Mesa County Oral History Project

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.

Pages

First Interview with Madge E. Davis
Madge Davis discusses her teenage years in the 1910’s working on the Cross Ranch in Mesa County, thinning peaches and packing peaches with her mom and dad. She describes fruit growing operations on the farm. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of the Mesa County Public Library and the Museum of Western Colorado.
First Interview with Marie (Becker) Young
Marie (Becker) Young talks about her experience living in Germany for a year, and the early days of fruit farming in Mesa County, Colorado. Marie also discusses the early history of Orchard Mesa, her social and work life as a teenager, the business of cattle driving and roundups with her husband in Utah, and her life as a homemaker. 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.
First Interview with Marie Louise (Johns) Nowlan
Marie Nowlan discusses the history of her family in Grand Junction, including her father’s employment as a conductor for the Interurban route, her brother Joey’s involvement as a player for and manager of the Grand Junction Baseball Team, and her memories of the Mesa County Fair. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
First Interview with Mary A. (Robinson) Cox
Mary Cox talks about her education at the Bryant School and elsewhere in Grand Junction, about corsets and other aspects of school fashion, the history of the Riverside Neighborhood, attending community dances and Glenwood Springs’ Strawberry Days, and boys swimming in the Colorado River. She also discusses old downtown businesses, going to movies at the Majestic Theater, a brothel that advertised at the Mesa County Fairgrounds during a baseball game, going to concerts at the bandshell in Whitman Park, kids playing hooky, gold mining in Death Valley, kerosene lamps, washboards and iceboxes. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
First Interview with Mary Belle (Powers) Plaisted
Mary talks about her early childhood in Kansas as one of nine children and her family's move to Colorado upon the death of her father. Mary details the train and its passengers during the move, including Russian immigrants coming to work the beet fields, and her mother's outreach. She mentions her mothers career training riding horses as a way to support the family. She talks about her relationships, children, and the struggle she faced trying to support them. She describes the Great Depression era and how much materials cost, programs available to the needy, federal assistance and loans, and how the Grand Valley ranchers would support families affected by the Dust Bowl. She covers various other topics, including gardening, water rights, recipes, tools, ranching, homesteading, the uranium boom, local history, and land uses. The Interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa county Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
First Interview with Morgan Goss
Morgan Goss discusses his time as a cowboy in Mesa County during the early 1900’s. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
First Interview with Oscar Winfield Jaynes Jr.
Oscar Jaynes discusses childhood memories of Clifton, Colorado, including life on his family’s homestead, a time he climbed inside a giant tire and rolled down a desert hill, and a boxing match at school with future Colorado Supreme Court justice Jim Groves. He then relates tales of traveling the country on freight cars trying to find work during the Great Depression. Oscar also talks a great deal about the fruit business, specifically the peach industry in Palisade and labor shortages. 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. *The original audiocassette recording suffers from poor sound quality in places. While digitization tools have allowed us to remedy this to an extent, Mr. Jaynes voice remains barely audible at times.
First Interview with Penelope Chase "Penny" (Brown) Eberhart
Penelope Eberhart talks about her father Harry Brown’s introduction to oil shale while on a family vacation in Denver in the 1920’s, his subsequent move to the De Beque area on the Western Slope, and his early business venture in oil shale with the Index Oil Shale Company. She speaks about the mining and milling process for shale, and about a biproduct of the milling process marketed as plant fertilizer called Index Soil Vitalizer. She talks about the development of a system to bring water from Mt. Pekoe. She describes the appearance of oil shale in nature. She reads letters from US Representative Wayne Aspinall and from the US Chamber of Commerce that talk about the importance of oil shale as a resource. She speaks about businesses who invested in oil shale development, such as Paraho, Tosco, and Paradise, and her hopes for future development of the resource. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
First Interview with Richard B. "Dick" Williams
Richard Williams talks about his family’s arrival in Grand Junction, Colorado in 1908. He speaks about his father’s purchase of the Independent Abstract Company and about his own involvement with several abstract and title companies in town. He discusses the formation of the Grand Junction Lions Club, the Grand Junction Lions Club Carnival, and the club’s fundraising for Grand Junction Junior College and other local causes. He speaks about his father’s involvement with the Grand Junction YMCA and his investment in COPECO. He talks about the history of early churches in town. He discusses men in the community who played on the local baseball team in the early Twentieth century, and describes sneaking out to watch the games as a young boy. He remembers having a milk cow in the backyard of their home at 12th Street and Gunnison Avenue and selling milk to neighbors. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
First Interview with Robert Luther "Bob" Magel
Robert “Bob” Luther Magel talks about his experience in the Navy during the Vietnam War. He shares his opinions and experiences of being stationed there. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
First Interview with Rufus Hirons
Rufus Hirons describes his memories of Grand Junction, Colorado in the early Twentieth century, and talks about his work in the ranching and livestock industries. 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. *Photograph from 1923 Grand Junction High School yearbook.
First Interview with Shannon Robinson: Social Justice Series
Shannon Robinson talks about attending grade school in Gunnison, Colorado, where she was largely shunned or bullied by white students as the first African-American student to attend her elementary school. She speaks about living in Aurora, Colorado, where she made friends with other Black children, but also experienced bullying from children of all ethnic backgrounds because of her mixed race. She discusses getting to know other members of her African American family, including her father. She recalls dropping out of school at fourteen and beginning work, discovering the hardcore punk scene, riding Vespas with SHARPs (Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice), squatting in the attic of an old Victorian, and her involvement in the nascent rave scene. She tells the story of her mom’s pioneering Western Slope family, her mother’s interracial relationship with the man who ultimately became Miss Robinson’s father, prejudice they faced in Grand Junction, and her mom’s subsequent involvement in the Rainbow Coalition. The interview was conducted on behalf of the Social Justice Archive in the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries, the Museums of Western Colorado, and Black Citizens and Friends.

Pages