The Collection
The Ronzio collection is comprised of approximately 350 photographs, stereoviews, railroad passes, maps and other ephemera. The collection includes the first laws published in Golden for the Colorado Territory. It is considered one of the more comprehensive photographic collections of the area of Golden and this part of Jefferson County.

The Ronzio materials acquired by the Jefferson County Public Library after his death in 1995 comprise about 10 percent of his entire collection. Other materials were dispersed by his estate among various private entities and municipal depositories.

Accessing the Collection
The collection may be viewed at the Golden Library, 1019 Tenth St., Golden CO 80401. Copy negatives of the photographs are available for reproduction at the Golden Landmarks Association, 805 13th St., Golden, CO 80401.

List of Ronzio photographs available at the Golden Library

Biography
Richard A. Ronzio was born in Pueblo, Colorado, on November 16, 1911. Ronzio received a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado in 1934. He worked for Amax, Inc. for 41 years and traveled to every continent but Antarctica. He obtained 10 patents in metallurgy while working at Amax and was a metallurgy consultant to the Brazilian government. He retired in 1976.

Settling in Golden in 1940, he became interested in the area's rich history. In 1945 he began collecting material related to railroads, mining, smelting, and Colorado people and towns, covering the years from approximately the mid-1860s to the 1950s.

He became known as a local historian as he acquired unique material that was sought after by history buffs and used in numerous publications. He is the author of "Silver Images of Colorado: Denver Album and the 1866 Business Directory." With Francis Rizzari and Charles Ryland, he also re-published important rare books on the early history of the state, including "Crofutt's Grip Sack Guide to Colorado."

He was the recipient of the Historian of the Year Award from the Jefferson County Historical Commission in 1994, and his photograph hangs in the Jefferson County Hall of Fame.