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 Milford Lloyd Bullington
Lloyd Bullington talks about his enlistment in the Army 18th Engineers just prior to US involvement in World War II, his recruitment into the then new 804 Engineers, and constructing a runway in Kauai at the time of Pearl Harbor. He discusses his experiences building runways in contested areas just behind the front lines in the Pacific Theater. 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 Minnie Ann (Andress) Roberts
Minnie Ann Roberts discusses moving from Iowa to a homestead in Montrose County, Colorado in the early 1900s. Minnie explains the social scene near Bedrock, memories of her wedding, hope chest, baby showers and shivarees. She also talks about canning meat, preserving other foods, doing the wash, making her own clothes, and taking care of her family at the homestead. 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 Minnie Foster
Minnie Foster describes her early life on a farm in Nebraska, her teaching career in Missouri, and her subsequent career as a nurse in Seattle, Los Angeles and other urban areas. 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.
Interview with Molly (Dean) Stucker
Molly (Dean) Stucker talks about the life of her grandfather, pioneer photographer Frank Dean, and his relationship with and photographs of Ute people. She also recalls the life of her father, early Grand Junction photographer Preston Dean. Interviewer Al Look remembers visiting what is now called the Moab Mammoth or Moab Mastodon, a petroglyph near Moab that appears to be an ancient Native American painting of woolly mammoth, with Preston Dean. Look and Stucker reminisce about Grand Junction and the Dean family. 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 Myra Marie (Covey) Treece
Marie Treece describes running Grand Junction, Colorado’s community concert series and the many famous musicians who visited Grand Junction during the early to mid-1900’s. She recalls the difficulty that African-American musicians, such as Roland Hayes, had in finding a place to stay. She talks about her experiences teaching and travelling with a Mesa College choral troop. She discusses directing a choir in one of the area’s CCC camps, hosting navy pilots for concerts, directing the Elks and Shriners choirs, and giving private music lessons. 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 Myrtle L. (Sill) Seamens
Myrtle Seamens speaks about her early life in Kansas in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth centuries. She discusses her move to Parachute, Colorado (then called Grand Valley) where she and her husband owned and operated a hotel and boarding house. She also talks about working as a seamstress for a dressmaker, going to a teacher’s college, Kansas snow storms, childhood games and social activities. 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 Myrtle May (Webb) Hetzel
Myrtle Hetzel talks about her early life in rural Kansas living on a farm, about working as a waitress in Oberlin, Kansas, and about her life with Ross Hetzel in Clifton, Colorado, where she attended church, quilted, and kept 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.
Interview with Nancy (Renwick) Saxton and "Peggy" Saxton
Nancy (Renwick) Saxton and her daughter, Nancy Margaret "Peggy" Saxton, discuss Nancy's career as a female letter carrier in the Grand Valley, and the farming history of their family in both Appleton and the Hunter District. 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 Neal Plaisted
Neal Plaisted, an early Mesa County dairy and livestock farmer who started the Mountain View Seed Company, talks about seed processing and about his work as a warehouse foreman for the Grand Junction Seed 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 Neil Straayer
Neil Straayer describes his immigrant journey from the Netherlands to Grand Junction, Colorado in 1911, and his struggle to learn English upon arrival. He also discusses apple farming and peach farming in Appleton, Fruitvale, and other areas of 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 Nellie (Edwards) Robbins
Nellie Robbins describes the hardships she and her family faced when moving to Grand Junction, Colorado in 1931, and her longtime employment working with the Salvation Army. She also talks about the different charities served by the Grand Junction Salvation Army, its organizational structure, local people involved in the organization, and events it put on. 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 Nellie (Snyder) Sewell
Nellie Sewell describes the early settlement of the Thompson Creek area by the Thompson and Sewell families. 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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