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In a lecture sponsored by Mesa County Libraries, Professor Don MacKendrick talks about the cultural history of the Grand Valley, framing that history in the context of the broader American settlement of the West. He reports on the rowdiness on Colorado Avenue that accompanied Grand Junction’s founding, followed by the quick establishment of social norms and cultural organizations. He describes Grand Junction’s early theaters and performance spaces,...

Ray Bernal talks about his early life in the Grand Valley and the wide variety of jobs that he held, including work as a "gandy dancer" on the railroad, mining, farming, thinning beets, janitorial work, and herding sheep. He also discusses a group breakfast he had with President Harry S. Truman, where Truman's daughter staged a musical performance. This recording is made available via signed release by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration...

Emma McCreanor and David Leach speak about the history of the Civilian Conservation Corps in Mesa County, Colorado, part of the third annual Al Look Series of lectures at the Museum of the West in 1983. Leach gives particular attention to the CCC camps on the Colorado National Monument and describes the road-building disaster in which several men died. This recording is made available via signed release by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration...

Laird Smith talks about the life of his father, Silmon Smith. He recounts his father’s childhood trapping bear on the Grand Mesa at the age of thirteen, running a fruit and vegetable cart while in high school, and graduating second in his class from the Franklin School. He speaks about his father’s education at Colorado College, his position as editor of the college paper, and his work as the assistant weatherman in Colorado Springs. He recounts...

Debrah Mahoney talks about the arrival of her grandfather in what would soon become Mesa County, Colorado, early in 1881. She recounts the accomplishments of her uncle John S. Gordon, who built Gordon’s Ferry over the Colorado River at the confluence in Grand Junction, Colorado in 1883, allowing passage over the river, and who also built Gordon’s Toll Road, which went from the ferry up to the sawmills of Pinon Mesa. She speaks about her father...

Ira Caley talks about growing up on a farm near Grants Pass, Oregon and in the town of Springfield, Oregon. He speaks about the difficulty of his home life and joining the Marines at the age of seventeen. He recalls basic training, early rumblings about the Vietnam War in 1963, being assigned to the 1st Batallion, 11th Marines, training for jungle warfare in the Philippines, and landing in Vietnam as part of an invasion force in October 1965. He describes...

Ethel Keleher talks about growing up in Kansas, moving to a ranch near Trinidad when she was nineteen, and her family. She remembers her husband, children, and how cancer affected their lives. She speaks about living on a homestead in Fowler, where they raised poultry, and sold eggs and milk. She recalls arriving in Mesa County in 1923, shopping and riding the streetcar in Grand Junction, and businesses in Fruita. She speaks about working with fruit...

Arline Cantril talks about her childhood in Salida, Colorado. She speaks about her marriage to James Cantril, their subsequent move to Leadville, where her husband worked in the Climax Mine, and mining life. She remembers her move to the Starr District of Mesa County, near Loma, after her husband’s bout with pneumonia in the 1930’s, and describes their farm. She recalls returning to Lake County and mining life after the Federal Government mandated...

Dick Woodfin talks about his early life growing up on farms in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Cheyenne Wells, Colorado. He speaks about his schooling in animal husbandry at Colorado State University and his brief career as a vocational agriculture teacher in Nebraska. He remembers his career as a county agricultural extension agent in Crowley County, Kit Carson County, and Mesa County, Colorado. He recalls the different government and agricultural organizations...

Bea Underwood talks about moving to Battlement Mesa with her parents in 1917. She recalls her parents’ farm and ranch, and the various ranches that her parents purchased. She speaks about her father’s general store in Parachute (then Grand Valley). She remembers her long career as a school teacher in the Grand Valley, teaching first grade (Bea Underwood Elementary School in Parachute is named for her), and her husband’s career as a section foreman...