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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Lecture by James A. Jensen: Dinosaurs on the Colorado-Utah Border
James Jensen, a paleontologist at Brigham Young University, discusses dinosaur discoveries in Dinosaur National Monument and elsewhere along the Colorado-Utah border. He also talks about an internal system of support, which he designed, that revolutionized the way dinosaur fossils were displayed in museums. Jensen’s lecture was part of a series on dinosaurs presented by the Museums of Western Colorado in 1982. 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. *Photograph of James Jensen from the 1976 BYU yearbook.
Lecture by James H. Madsen Jr.: Dinosaurs on the Colorado-Utah border
Paleontologist James H. Madsen Jr. talks about dinosaur discoveries in Western Colorado and Utah. Madsen's lecture was part of a series on dinosaurs presented by the Museums of Western Colorado in 1982. 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.
Lecture by John "Wayne" Randolph about American Folk Architecture
In this program of the Museums of Western Colorado Folklore Series, Wayne Randolph talks about the folk architecture of the United States. 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.
Lecture by John Raymond Brumgardt: Peace Movements in the Civil War South
John Raymond Brumgardt, the director of the Museums of Western Colorado (1978-84), lectures about peace movements during the American Civil War at the Museum of Western 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.
Lecture by Julia Harris on the History of De Beque, the Harris Ranch near the Town of Mesa, and the Grand Mesa
On the occasion of the Mesa County Historical Society annual picnic (circa 1980), Julia Harris, an early Grand Mesa resident, lectures about the history of the area, with information about a 1910 earthquake in the Cameo area, the construction of the Plateau Canyon Road, De Beque in the 1880’s, the captivity of Josephine Meeker on the Grand Mesa after the Meeker Massacre, an old Native American cemetery near De Beque, and Republican Party happenings. Al Look also chimes in with his knowledge and recollections. 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.
Lecture by Lance Eriksen: Dinosaurs of Western Colorado and Utah
Lance Eriksen discusses dinosaur discoveries and paleontology in eastern Utah and Western Colorado. Mr. Eriksen’s lecture was part of a series on dinosaurs presented by the Museums of Western Colorado in 1982. 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. *This interview was originally recorded on two audiocassettes. The last few minutes of tape 1 were excluded from the digital file due to a loud hum. Tape 2 consisted of the soundtrack from a movie that was played after Eriksen's lecture, and the corresponding digital file was not uploaded to the archive.
Lecture by Lyndon J. "Lyn" Lampert on the Little Book Cliff Railway
Lyn Lampert lectures about the Little Book Cliff Railway before a meeting of the Mesa County Historical Society (MCHS). In addition, the MCHS votes affirmatively on two resolutions to aid in the preservation of important local history sites. In the first, the MCHS votes to aid in the preservation of the Handy Chapel in Grand Junction, Colorado (the only surviving church building from the 1880s and the longtime home of the African Methodist Church). In the second, the MCHS votes to maintain and preserve the Cross Orchard Farm in Clifton. 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.
Lecture by Marilyn Anderson: Folk Medicine
Marilyn Anderson speaks about folk medicine as practiced in Colorado and the United States in the early Twentieth century and Nineteenth century during a meeting of the P.E.O. International BY Chapter. 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.
Lecture by Mary Allman: The Art of Destruction: World War II Artists
Mary Allman, an employee of the Museums of Western Colorado, speaks about the art of World War II in a lecture at the Museum of the West. 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.
Lecture by Michael B. Husband: Early Cultural History of Grand Junction
During a Mesa County Public Library program, Michael Husband speaks about the many cultural activities in early Grand Junction and Mesa County, Colorado, including music, dance, and theater. He names top performers who came to Grand Junction, including the Russian Ballet, John Philip Sousa, the New York Philharmonic, and the Chicago Symphony. He discusses the role of Walter Walker in supporting and promoting the arts. He lists the many venues that hosted traveling acts, with a description of the Park Opera House and its audience. He talks about the formation of cultural and social organizations in the Grand Valley. Husband and Mesa County Public Library director George Van Camp discuss the history of the Grand Junction Public Library (which later merged with the Mesa County Public Library). 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.
Lecture by Patricia "Pat" LeMaster: They Dared Go North, a History of St. Mary's Hospital
During a lecture on the history of St. Mary’s Hospital (at a Mesa County Historical Society meeting), Pat LeMaster talks about the history of the St. Mary’s Hospital’s founding agency, the Sisters of Charity. She recalls the history of doctors in the Grand Valley and the conditions they dealt with. She tells the history of St. Mary’s from its inception in 1896 until 1983. She speaks about hospital services during the Great Depression. She discusses the founding of the local chapter of the Gray Ladies and the importance of volunteers in running the hospital. 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.
Lecture by Robert "Bob" Johnson on the Folklore of Colorado and the American West
Professor Robert Johnson lectures on the folklore of Mesa County, Colorado and the American West during a meeting of the Mesa County Historical Society in April 1979. 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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