Local 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 […]

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Local 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 […]

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Christmas Camel Ride

Local 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 […]

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Two silhouettes of faces surrounded by question marks

Local 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, […]

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Local 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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