Historical Commission Corner
Commission News
Mark your calendars and visit the Superior Interim Historical Museum – we’re open every first Saturday of the month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Grasso Park Bungalow (112 E. William St.)! This Saturday, Sept. 2, we’ll also have the Town’s "Duesy" of a 1942 model fire engine in front of the museum – so stop by to see us and to pick up free toy fire hats and a history coloring book for the kiddos!
Inside the Interim Grasso Bungalow Museum are many exhibits and displays, and outside, in Grasso Park, you’ll find historic buildings that are collectively an important part of the Town’s history. Follow our feather flags and directional signs to 112 E. William St., in Original Superior.
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It's a Duesy?
Perhaps you have heard or even said “it’s a doozy” when experiencing something extraordinary or one of a kind? This term, recognizing remarkable things, ideas or accomplishments, has roots in an even older term: "it’s a daisy", a phrase meaning a first-rate person or item.
Now, some readers are probably thinking it has to do with the incomparable Duesenberg, an American automobile from the 1920s and '30s. In fact, the phrase did evolve into a comparison with the famous car of the Hollywood stars. There was nothing like a Duesy even during the depression days. As a result, the expression "Duesy" became the most popular usage and analogous with the fabulous automobile rather than the pleasant flower.
 1934 Duesenberg Phaeton. One recently sold for more than $2 million
A safe bet is that the Town of Superior and the Industrial Mine Camp never saw a Duesenberg.
The local farmers and miners, with fewer funds and practical needs, were more prone to patronizing the likes of Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge and other more accessible makes. Also, many heads of the family purchased pickup trucks, since they could be used for odd jobs and other sources of supplemental income. It was also commonplace to see coal-hauling trucks trundling through the streets of Superior transporting the black diamonds off to coal yards or home delivery.
Image: Rudy Bednar at the wheel of a Ford Model T truck making deliveries from the Superior Mercantile (company store). Date unknown.
The following photos of vehicles in Superior illustrate the difference between the ordinary person and those unaffected by hard times.
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 Photo 1: George Machin poses before his 1931 Chrysler sedan on 4th Avenue. Sadly, Mr. Machin lost his life due to an explosion in the Industrial Mine, 1941. Photo 2: Rudy Bednar plays his accordion while resting a leg on a Model A Ford.
Did You Know That:
- The town of Heeney, north of Silverthorne on the shores of Green Mountain Reservoir, has an annual Tick Festival?
- The naming of the City of Delta and the surrounding county of the same name came about due to the confluence of the Gunnison and Uncompahgre Rivers, creating a delta there?
- The shaft of the Industrial Mine descends 265 feet into the depths? Miners, mules and mining gear all went down in a cage lowered by cable, and the coal came up in loaded mine cars.
Written by Larry Dorsey, proofed by Dorothy Mahan.
For more information about the Historical Commission and its activities, contact Commission Liaison Jennifer Garner at 303-499-3675, Commission Chair Larry Dorsey at 303-499-1969, or just click on the “Historical Commission Info” button below.
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