Ferrell/Berthoud Home

John M. Ferrell came to the Golden valley from upstate New York in June of 1859, camped on the southeastern banks of Clear Creek, and created the Washington Avenue crossing for gold rushers. When Golden was organized, he became one of its 16 original founders and agreed to sell his bridge to the community. He was accompanied by his wife Jeanette and sons Frank and Charles, and was soon joined by his daughters Helen and Prunette (Nettie), with their husbands Edward L. Berthoud and Silas W. Burt. Ferrell, known for colorful speech and devout Episcopalian faith, was a highly skilled railroad builder whose engineering knowledge was valuable in creating the Washington Avenue Bridge. Following boom times brought the family to the Pikes Peak Gold Rush, and in Golden he became an honored and enterprising citizen who built and operated the Miners Hotel and a stage stop at his old campsite. Three original Golden streets were named after the women of his family. He also served as organizing vice president of the St. Vrain, Golden City & Colorado Wagon Road Company and, as a life-long Democrat, was elected Jefferson County’s first Treasurer in 1861. After the flood of 1864 destroyed the bridge, he operated a ferry across Clear Creek until it was rebuilt, then later that year returned east to spend the rest of his life at Oneonta in Otsego County, New York. The crossing he created endures as the oldest known remaining bridge crossing in the territories that comprise present-day Colorado.

Golden, Colorado · United States