillac was stolen around 10pm from the house of Peter C. Pierson at 1717 Williams Street. This car would be used by the gang as an alternate get-away vehicle that they would leave at 1424 Delaware Street, behind the Denver Mint building, in case their Buick broke down during the robbery attempt. Eventually it came to light that this was the residence of a local bootlegger who had met the gangsters before the robbery. During the investigation into the crime, the bootlegger proved to be a valuable witness, providing much of the information that finally let police solve the crime 10 years later.

After the robbery Paula Kenny (Kinny), a librarian at the Denver Public Library, said she witnessed a well-dressed man come in to the library every day for two weeks before the robbery and sit in the window looking westward toward the Mint. He disappeared one day before the robbery and she never saw him again. Could it have been one of the gang keeping tabs on the shipments of money leaving the mint?

The night before the robbery, Federal Reserve Guard Charles Linton struggled to get to sleep in his house on South Pennsylvania Street in Denver. His wife later stated that Charles had not slept well and that he had told her that he had a “premonition of a dire event.”

At 8am on December 18, 1922, the Harold Burns gang met at the Altahama Apartments at E. Colfax and Lafayette Street on Capitol Hill. The five gangsters were seen leaving the apartment house and getting into a 1922 Buick touring car at 9am.

Federal Reserve Bank cashier Joseph E. Olsen, Federal Reserve guard and driver Wilburt Havenor, and a US Treasury Agent drove to the Denver Mint at 9:30am to prepare for the transfer of $200,000 (in $5 bills) from the US Mint vaults to the Federal Reserve truck. After making sure everything was in order, Federal Reserve cashier Joseph Olsen stayed at the Mint while Federal Reserve guard Havenor and the Treasury Agent headed back to the Federal Reserve Bank to pick up two additional guards.

At 10:20am, two Federal Reserve Bank guards, John P. Adams and Charles T. Linton, joined Havenor as he drove to the Denver Mint to pick up the $200,000 shipment. The Federal Reserve truck pulled up to the Denver Mint on Colfax Ave. at 10:30am. Federal Reserve guard Charles Linton got out of the truck and opened the back door of the truck. Two U.S. Mint Police officers came out of the Denver Mint with two packages, each containing $100,000 of 1922 Federal Reserve 5-dollar notes. The money was put into the back of the truck, the doors were locked, and the two officers headed back into the Mint.

As soon as the officers had turned around to head back into the Mint, a Buick Touring car pulled up on the left side of the Federal Reserve truck. Two gangsters jumped out of the car and took cover behind telephone poles across the street. One gangster stayed in the driver’s seat and another, Harvey Bailey, ran to the back of the Federal Reserve truck and shouted, “Hands Up!”

Federal Reserve cashier/guard Olsen hit the sidewalk and Federal Reserve guard Havenor dove under the truck, while Federal Reserve guard Charles Linton turned in response to the shout and was hit in the chest with buckshot from Bailey’s shotgun. Bailey then shot at the locked doors of the Federal Reserve truck and blasted out the rear windows. He reached in, retrieved the bundles of cash and headed back to the get-away car.

While the robbery was underway, the Mint entrance was assailed by a barrage of shotgun blasts from the gangsters behind the telephone poles across the street. Even though 30 United States Mint employees were armed and came to the windows after the Mint alarm was sounded, they hesitated to shoot back, concerned that the Federal Reserve guards and the Mint Police officers would be caught in the crossfire.

A Mint officer in a second story window did start shooting though, hitting James Sloan in the face, hand and chest with his .38 caliber service revolver. The gang jumped back into the get-away car, pulled their wounded comrade into the car, and sped away Eastbound on Colfax Avenue towards the Capitol.

Within 90 seconds, the gang shot up the Denver Mint in a hail of gunfire, fatally injured a Federal Reserve Guard and got away with $200,000.

As the gang’s stolen Buick sped away from the Mint it ran a small truck off the road one block to the East at Bannock, causing it to run into a fire hydrant and sending an eruption of water into the air that rained down on Colfax Avenue. The bandits were chased by motorists in the area, but the car disappeared after heading south on a Pearl Street.

Crowds gathered across the street at The Mint Hotel to watch the excitement after the robbery took place. A gentleman that lived in a house at 323 West Colfax across from the Mint stated that a bullet went through his living room. Patrons in the Mint Restaurant also reported that some of the windows had been shot out as a result of the barrage of gunfire during the robbery.

Between 11:30am and 12 noon, a speeding black Buick Touring car with curtains drawn ran R.V. Dye, a Denver resident and salesman for the Auto Owners Service Association, off the road south of Loretto Heights. Some believe this was the gang speeding away from the scene of the crime.

Voices were heard in the Burns’ apartment between 12pm and 1pm that afternoon. It is theorized by some that the gang was dividing the money before leaving Denver.

Charles T. Linton died the following day from the chest wounds he sustained during the shootout. When he first had arrived at the hospital he stated to Dr. Edward F. Dean, “Doc, I tried to get ‘em - I fired three shots at ‘em, but they shot me.” His wife was with him by his side at Denver County Hospital when he passed away. Witnesses say he told her “Don’t worry dear, I will be all right, my back hurts some now, but it won’t hurt long.”

