The Mesa County Oral History Project began as a joint project of the Museums of Western Colorado and Mesa County Libraries (MCL) in 1975. The Oral History Project collected tape-recorded interviews with pioneers of Mesa County and surrounding areas, and interviews with the children of pioneers. The Central Library housed the duplicate audio cassettes and provided patron access to the histories. The Museum stored the master tapes and kept files and transcripts related to the oral history collection. The Mesa County Historical Society also contributed significantly to the Oral History Project by collaborating with the library and museum to select interviewees, and by providing interviewers and other volunteers.
Mesa County Libraries no longer partner with the Museum in housing duplicate copies of tapes. But the library now works with the Museum to digitize interviews from the Mesa County Oral History Project and to provide online access to the interviews through Pika, the library catalog. The Museum continues to house the original audio cassettes, interview transcripts, and other source material for the project. The Library and the Museums of Western Colorado still record oral histories with residents who have important knowledge of the area’s history.
Please note that some interviews contain language that listeners or readers may consider offensive. Mesa County Libraries does not condone such language, but has included interviews in their entirety in the interest of preserving history.
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Addendum to 1982 Interview with Homer James "Jim" Colman
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Homer Colman talks about his family genealogy and his family’s history on the Western Slope of Colorado. He clarifies aspects of his earlier 1982 interview with the Mesa County Oral History Project, including his survival of near starvation conditions in Bataan, what he perceives as the failures of the US military’s War Plan Orange, his criticism of General Douglas MacArthur, the bombing of US military installations in the Philippines that followed shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and the Battle of Bataan. He also corrects his earlier assertions about the number of Filipinos and Americans who died during the Bataan Death March, in which Colman was forced to take part. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
*Photograph from the yearbook of West High School in Salt Lake City
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Al Look Presents the 1971 Meeting of the Last Squad Club
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Al Look presents a February 18, 1971 meeting of the surviving members of the Last Squad Club, an association of World War I servicemen founded during the Great Depression. 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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Archaeology of West Central Colorado: Lecture by Brian O'Neil
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Brian O’Neil speaks about the archaeology of Western Colorado during a Mesa County Historical Society event at the De Beque School. 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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Aurelio Landini, Agnes Landini, Pete Landini, Luisa (Durante) Landini
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From left to right, a photograph of Aurelio Landini, Agnes Landini, Peter "Pete" Landini, and Luisa Landini. The photograph appears to be from the wedding day of Luisa and Pete Landini, in 1921. Aurelio and Pete are brothers.
*A copy of this photograph was donated by Luisa Landini to the Mesa County Oral History Project at the time of her oral history interview in 1983.
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Bluegrass Musical Performance by the Rainbow Valley Boys: Museum Folklore Series
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The Rainbow Valley Boys, including the musicians Paul Scott, John Rhinehart, Paul Bass, and Duane Knopp, perform at the Museum of Western Colorado as part of the Museums of Western Colorado Folklore Series. 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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Ceremony for National POW/MIA Recognition Day
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During a ceremony at Grand Junction, Colorado’s V.A. Medical Center on National POW/MIA Recognition Day in 1983, military veterans and public officials commemorate US prisoners of war in Vietnam, and US service members missing in action in Vietnam. 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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Conversation between Lyman "Si" Hubbard and Frank Livingston
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Si Hubbard and Forrest Livingston discuss horse thieves near Gateway, Colorado, and an occurrence where Si tracked down, threatened to kill, and then guarded the thieves that stole his horses. This recording is made available via signed release 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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Country School Legacy: A panel discussion at the Museum of Western Colorado
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In a panel discussion at the Museum of Western Colorado, Esther (Anderson) Campbell talks about her experience as a teacher in country and town schools in Moffat County. Randall Deewer, former principal of the Hawthorne School in Grand Junction, Emma Louise McCreanor and others also describe their experiences in country schools. This recording was provided by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
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Dalton Trumbo: A conversation between Elberta (Soule) Francis and David Sundal
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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 early life in Mesa County, and examine Trumbo’s connection to the community through the novel Eclipse and his other literary works. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
*Photograph from the 1923 Grand Junction High School yearbook
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Dottie Lamm Speaks at the Women's Network Luncheon in Grand Junction, Colorado in 1982
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During a Women’s Network Luncheon at the Moose Lodge in Grand Junction, Colorado, Dottie Lamm gives a speech titled “Today’s Women,” about the state of women’s political, professional, and social empowerment in the United States. Her speech was part of a larger program. This recording is provided by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
*Photograph Dottie Lamm: Conference on World Affairs - Boulder, Colorado by Colorado Sands
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/
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