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Cassie Seals, an African-American resident of Grand Junction who came to the area around 1924, discusses her experiences in Mesa County, her membership in the Handy Chapel congregation, and her family and culture growing up in Thornton, Arkansas. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
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Darwin Burford discusses growing up in Whitewater, Colorado in the early Twentieth century, and going to school in Mesa County, Colorado. Darwin talks about the early narrow gauge railroad that serviced Mesa County, about the Barnum and Bailey Circus, daily childhood chores, playing cribbage as a family, and his argument with John Otto. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries,...
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Marie Young talks about discrimination that her German American family faced during World Wars I and II. She also talks about her many tasks as a homemaker on a ranch, about helping with the cattle, and doing other ranch work. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries, the Museums of Western Colorado and the Mesa County Historical Society.
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Robert Evans discusses his many years working for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad as a machinist, and recounts various railroad accidents. He also talks about his time playing baseball on various semipro teams, and on local teams in Grand Junction, Colorado. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries, the Museums of Western Colorado and the Mesa County Historical Society.
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Gwendolyn McKee talks about the history of her family in Colorado, about working with her mother in Salida hotels, and about her education at Denver’s East High School and at the then Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado. She also discusses her father’s career on the railroad and the prominence of the railroad as an employer in Salida. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries,...
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Bunk Weimer recalls settling on land at the current location of Colorado Mesa University as a child in 1903, where the boys slept in a cave and the rest of the family in tents before the land was leveled for farming. He talks about helping with the construction of the first Mesa County Fairgrounds (on the site of the present day Lincoln Park), including the Lincoln Park Barn. He discusses helping his father pour foundations for several prominent buildings...
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Al Look talks about doing publicity for The Daily Sentinel and about organizing events, such as a local basketball tournament, for the newspaper. He also talks about his role in creating both the Soup Eaters, an organization that provided charity to local children, and the Grand Junction Cancer Society. He details his experience selling advertising for newspapers, and his techniques for selling advertising. He talks about his wife, Margaret (Langen)...
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Al Look talks about some of the colorful people that lived in Durango during the 1920’s, and about the history and growth of the town. He also tells about his marriage to Margaret Langen and their honeymoon in Mesa Verde National Park, and touches on his boyhood in Kansas. Look discusses his days working for both the Grand Junction News and the Daily Sentinel, and describes his role in providing publicity for events sponsored by the Sentinel. The...
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Harriet “Muzz” Northrop Webster Johnson recalls growing up in Grand Junction, Colorado and discusses the schools she attended, her father’s job at the Holly Sugar Company, her jobs after high school, her marriages, and the history of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church. She also talks about starting over as a 58-year-old widower, when she lived and worked as a house mother at the Hawaii School for the Deaf and Blind. The interview was conducted...
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Luis López talks about his childhood growing up in Albuquerque, his family heritage, and his experience in a Jesuit seminary. He recounts his expansive education, his 44-year teaching career, his success as a poet, and his many books. He also discusses his involvement in the Western Slope’s poetry community, and his activism during the civil rights era. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa...
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Roy Dinkins, co-owner of Costanzas Liquor Store in Grand Junction, Colorado during the 1930’s, talks in detail about the murder of Biltmore gambling hall owner J.W. “Big Kid” Eames. He describes special investigator Walter Byron’s involvement in the case, the community’s reaction to the murder, and the trial. He also speaks about his upbringing in Salida. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration...
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Fritz Becker, a former officer in the Grand Junction Police Department, discusses crime in Grand Junction, including: murders, the clean-up of prostitution and vice on Colorado Avenue, gambling houses and bootlegging. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
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Emma Conner talks about the lives of her parents and grandparents, Mesa County pioneers. She speaks about her early schooling at the Franklin School and work in her grandmother’s boardinghouse. She details restrictions that were put into place during the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918. She discusses the railroad occupations of her father and husbands, and a rail accident that killed her second husband. She talks about downtown Grand Junction’s dirt...
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Winifred Bull recalls the childhood of her father, Dr. Herman Bull Sr., and his life as one of the original doctors in Mesa County, Colorado. She talks about the prevalence of Typhoid fever and waterborne illnesses in Grand Junction, known among doctors as “Belly Ache Flats” before the advent of modern water treatment facilities. She discusses her father’s medical practice, his love of horse racing, and how he rode his horses to house calls....
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Dr. Peter Matteroli describes his time living in multiple buildings around downtown Grand Junction, including the YMCA building. Peter tells the story of his wild journey to take the Dental Board Exam in Salt Lake City, Utah, the trials and tribulations of opening up a dentist office in Grand Junction, getting shot in the ankle while rabbit hunting, his experience serving on the board of the Eagles Ball Club, and stories from the Grand Junction Lions...
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In a lecture at the Museum of the West in Grand Junction, Colorado, Al Look talks about his life in Nebraska, Kansas, Durango and Grand Junction, with many details about the people he knew, the events of the time, and his experiences. This recording is made available via signed release by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
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Dorothy Evans discusses growing up in Collbran, Colorado and receiving her business degree from the Hoel-Ross Business College in Grand Junction. She describes the social life in Grand Junction in and around Main Street, and recalls details about the prominent members of Mesa County, railroad workers, local business owners, and characters who lived and worked in the area. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration...
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Elberta Francis and David Sundal hold a conversation about former Grand Junction resident and Academy Award-winning screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. Francis speaks about knowing Trumbo through family connections and as a child of similar age. During his conversation with Francis and in a separate interview with Evelyn Kyle, Sundal talks about interviewing Trumbo and his impressions of him. Together, Francis and Sundal paint a picture of Trumbo and his...
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Frank Jonick describes his experiences as a railroad detective and special agent for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. He also details the Grand Junction train depot fire (involving munitions) that occurred during World War II. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries, the Museums of Western Colorado and the Mesa County Historical Society.
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Nevada Burford discusses the history of her pioneering parents, who came to Grand Junction in 1882 and homesteaded in Kannah Creek. She also talks about the Handy Chapel and Grand Junction’s early African-American community. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries, the Museums of Western Colorado and the Mesa County Historical Society. *Transcript for Tape 2 of 4 only.