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.
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- Interview with Martha (Fortsch) Gardner
- Martha Gardner talks about her childhood in the small towns of Western Colorado, about farm life in Eastern Utah, and about Grand Junction. 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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- Interview with Mary Christine "Nanny" (Darrow) Maluy and Darrell Claire Maluy
- Mary Maluy talks about her birth in Kansas, her marriage to Clement Maluy, and their move to the New Liberty area of Mesa County in 1918. She remembers popular dances and other social activities. She recalls the New Liberty School and its history. She speaks about the family’s homestead, learning to irrigate, their first crops, and raising poultry. She gives some history of the town of Mack. She remembers getting electricty in the home and then running water in the 1930’s. She and her son discuss raising sugar beets. They speak about the changes in the New Liberty community over time as newcomers came in, and what the community did for recreation. He talks about projects of the 4-H Club, and recalls the Civilian Conservation Corps’ work on the Highline Canal and other water projects. They speak about the history of New Liberty and how the area got its name. 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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- Interview with Mary Corcoran
- Mary Corcoran talks about her parents and grandparents, pioneers in Mesa County and Eastern Utah. She also talks about her early life in Grand Junction, Colorado, and about ranch life above De Beque on the Grand Mesa. 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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- Interview with Mary Elizabeth (Buthorn) Price: Walter Walker Series
- Mary Price discusses what she knew about Walter Walker and his family, impressions of Walker held by Mesa County residents, social events the Walkers were involved in, the presence of the Ku Klux Klan in Grand Junction, and the Typographical Union Strike. She also talks about her German immigrant father, his ownership of the prominent LaCourt Hotel in Grand Junction, and his fear of the Klan. 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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- Interview with Mary Jane Rait
- Mary Rait explains how Grand Junction Junior College was created (later to become Colorado Mesa University), and her role there as teacher, administrator, and lastly, as vice president. She mentions the various deans and their accomplishments. She tells about the growth of the school as it became Mesa College and its eventual change into a four-year school. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado. *Photo from the Maverick (1949 Mesa College yearbook).
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- Interview with Mary Louise (Chiaro) Colosimo and Lorena Alta "Lorene" Roice
- Mary Colosimo talks about the life of her Italian immigrant family on a truck farm in the Pomona area of Mesa County, Colorado. She also discusses her marriage to railroad man Charles Colosimo, his career with the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, including his stints as a call-boy and an engineer, railroad disciplinary measures, and train accidents. Lorene Roice talks about what brought her to Grand Junction at the end of World War II, her husband’s jobs on the railroad and in construction, and the Roice’s establishment of the Roice-Hurst Humane Society. Both Colosimo and Roice talk about the way railroading got into their families’ blood, and the generosity of railroad workers. 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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- Interview with Mary Louise Giblin: Walter Walker Series
- Mary Giblin, an employee of The Daily Sentinel newspaper beginning in 1941, talks about her working relationships with owner/publishers Walter and Preston Walker, with insights on the character of both men. She also discusses the staff and working life at the paper, and her career as a reporter on both women’s issues and the political beat. 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.
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- Interview with Max Osborne
- An interview with Max Osborne, an early Fruita, Colorado resident who was involved in both the mercantile business and livestock business (cattle and sheep). 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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- Interview with May (Legrand) Denton
- May Denton describes her early life in Missouri, farm life as a homemaker in Fruita, Colorado, raising potatoes with her husband Ed Denton, and the dances that were held at her family’s packing and storage house. 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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- Interview with Melvin Branson
- Melvin Branson discusses farm and ranching life in Grand Valley (Parachute), Colorado, and in the surrounding area. 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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- Interview with Melvin Homer Feller
- Melvin Feller talks about being stationed in the Philippines, where his US Army Air Corps unit slept on dikes in the rice paddies because they anticipated a Japanese attack in the two weeks prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He speaks about the Japanese attack on US bases in the Philippines the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He describes evacuating from the Philippines on a ship and being most probably the only surviving member of his company. He discusses atrocities committed on all sides in the Philippines conflict. He talks about his positive impressions of the Filipino people. He speaks about the buildup of US and Japanese troops around the Philippines prior to World War II, but the seeming lack of preparedness on the part of US forces prior to Pearl Harbor. He describes working with the Disabled American Veterans to help Vietnam veterans with housing and other issues. 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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- Interview with Merian Lillian (Sedalnick) Rosenthal and William "Burt" Rosenthal
- Merian Rosenthal talks about Jewish life in Grand Junction, Colorado during the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s. Her husband Burt Rosenthal and brother Hershel Sedalnick also chime in. They reminisce about several people from Grand Junction’s Jewish community, including those with the surnames Spector, Liff, Leff, Harris, Loeffler, Sampliner, Minowitz, Rigg, Waldoffel, and Schneider. They discuss the first established religious services for Jews in Grand Junction. They talk about L Cook Jewelry and Sporting Goods, the store they owned and operated for many years, and about changes to the businesses and people of Main Street over the years. They discuss the lives of Merian’s parents, Sam and Bessie Sedalnick. They talk about antisemitism in Mesa County and about the rise of the Ku Klux Klan in Colorado and Grand Junction in the 1930’s. 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 1938 Grand Junction High School yearbook.