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 Priscilla (Jenkins) Broderson
- Priscella Broderson describes life as a homemaker on an apple farm in Clifton, Colorado in the early Twentieth century. She discusses apple processing and packing, cooking on a coal stove, getting water from the Highline Canal and washing clothes. She also talks about her early life in Grand Junction, including her schooling, working at the Fair Store, and Christmas celebrations. 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 Ralph Aubrey Inskeep and Grace Victoria (Winkle) Inskeep
- Grace and Ralph Inskeep talk about coming to Mack, Colorado with Grace’s family in 1920. They speak about Ralph’s job working for the Bureau of Reclamation at Camp 7 and his subsequent job as a trackman for the Uintah Railway. They discuss the people and businesses of Loma and Mack, and living in the old Sunset School building. Ralph talks about working at Mesa College as a maintenance man. They speak about attending the Church of the Brethren in Fruita and later, the Loma Church of God. 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 Ralph Galyean
- Ralph Galyean talks about early Twentieth century life in De Beque, Colorado, about cowboys such as Dave Knight and Charlie Glass, and about the Carlyle Ranch. He also discusses baseball teams in Mesa County and oil shale development. 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 Ray Wah Ngep Quan
- Ray Quan, longtime owner of the Far East Restaurant, talks about the Far East Restaurant and about its newly renovated building (in 1983). He describes the cultural significance of the architecture, art and sculpture, and the importance of expressing his Chinese heritage through his food and restaurant. He describes some elements of Chinese history, including regional differences in cooking and cuisine. He speaks about the history of the restaurant, which opened in 1955 and closed in 2006. 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 Raymond Edward Myers
- Raymond Myers gives an eyewitness account of the Grand Junction train depot fire of June 27, 1943. Myers talks about repairing a hotbox (overheated axle) on the westbound Denver and Rio Grande ammunition train prior to the fire, about the fire itself, and the munitions that exploded over Grand Junction as a result of the fire. 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 Raymond Lester "Ray" Boggs
- Ray Boggs talks about his family’s move to Colorado and about attending the University of Colorado at Boulder. He remembers playing on a baseball team for the Midwest Oil Company and briefly as a professional pitcher for the Boston Braves. He describes pitching methods. He recalls working for the International Harvester company, a farm implement dealer, and how the company brought him to Grand Junction, where he became the manager of the store there in 1952. He speaks about small town and country life in Eastern Colorado and Kansas. 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 Reford Theobold
- Reford Theobold, who would go on to become mayor of Grand Junction, talks about his family’s arrival in Loma and their ownership of the Loma General Store. He recalls his career in radio and television, beginning as a broadcaster on KEXO AM and ending as a TV sports anchor for KJCT at the time of the interview. He remembers jokes that he would tell on air that poked fun at his hometown of Loma. He also describes a line of t-shirts that he made and sold with jokes about Loma, including, “Loma Institute of Technology : If you want a good education, get LIT,” “Loma Country Club,” “Loma International Airport,” “Ski Loma,” and “Loma Yacht Club.” 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 Rena Mae (Smith) Nisbet
- Rena Nisbet talks about friends and teachers at Palisade High School in Palisade, Colorado in the 1910’s. She speaks about her family home and neighborhood in Palisade. She discusses her husband’s career as the local water board manager, her membership in the Palisade United Methodist Church, and her involvement in the Palisade Women’s Club. 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 Reuben A. Pitts
- Reuben A. Pitts talks about wars between cattle and sheep ranchers, about rural school life in Plateau Valley, Colorado, and about the Big Creek Reservoir flood. He also discusses his job as a typesetter for his father’s newspaper, The Plateau Valley Voice, in Collbran. 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 Rex Howell
- Rex Howell, founder of Grand Junction’s first radio and television stations, describes the history of broadcasting in Mesa County. 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 Reynold Robert "Bunk" Weimer
- Bunk Weimer recalls settling on land at the current location of Colorado Mesa University as a child in 1903, where the boys slept in a cave and the rest of the family in tents before the land was leveled for farming. He talks about helping with the construction of the first Mesa County Fairgrounds (on the site of the present day Lincoln Park), including the Lincoln Park Barn. He discusses helping his father pour foundations for several prominent buildings around town, his time as Road Supervisor for Mesa County, and details about early Twentieth century life in Grand Junction, Colorado. 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 Richard "Dick" Woodfin
- Dick Woodfin talks about his early life growing up on farms in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Cheyenne Wells, Colorado. He speaks about his schooling in animal husbandry at Colorado State University and his brief career as a vocational agriculture teacher in Nebraska. He remembers his career as a county agricultural extension agent in Crowley County, Kit Carson County, and Mesa County, Colorado. He recalls the different government and agricultural organizations and programs that existed to help farmers before and after the Great Depression, and talks about how county extension services helped to organize farmers. He talks about when rural electrification came to Mesa County and the rest of Colorado. He discusses agricultural problems specific to Mesa County, including a high water table and the overuse of irrigation water that bring alkali to the topsoil, limiting the productivity of soil and crop yields. He recalls helping to introduce studies and solutions to plant diseases, alkali soil, and irrigation problems. 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 1929 Colorado State University yearbook