GOLDEN: A HUB OF COLORADO HISTORY
Golden is a small city west of Denver and Lakewood, located at the mouth of Clear Creek.
This town is best known for the Coors Brewery and the Colorado School of Mines. In 1859, with the discovery of gold in Clear Creek thousands of miners came to the area. Because of this, the local Ute, Arapahoe and Cheyenne Native Americans who lived in the foothills for generations moved out. Golden became a supply center for miners going into the mountains and a transportation hub for wagons. This was very important to their early success like agriculture, mining, and manufacturing.
In 1870, Golden had a cigar factory, a glass plant, a candy factory, a paper mill, stone quarries, many smelters, flour mills, and several local coal mines. When Colorado Central Railroad reached Golden, the city became the gateway to the Rocky Mountains. Golden got its name from an early settler and miner, Tom Golden. A German immigrant, Adolph Coors, and his partner started the Coors Brewery in 1873. Coors also started producing porcelain and ceramic cooking tools, chemical porcelain and flatware. This kept the company going during the Prohibition era.
Golden was growing academically as well and built three colleges: Jarvis Hall, Matthews Hall, and Colorado School of Mines. Bishop George M. Randall founded the Colorado School of Mines in 1873-74. It is the only existing mining school and is recognized as world-class. When Colorado became a state in 1876, Denver replaced Golden as the capital, but this didn’t affect the industry there. Golden remains a center for industry, education, and tourism because of their excellence.
WHY WE’RE HERE
Merrill Automotive, formerly Merrill Axle & Wheel Service, was founded in 1928 by Marcellus S. Merrill. Marcellus was an inventor, engineer, and manufacturer. Looking for new equipment that didn’t exist, Marcellus invented the world’s first dynamic electronic wheel balancer. Since then Merrill Automotive has become known for Vehicle Alignments, including Suspension and Steering work.
Vehicles are getting more complex with electrical components. Servicing these vehicles and knowing how to work with computers and sensors is necessary. It is important to find a good service center to help you maintain and repair your modern vehicle. Not only are our mechanics certified, but they also attend industry training to keep them up to date with the latest technologies. Merrill Auto is your all-around auto repair and maintenance shop. We perform oil changes, brake service, tune-ups, and auto inspections.
As our founder was a great innovator, we want to continue as leaders in the automotive industry for years to come! It is our goal to help you maintain your vehicle with safety and quality in mind. We want our customers to be at ease knowing that we are on the job!