According to an article written by Katie Nodjimbadem for Smithsonian.com, “Few images embody the spirit of the American West as well as the trailblazing, sharpshooting, horseback-riding cowboy of American lore. And though African-American cowboys don’t play a part in the popular narrative, historians estimate that one in four cowboys were black.” One such man was Charlie […]
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Local History Thursday: M.L. Allison and His Daughter’s Handwritten Notes From the Early 20th Century
In addition to being a mayor of Grand Junction, Monroe (M.L.) Allison was an influential and connected person, at the very least he was well regarded by the town founder, George Crawford. Along with C.B. Rich, he was named an executor and trustee of Crawford’s will and estate. The Delta County Independent issue from February […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: Mesa County’s Wild Horse Country
Tucked back behind the prominent sandstone face of Mt. Garfield and the sprawling Book Cliffs of Mesa County, there lies a place of desolate solitude called the Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Range. Although it is certainly lacking in human dwellers, the dry and dusty landscape is home to a band of wild horses who […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: Dr. Everett H. Munro, Private Detective
When you utter the word, “detective,” a couple different characters may come to mind: Sherlock Holmes lurking around in his Milford coat with a magnifying glass, or perhaps a group of sleuths who don the motto, “We Never Sleep,” and call themselves the Pinkerton Detective Agency. According to David Grann in his highly applauded book, […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: Mesa County Libraries and the Round-Up Parade of 1951
On July 17, 1951, Grand Junction’s Main Street was the site of an event called the Round-Up Parade. The parade was the official kick-off of the Rocky Mountain Roundup which was held in conjunction with the 9th Annual Intermountain Junior fat stock show and sale. The parade drew attendance of roughly 5,000 people to see […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: The Slaughterhouse of the West
Paradox Valley, just south of Mesa County, was where an assortment of early western Colorado newcomers decided to homestead and create a life. Original settlers came to the area to raise cattle, and eventually Uranium and Copper mines began to pop up around the valley. The area looks peaceful enough with its sweeping mountainous views […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: Railroads in Early Grand Junction
The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad (D&RG) gave Grand Junction its first permanent transportation link to the outside world with the completion, in November 1882, of a railroad bridge over the Colorado River at the confluence. The first train arrived at seven minutes of five o’clock on November 21, 1882, coming over the bridge with […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: How to Discover a New Butterfly Species
Imagine you are walking through the Black Ridge area of the Colorado National Monument, admiring the dusty hunks of sandstone and dramatic, red-walled canyons. You see a large, swallowtail butterfly flit past, and using your keen vision you observe that it is quite unlike any others you’ve spotted before. You return to this place up on […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: Rural School Shenanigans
In the old days of rural schoolhouse education in Mesa County and the Western Slope, most kids simply withstood the smacked wrists and hits they received from teachers, and understood it was the price for bad behavior. Farm and ranch kids, the boys especially, were thought to be wild by nature, and they often simply […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: A Glimpse into the Life of Andrew E. Riddle
Andrew E. Riddle had a sharp memory, humorous wit, and a lengthy past living in and around Mesa County as one of the area’s early settlers. He was a man of many hats: in the early 1900’s he experienced life as a soldier with the National Guard, a cattle and sheep rancher, and a successful Uranium […]
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