Since the settlement of Mesa County, its citizens have formed community groups to bond socially, for charitable causes, or for the ritual of belonging. Some founded local chapters of established organizations. In 1883 and 1884, recent arrivals formed Masonic Lodge Charter Number 55, Grand Army of the Republic Post 35, a local chapter of the […]
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Local History Thursday: Mesa County Central Library’s 2012 Remodel
Imagine what you were like a decade ago – Where you lived, the people you surrounded yourself with, the activities you chose to partake in, your (maybe regrettable) hairstyle. Similar to how you have undergone a mighty transition or two, Mesa County Libraries has had quite the decade of change and growth. One of the […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: Drinking Water From The Gunnison And A Local Typhoid Mary
Before Grand Junction took its water from the Grand Mesa’s watershed, citizens took water directly from the Gunnison River, and with it Diphtheria, Typhoid Fever, and other interesting diseases that were not remedied until the twin advances of proper water management and vaccinations came into being. A May 1883 issue of the Grand Junction News […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: A Sticky Situation for Dr. de Beque
Armand de Beque, an early Mesa County resident and interviewee of the Mesa County Oral History Project, had his fair share of dirt on his father, Dr. Wallace A.E. de Beque. Dr. de Beque was one of the founders of De Beque, Colorado, a small town in Mesa County. As described in an interview […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: Flash Flood at Cross Orchards
In the days prior to adequate floodplain and stormwater management in Mesa County, flash floods could be an issue for valley residents. Charles Buttolph, former manager for the Red Cross Land and Fruit Company (and then-owner of his own fruit farm on adjacent land), talks about one such flash flood that swept through Cross Orchards […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: Gateway’s Original Mail System
With the holiday season finishing up, many of you have probably scurried to the mailbox to either send out well wishes or receive tidings of joy from loved ones. Nowadays, there are multiple airlines dedicated to delivering your parcels in a timely fashion, and local postmen/women who dedicate their livelihoods to well-organized mail routes by […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: Holiday Traditions
The scramble to prepare for the big winter holiday season started weeks ago. There have been moments of joy while visiting with relatives and loved ones, or finding that perfect gift for your kiddo. Then there’s moments of stress when realizing the strings of Christmas lights you’ve spent hours draping over your roof won’t turn […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: Downtown Grand Junction in Black and White Photographs
Historical photos can tell you a lot about a building or setting. They can show you how structures or places have changed over time in addition to helping identify where something was located if it no longer stands. Historical photos can also give you an idea of how people dressed, the transportation that they used, and […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: Old Slang
Since long before I was a young whippersnapper, there have been some interesting slang expressions thrown around the Grand Valley region. The Mesa County Oral History Project is full of interviews with original settlers to this area. Indulge in a listen, and you may pick up on some ways of speech that inspire confusion, […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: The Hispanic Culture of Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico
The Mesa County Oral History Project recently digitized interviews with Lebrado “Lee” Serna and Anna (Garcia) Gallegos, descendants of the long-standing Hispanic community that still exists today along the Colorado-New Mexico border. Spanish-speaking peoples first came north to Northern New Mexico in the late 1500’s and up into Southern Colorado not long after. There, in […]
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