A guide to the geology and mining history of the town of Golden, Colorado written for the non-geologist lay-person. Consists of two parts: the first is the geology of Golden, building from the oldest to youngest rocks and recounting mountain-building episodes, most famously the Laramide Orogeny, which is well-expressed in the geology of Golden. A chapter on surface and groundwater of Clear Creek, also recounts the story of water quality in Clear Creek as part of the mining-pollution legacy of the Colorado Front Range. The second part of the book discusses the history of the major commodities mined within Golden: coal, clay, and aggregate/building stone. The last chapter covers mining legacies including mining-related historic railroads; coal and clay mine subsidence issues; and finally changing attitudes toward mining in the late 1960s that brought about a move to preserve many former and proposed mine areas as dedicated (legal) open space. The book includes a glossary of terms that are highlighted in the text, as well as a short Geologic Primer to develop a shared language of terms for the non-specialist.