Living in Grand Junction, founded in 1882, can skew your perception of just how far back much of Colorado’s history goes. Comparatively speaking, the towns and cities on the Western Slope are much younger than the towns and cities located elsewhere in the state, in large part because this land was reserved by treaty for […]
Continue readingCategory Archives: Local History
Nifty Names: Ghost Towns of Western Colorado
Deserted, remote, forgotten. With over 1,500 named ghost towns, few states possess more abandoned settlements than Colorado. The promise of prosperity brought thousands into these settlements, only to be left behind when fortunes dried up. The vast majority of ghost towns in Colorado were mining settlements, founded to extract or process raw material from Colorado’s […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: The Peach Day Massacre & Sheep Wars of the 1890s
Content Warning: This story contains graphic descriptions of violence and suffering committed against animals. Reader discretion is advised. In the late 19th century, competition between cattlemen and sheepherders over the open range often came to a bloody head in a series of conflicts known as the Sheep Wars. There were huge fortunes to be gained […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: Abe Ong, Mesa County’s Pioneer Bootlegger
Some criminals achieve fame through cunning, working as masterminds and manipulating law enforcement to evade capture for as long as possible. Others become famous through building criminal empires, creating massive gangs that can rival multinational corporations in scale. Others, like Mesa County’s pioneer bootlegger, Abe Ong, seemingly become famous through sheer audacity. In my last […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: Back When the Library Had Hitching Posts
In 1901, a Carnegie Library was opened in Grand Junction to serve the citizens of the town. The building was located at the corner of 7th St. and Grand Ave. The architecture was of a Greek-style design and included large Corinthian columns, cathedral windows, and a fireplace in the center of the building. Visitors would […]
Continue readingSubject Guides at Mesa County Libraries
Did you know that we have some great subject guides on our website? A subject guide is a web page or set of web pages that are created by library staff and provide an overview of a topic. With guides on community resources and services, downloadable and streaming media, education resources, genealogy, legal information, taxes, […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: Prohibition in Mesa County
In 1909, Mesa County voted to prohibit the sale of alcohol a decade before the rest of the nation followed suit with the Eighteenth Amendment. Within two months, the first case involving the sale of illegal liquor had made it to county court. “Doc” Powell, a retired bus driver living in a barn, was found […]
Continue readingNifty Names: Communities of the Grand Valley
The Grand Valley has a reputation as a small, rural area, despite the fact that it’s actually quite urban and populous. As of 2020, Mesa County sports a growing population of 155,703 people, the vast majority of which live in the Grand Valley. With over 10 different communities, it’s the only true metropolitan area in […]
Continue readingStarting Your Genealogy or Local History Research
Do you have a burning local history topic that you’d like to investigate, or a family history mystery that you want to solve? Mesa County Libraries and other libraries have some great resources for the beginning researcher. Patrons often come in looking for an article about a family member or ancestor. If you have a […]
Continue readingNifty Names: Geography of the Grand Valley
Colorado is a state with a rich history, and one of the best ways to see that reflected is in the diversity of names found in its towns, streets, natural features, and landmarks. In this new series, we’ll take a look at some of the interesting names found around Colorado and nearby areas, and explore […]
Continue reading