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Laird Smith talks about his grandfather Frank Smith’s severe case of Tuberculosis that caused the doctor to move with his family to Grand Junction, Colorado. He describes the apartment next to a saloon where the family lived on Main Street, where drunken men would sometimes crawl in through the windows by mistake. He discusses his father Silmon Smith’s “spartan” upbringing, his camping alone on the Grand Mesa for long stretches when he was...
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To mark the centennial celebration of the town of Grand Junction, Colorado in 1981, the Mesa County Oral History Project wrote and recorded several radio plays about local history. Beginning on September 26, 1981, local radio stations KSTR, KREX-AM, KREX-FM, and KMSA broadcast the plays. Authors of the plays used interviews recorded by the Mesa County Oral History Project as inspiration. This archival recording contains the play Immigrants and Homesteaders. This...
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Philip Griebel talks about his life as an educator and a coach at Fruita High School. He remembers the fire that burnt down the first Fruita Union High School in 1934. He describes teaching topics in science and math for 28 years. He speaks about his career as a basketball, football, and track coach, remembers school and community involvement in the games, and rivalries between Fruita and high schools in Delta, Grand Junction, Gunnison, Montrose,...
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John Goulet remembers a piano concerto that he played with the Grand Junction High School woodwind orchestra in 1958. He describes his recitation of the Cremation of Sam McGee at the Daily Sentinel party in 1959. He talks about night life in Grand Junction in the 1950’s. He recalls attending a concert of the Paganini Quartet at Mesa College, and meeting John F. Kennedy at Café Caravan during his campaign for president. He remembers his friend Boots...
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During a Mesa County Public Library program, Michael Husband speaks about the many cultural activities in early Grand Junction and Mesa County, Colorado, including music, dance, and theater. He names top performers who came to Grand Junction, including the Russian Ballet, John Philip Sousa, the New York Philharmonic, and the Chicago Symphony. He discusses the role of Walter Walker in supporting and promoting the arts. He lists the many venues that...
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John Collier explains his childhood growing up as a homesteader in Pinon Mesa and the Glade Park area, and living in a tent until a cabin could be built. He talks about how his father made money in real estate, farming hay, selling horses, selling lumber for corrals, raising sheep and cattle, and skating on the frozen Redlands Canal. He mentions important landmarks and buildings in and around Grand Junction, Colorado. The interview was conducted by...
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Ruth and Charlie Benson talk about running a hunting camp near Parachute, Colorado for several years and tell stories about foolish hunters. They remember songs they sang and games they played as children. Charlie talks about irrigation and building fences. Charlie speaks about his youth on a dairy farm in Parachute and on a nearby homestead. He recalls helping to build the Granlee Trail in the 1960’s. Ruth recalls the Granlee School, where she...
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Bill Rump talks about his father Charlie Rump and his roll in developing the Redlands in Mesa County, Colorado as a member of the Redlands Company and the Redlands Water and Power Company. He recounts the efforts of those companies in creating orchards and other agricultural enterprises on the Redlands. He speaks about the Redlands School, roads, sports, youth activities, and other aspects of life on the Redlands and in Grand Junction. He remembers...