In Grand Junction, Colorado, we have a street named Chipeta Avenue. As a kid, I had no idea what that signified or who Chipeta was, nor was I taught in school. Yet there was a time when Chipeta was famous in Colorado. She played an important role in the history of the Ute people and […]
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Read It Before You See It
If you like to read the book before you see the movie, you may want to put your name on the hold list for Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve. It hits theaters December 14th, and if it will be worth seeing even if it’s only a quarter as good as the book (yes, the book […]
Continue readingAn eerie ghost story and a murder mystery
A dilapidated girls boarding school in small-town Vermont called Idlewild is the setting for a truly scary gothic mystery. The Broken Girls, by Simone St. James, moves between 1950, when we meet four troubled school girls at Idlewild, and the present when Fiona Sheridan is investigating a plan to re-open the school, where Fiona’s sister was […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: The Fremont Culture
November gets a lot of recognition for Thanksgiving, but a different reason to celebrate this time of year is National Native American Heritage Month. Mesa County and its surrounding areas were once home to multiple Native American cultures; one of the earlier cultures was a group of Native people known as the Fremont. The Fremont were […]
Continue reading1,000 Books Before Kindergarten: 2018 Commencement Speech
On September 29, 2018, Mesa County Libraries had the privilege of honoring all the children who completed 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten in the past year. The keynote speaker this year was Davian Sandoval, a teen who is an avid reader and frequently volunteers at the library. His speech was met with such enthusiasm, that we […]
Continue readingTrustees to interview library director finalists; public reception set for Nov. 5
The Mesa County Libraries Board of Trustees is scheduled to interview the two finalists for library director on Monday, Nov. 5, 2018, and a public reception is planned that day to give interested members of the community an opportunity to meet the candidates. Trustees will discuss the candidates and possibly decide to offer the director’s […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: Grand Junction’s Fear of the Utes
The recently removed Ute Indians loomed large in the imagination of Grand Junction’s early settlers. The Utes allowed the U.S. Army to remove them peaceably to the Uintah Reservation in Utah in 1881, and in historical retrospect, it seems there was no real risk that they might threaten the town. Some Utes stayed behind and […]
Continue readingSome favorite ghost movies for Halloween
Some people like to watch scary movies all year-round. Those people must be very brave. I myself think it best to save the frights for the Halloween season, and as a meek and scare-averse human, I generally need the presence of a sturdy shoulder to cringe against when the going gets too spooky. My best […]
Continue readingMesa County Libraries name two finalists for library director
The Mesa County Libraries Board of Trustees has selected two finalists for the position of library director. The finalists are Tim Miller, director of the Pines & Plains Libraries in Elbert County, Colo., and Sam Passey, director of library and museum services for the Uintah County Library in Vernal, Utah. Miller and Passey were chosen […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: Spooky Stories of Mesa County
Do you like things that go “bump” in the night? As a kid, did you read so many ghost stories before bed that you had to sleep with a nightlight on until you were 14? Did you ever ask for EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) equipment for Christmas, then scoff when your mom got you a […]
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