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
-
- Handy Chapel centennial celebration (program)
- A four page program showing the events of the Handy's Chapel's 100th anniversary celebration on September 27, 1992. The Handy Chapel, a longstanding African-American church in Grand Junction, Colorado, has the oldest surviving church building in the Grand Valley.
-
- History of Gateway, Colorado Panel Discussion
- Several longtime residents of the Gateway area of Mesa County reminisce about the area during a meeting of the Mesa County Historical Society held on July 1, 1979. 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.
-
- History of the Pioneering Kiefer Family in Mesa County, Colorado
- In a hand-written history of her family, written in approximately 1983, Agnes Ruth Kiefer, talks about the arrival of her pioneering uncles Frank and Joseph Kiefer in Mesa County, Colorado in 1882, and of her Uncle Ben Kiefer in 1883. She discusses their accomplishments in building water infrastructure, including: The Kiefer Extension Ditch, which brought irrigation water to the western end of the Grand Valley; The Redlands Water and Power Company, which brought irrigation water and hydroelectric power to the Redlands; and the Fruita pipeline project, which brought drinking water to Fruita from Pinon Mesa. She also talks about her father Charles Kiefer and his life in the Grand Valley, and her great-grandmother Caroline Kiefer, an early Fruita pioneer for whom Caroline Avenue is named. She discusses the founding of Cleveland, a rival town eventually absorbed by Fruita, by her uncles Ben and Frank Kiefer in the 1880's.
-
- Hymn Time With the Country Parson radio show: Memorial for Cora "Mom" Sheets
- Sarah Wood and Kermit Brubaker memorialize Cora “Mom” Sheets, a longtime Loma resident and volunteer for the Lower Valley Hospital (now Family Health West), during a 1970 episode of the radio program Hymn Time with the Country Parson on KQIL radio in Grand Junction, Colorado. 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.
-
- Interview with Adam Alva Reeves
- Chemical engineer Adam Reeves talks about his time in the Civilian Conservation Corps camp on the Colorado National Monument as a CCC enrollee, beginning in 1935. He describes the military and civilian leadership of the camp, the vague military structure that enrollees were expected to adhered to, and the lifestyle and recreation at the camp. He speaks about the mess hall, cooks and food, describes the barracks, and the educational advisor. He talks about blasting and road building techniques used during the construction of Rim Rock Drive. He recalls outings that the CCC men took to Glade Park, Grand Junction, and elsewhere. He discusses his education and subsequent work life in the oil shale business with the Paraho Development Corporation. 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 1944 University of Oklahoma yearbook
-
- Interview with Adrienne Kaga
- Adrienne Kaga talks about her childhood growing up in Chicago and her early career as a principal in a private equity fund. She discusses the family histories of her mother, who was Chinese-American, and her father, who was Japanese-American, and their lives in the Pacific Northwest. She also talks in detail about the internment of her father’s family in a Japanese relocation center during World War II, about life, school and work at the camp, the privations and repercussions of Japanese internment, and about the irony of her father’s draft enlistment and placement in the United States’ occupying army of Japan after his release from the internment camp. Finally, Miss Kaga talks about working as a jack-of-all-trades in the Miller Orchards, and discusses the agricultural industry in the Redlands and the Grand Valley. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
-
- Interview with Agnes (Peugh) Wright
- In this interview with Agnes Wright, early Mesa County resident, she discusses growing up in Grand Junction, Colorado and working with her family at the Colorado Telephone Company. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
-
- Interview with Agnes Ruth Kiefer and Jerome A. "Jerry" Kiefer
- Siblings Agnes and Jerry Kiefer talk about the history of their pioneering family in Mesa County, Colorado. They speak about the arrival of their great uncles Joseph and Frank Kiefer in 1883, and about their purchase of land that they eventually platted and developed as the town of Cleveland (now absorbed into Fruita). They remember their great grandmother Caroline (Witt) Kiefer, a Fruita pioneer for whom Caroline Avenue is named. They describe their uncles’ founding of the Fruita Canal and Land Company, which built the Kiefer Extension Ditch and irrigated land between Fruita and Mack, allowing for agriculture. They talk about the Mesa County Mail, a newspaper founded by Ben and Frank Kiefer in 1892 that later became the Fruita Times. They recall the role of their uncles in building a pipeline from Pinon Mesa to bring drinking water to Fruita, and in starting and developing the Redlands Water and Power Company, which was located near their mother’s homestead. They recount the life of their father Charles Kiefer, who homesteaded near Loma, ran a commissary for the Uintah Railway, purchased Ute horses for sale to the Army, and farmed. They tell the story of John Otto’s friendship with Joseph Kiefer, who was the best man at Otto’s wedding. They speak about the difficulty of transportation from Mack to Fruita on rough, rural roads. They reminisce about the people of Mack and New Liberty, and about their family’s farm. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
-
- Interview with Al Look: Walter Walker Series
- Al Look discusses his 40-year employment with the Daily Sentinel, including his relationships with publishers Walter Walker and Preston Walker and the lives of the two men. He also discusses the Typographical Union Strike of 1946 and the hardships it caused between the union and the Sentinel. Al also talks about his and Walter Walker’s relationship with the Ku Klux Klan, Walker’s tolerance of the brothels on South Avenue, and Walker’s rivalry with the Denver Post. 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. *The above photo of Walter Walker is a public domain image from the U.S. Senate Historical Office.
-
- Interview with Albert "Abe" William Karp
- Albert William Karp talks about the incident that handicapped him as a young man and how it affected the rest of his life. He mentions his addiction and mental health issues. He describes his first guide dog and the process for getting one. Lastly, he explains how he came to be a volunteer for Alcoholics Anonymous and other notable charities. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.