Thursday night Fred Martin gave one of the most interesting local history presentations we have seen in a long time. What started as a story about the Zang Brewery family turned into a fascinating look at how much of modern Broomfield traces back to the Zang ranch operations and land holdings.
Most people know the Zang name from Denver brewing history. What many of us don't realize is how deeply connected the family was to what eventually became Broomfield. Fred’s presentation, Beer and Horses: An Unexpected Broomfield Origin Story, showed how the Zang family’s influence extended far beyond brewing into ranching, railroads, agriculture, transportation, and horse breeding across this entire area.
Fred's presentation itself was incredibly well done. He combined historic photographs, maps, documents, and even a few AI-enhanced animations to bring the story to life in a way that kept everyone engaged. One of the things that stood out was just how much of present-day Broomfield is tied to the Zang ranch properties, including areas surrounding today’s Depot Museum, Highway 287, Lac Amora, Midway Park, and the Great Western Reservoir.
One of the most surprising parts of the evening was learning that the old railroad stop now known as the Depot Museum originally operated as “Zang’s Spur,” serving the Zang ranch and brewery operations. Fred also shared the remarkable story of the Zang family’s internationally known Percheron horse breeding program, including the horse “Champagne,” which at one time was considered the most valuable stud horse in the world.
You can tell this project has become a real passion for Fred. The amount of research and detail that went into the presentation was impressive, but what made it work was the way he told the story. It never felt like a dry history lecture. It felt like discovering a part of Broomfield that most of us drive past every day without realizing the history.
Fred also mentioned that his project continues to grow as more people connected to the Zang history reach out with additional information and photographs, including connections to the historic Zang farmhouse in Broomfield and the Zang Mansion in Denver.
The evening was a reminder that local history is often far richer and more interesting than we realize. Many of the roads, neighborhoods, and landmarks around us sit on top of stories that helped shape the community long before Broomfield officially existed.
Thank you to Fred Martin for spending the evening with Broomfield Rotary and for preserving and sharing an important part of Broomfield history.