The Gates Rubber factory for three-quarters of a century was the center of our south Broadway community. Numerous families in the West Wash Park and Baker neighborhoods tell stories of times when a family member once worked at the factory and was a staple of the community. The owners went to great lengths to provide entertainment, satisfaction, and happiness for their employees.
Their annual picnic and christmas party were the highlights of the year. They hosted their picnics at Elitch gardens for the families to enjoy the park. Their Christmas party was so popular that by 1959 they had to move it to the Denver Coliseum. Hazel Gates, “Mommie G” was usually Santa and by 1960 she needed 8000 presents for the event. Every kid 12 and under of the employees received a stocking from her.
They gave their employees many incredible perks. Like the company commissary where Gates employees generally cut their grocery bills by 20%. They also had a full service medical and dental center with 76 employees, doctors and dentists. They really took care of their employees and this neighborhood. During the war effort in 1914, a portion of the property was converted to a “War Garden” to help provide food for the employees.
They had a full-time recreation director named Lloyd Smith, hired in 1948. 12 Sports included archery, baseball, basketball, bowling, golf, softball, table tennis, swimming and tennis. Other programmed activities included chess, bridge, dancing, dart baseball, fishing, hunting, hiking, and horse-back riding. Boxing and wrestling matches drew large crowds and became necessary to move them to the City Auditorium with seating for over 7000 spectators. Rodeos were held from 1939 until 1946 with many Gates employees’ bronco busting and calf roping. The 5W’s women's club was started in 1917 and stood for “We Wish We Were Wed”.
Other benefits of working at gates were the great parties put on by the fire brigade, the rooftop garden which they said was “ A spot where they can lift the mental strain and sweep the brain of cobwebs out with pure, fresh, Colorado air”.
Source: 1) “The Spirits of South Broadway” by Phil Goodstein
Image Source: Donated to the Denver Public Library by the Rocky Mountain News RMN-5479 & Denver Public Library Special Collections, Rh-780