The day after the robbery, the Denver Post portrayed Denver’s Mayor Dewey, a close personal friend Linton’s, bidding farewell to the fallen Federal Reserve guard. Linton was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery after a ceremony was held at the Downtown Masonic Lodge # 5, of which he was a member. The funeral was delayed until his sons, who were Vaudeville actors in New York City, could arrive.

Denver Police tracked the weapon dropped on the front steps of the Denver Mint during the robbery by gangster James Sloan when he was shot by a US Mint Police officer from a 2nd floor window. The single barrel shotgun had been purchased in 1917 from Tritch Hardware at 1648 Arapahoe Street in Denver.

Two days after the robbery, at about 3pm, Florence Thompson, girlfriend of James Sloan, along with Harold and Margaret Burns were seen leaving the apartment with suitcases.

Residents of two houses near the Mint were questioned because they had rented their houses two weeks prior to the robbery and then left the homes on December 21, “in a hurry” according to witnesses. This was just three days after the robbery occurred. The houses were located one block from the Mint at 1335 and 1339 Delaware Street. The residents of 1339 Delaware were Joe Loretta and his wife, who were questioned and then released. It was discovered that the four men who resided at 1335 Delaware were bootleggers and had left abruptly in fear of being caught and charged with bootlegging because of the increased police presence after the robbery.

Police were also notified by a gentleman who had rented a garage at 1631 Gilpin to four men the previous month. The owner became suspicious when he discovered the men had put a large heavy-duty lock on the garage. Police cut the lock and opened the garage to find the Buick used in the Mint robbery and the body of James Sloan aka (Nicholas Trainor) who had been shot in the face, hand and heart by .38 caliber bullets, wounds he received during the robbery. The vehicle was littered with empty and loaded shells. A fully loaded .30-30 Winchester repeating rifle lay in the back seat, along with two shotguns. The side of the car was splattered with blood.

According to the Denver Police and FBI records, Florence Thompson, girlfriend of James Sloan, told the gang that, “I’ll blow up the whole case and turn you in unless you let me go to the garage and bid Nicky goodbye!” Afraid that she would go to the police, the gunmen took her to the garage. “There she bent over and kissed his frozen face.”

It is theorized that the gang left Denver within a few days of the robbery and headed to Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, which was a hotbed of gangster activity at the time. In Minneapolis they turned the $200,000 over to a prominent attorney. The lawyer allegedly kept the loot in his basement overnight, passing it on the following day to an “underworld” mob character for laundering.

James Sloane was buried on January 23, 1922. The Meyer Undertaking company donated his casket and The Riverside Cemetery gave him a plot. The appeal of gangsters and their lifestyle in the 1920’s, along with the Mint robbery being the most famous robbery in Denver’s history, made Sloan’s burial so popular that there was a larger gathering at Sloan’s funeral than for that of the Federal Reserve Guard Linton’s. In fact so many men volunteered to be pallbearer’s that the undertaker was forced to choose who would bear the casket.

The evening before the funeral a large assortment of carnations was left on the front door of the funeral parlor. An unsigned note asked for them to be placed on Sloane’s casket. Just two days earlier police had suspected that Sloane’s “Bandit Queen”, Florence Thompson, had slipped into the funeral parlor wearing a disguise to say goodbye to her love. According to witness statements, a woman with fists clenched by her side, stopped at the casket and raised one hand to her lips as if to stifle tears. She than looked fearfully over her shoulder, wrung her hands and fled from the parlor, never to be seen again.

Two years after the robbery, $80,000 dollars of the stolen money showed up in a sting operation after a Minneapolis doctor was charged with money laundering. Yet authorities could not connect him with the Mint robbery or the gangsters that pulled it off.

On December 2, 1934, newspapers across the country carried the story that the robbery of the Denver Mint had finally been solved, claiming the five men and two women that were involved were either dead or jailed on other crimes. No one was ever actually charged with the crime and for all intended purposes the gang got away with the robbery.

The Secret Service and Chief Detective Albert T. Clark of the Denver Police announced that Harvey Bailey had driven the get-away car and was currently serving a life-sentence in Alcatraz “Devil’s Island” for the kidnapping of an Oklahoma City millionaire Charles Ursschell. James Clark, another member of the gang, was serving a life sentence in the Indiana State Penitentiary in Michigan City for the robbery of a bank in Clinton, Indiana. Harold Burns was dead, although the circumstances of his death were not fully known. Frank McFarland “The Memphis Kid” was also dead. James Sloan had been found dead in the get-away car shortly after the robbery. The bullet riddled body of Florence Thompson “Queen of the Mob” was found in 1927. And in 1932 the bullet riddled body of Margaret Burns, wife of Harold Burns, was found in the wreckage of a car near Turtle Lake, Wisconsin, along with an unknown woman. Both had been shot, then daubed with acid and gasoline and burned in their car.

Bailey was released from prison in 1964 after serving time for the kidnapping in Kansas, and died in 1979 at the age of 91. You can read more about him in the book written by J . Evetts Haley “Robbing Banks Was My Business...the Story of J. Harvey Bailey.”