On Wednesday, April 26, in a boardroom located in a Sixth Avenue skyscraper in Manhattan, a group of Exxon executives decided to kill the Colony Shale Oil Project. They considered a variety of factors, including the rising cost of the project, an unfavorable petroleum market, and declining first-quarter profits. They made their decision, shook hands, […]
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Local History Thursday: An Interview with Dave Davis, the Artist Behind Art on the Corner
An oral history interview with local arts pioneer Dave Davis can now be found online in the Mesa County Oral History Project (a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado). Many Grand Valley residents know the name of Dave Davis in association with Grand Junction’s Art on the Corner, a longstanding […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: The Bigger the Boom… (Black Sunday, part 1)
Forty-one years ago, on May 2, 1982, the news dropped like a bomb on the Western Slope; Exxon was pulling the plug on its $5 billion investment in the Colony Oil Shale Project, effective immediately. Overnight, $85 million in annual payroll disappeared as 2,100 workers were laid off from the project. The resulting upheaval was […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: Blood on the Mountain, a Deadly Shale Mining Incident
Here on the Western Slope, we have a long and troubled history with oil shale. Despite its tremendous abundance, the oil shale industry has never really lived up to its many promises to transform Western Colorado into a domestic energy juggernaut, and in the past these broken promises have cost us dearly. The economic, environmental, […]
Continue readingeResource Spotlight: Colorado Historic Newspapers
Here at Mesa County Libraries, we’re very passionate about our local history, and we love to help make researching it more accessible for everyone. If there’s one eResource we love that helps open a window into the past, it would definitely be Colorado Historic Newspapers! The Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection (CHNC) is a free archive […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: The Handy Chapel
“The mission of Handy Chapel has been and continues to be a beacon of helping with the spiritual, social and economic needs of all our fellow man.” – Josephine Dickey Nestled on the corner of 2nd Street and Grand Avenue in Grand Junction, Colorado lies the Handy Chapel, an important structural piece of Mesa County’s […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: A Horse in the House and Other Animals Inside
According to Muriel Marshall in her history of the Uncompahgre, cowboy and probable horse rustler Ben Lowe may once have ridden his horse into the John Davis clothing store on Grand Junction’s Main Street during one of his “Shoot up Main” weekends. Marks on the floor from the horse were reportedly visible in the clothing […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: Veda McBeth Homesteads Westwater Canyon
For some, winter becomes a time to celebrate quiet solitude and reflection. For early Westwater Canyon homesteader, Veda Macbeth, solitude existed no matter the season. Veda was born in 1899 and spent the first decade of her childhood living in La Sal county, Utah. She moved to Mack, Colorado in 1919 where she began work […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: Former Officer Janielle Westermire’s Unique Perspective on Black Lives Matter
As a former sheriff’s deputy and an African-American woman involved with community and educational efforts through Black Citizens and Friends, Janielle Westermire has a unique and very personal perspective on race relations, and on the Black Lives Matter protests that gripped the United States following the 2020 death of George Floyd. In her interview with […]
Continue readingLocal History Thursday: Alfred Nestler, One of Grand Junction’s Most Successful Artists
Beginning tomorrow on First Friday, the Art Center of Western Colorado will host a new exhibit titled Alfred Nestler: The Power of the Pen: An Exhibition from The Art Center’s Permanent Collection. In honor of this showing, we explore the life of Nestler, an artist who got his start in Grand Junction before becoming part […]
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