Antonio Clark has already accomplished much as a young man. He was a standout football player for Thomas Jefferson High School in Denver. He also played cornerback for the Colorado Mesa University football team, and became the first person in his family to graduate from college. Perhaps his greatest accomplishment, though, came as a community […]
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I first heard about the supposed valley curse in 1990. A friend had gone away to college and come back before finishing. He said, “It must be the valley curse.” When I asked what that was, he explained that when the Utes were forcibly removed from the Grand Valley in 1881, they cursed the white […]
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With the gruesome discovery of the bodies of First Nations children on the grounds of residential schools in Canada, people are also turning their attention to American Indian schools in the United States. These boarding schools operated in the late 1800’s and 1900’s. They were dedicated to the forced acculturation of Native American children, who […]
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Shannon Robinson has led a brave and transformational life in Grand Junction. She overcame racism from some fellow students to become the first African-American president of student government at Mesa State College (now Colorado Mesa University). In the midst of the AIDS epidemic, she helped stage on-campus demonstrations to educate students about the dangers of […]
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Patrons searching for local history information often approach librarians at Mesa County Libraries for help. Sometimes, these patrons are best served by a book on local history, of which we have many (both in our circulating collection and in the Rashleigh Regional History Room). Other times, we connect patrons to information from the Mesa County […]
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In his second interview with the Social Justice Archive at Mesa County Libraries, David Combs turns his attention to the death of George Floyd (who died at the hands of recently convicted Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin). As an African-American from Minneapolis, Combs gives unique and powerful perspectives on ethnic relations in that city, and on […]
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Today, you can still see a small orchard if you look to the west from 1st Street when ascending the hill that used to be known as First Fruitridge. Believe it or not, the hill bisected by 1st Street […]
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In many ways, Shannon Robinson has lived an enviable punk rock kind of life, going her own direction and setting her own rules. She bought a fake ID so she could start working at the age of fourteen, was in the pit at Denver hardcore punk shows during the scene’s heyday, became a Vespa-riding SHARP […]
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Mesa County Libraries is pleased to present an interview with local activist David Combs, the first in the Mesa County Oral History Project’s new Social Justice Archive (created in partnership with the Black Citizens and Friends organization, Professor Sarah Swedberg, activist Shannon Robinson, and Mr. Combs). The Social Justice Archive will explore the local manifestation […]
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Before The Giving Tree, Toys for Tots, and the other wonderful programs that provide gifts to children in need, there was an organization called The Soup Eaters that helped thousands of Mesa County youth during the holidays.* The Soup Eaters was founded by Al Look during the Great Depression. Look, a columnist and advertising manager […]
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