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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Twenty-fifth Interview with Al Look: Life of George Crawford
Al Look talks about the life of Grand Junction founder George Crawford. He speaks about Crawford’s youth in Pennsylvania, his career as a newspaperman, a politician, a town founder, and a business person. He discusses Crawford’s stance as an abolitionist and as part of the antislavery movement in Kansas prior to the Civil War. He describes Crawford’s founding of Ft. Scott and Emporia, Kansas, and of Grand Junction, Colorado. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado. *Public domain photograph.
Twenty-first Interview with Al Look
Al Look talks about elements of Grand Junction, Colorado history and about local dinosaur finds. He also discusses newspaper printing presses in use at the Daily Sentinel and Durango Herald, and newspaper advertising. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
Twenty-fourth Interview with Al Look
Al Look talks about geologic formations in De Beque Canyon and about the first aerial photographs taken of the Grand Mesa. Margaret (Langen) Look speaks about air travel to Boulder, Colorado in the 1920’s. Al Look speaks about the publication of his book, Hopi Snake Dance, and about the return of his son from World War II. He describes his work with different people on archaeological and paleontological digs, and touches on the vandalism of certain sites. He talks about his community involvement in the Grand Junction Lions and other organizations, and about the history of Grand Junction. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
Twenty-second Interview with Al Look
Al Look talks about singing in a quartet, publishing books on Mesa County history, and fishing. He also discusses various people and places of the Western Slope. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, A collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
Twenty-seventh Interview with Al Look
In an uncharacteristically short interview given at his 88th birthday party, Al Look tells local radio personality Bob Collins about helping to publish a comic newspaper at the University of Nebraska, about the dinosaur find in No Thoroughfare Canyon that led to his interest in archaeology, and about a dig on an Ancestral Pueblo culture site near Montrose, Colorado. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
Twenty-sixth Interview with Al Look: Pearl Harbor
Al Look talks about his reaction to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. He speaks about his son’s service in the Navy during World War II. He reminisces about his own service in the US Navy as a gunner’s mate during World War I and about the mobilization of resources for the war effort in the United States. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
Twenty-third Interview with Al Look
Al Look talks about taking groups of teachers on tours of the Colorado National Monument and about the history of Grand Junction’s Avalon Theater. He describes the Biltmore, a gambling hall on Main Street owned by J.W. “Big Kid” Eames, and the murder of Eames by dance hall owner and would-be robber Fern “Bubbles” Sadler. He also discusses Pretty Boy Floyd’s brief stay at the Yellow Jacket in Delta, Colorado and his frequenting of Grand Junction saloons during that time. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
Two Interviews with Basil T. Knight
In an interview from May 14, 1981 (audio only, no transcript), Basil T. Knight talks about his youth in Michigan, meeting his wife’s family in Palisade, Colorado and ultimately moving there, operating a fruit farm, and becoming a lifelong teacher and school administrator. He explains the mechanisms that originally funded the many smaller school districts on the Western Slope, including taxes on railroads, and the reasons for the consolidation that created Mesa County Valley School District 51, De Beque Joint District 49, and Plateau Valley School District 50. Mr. Knight speaks about his involvement in ROTC during college, his service during World War I, and his membership in the Last Squad Club, a group of World War I veterans in Mesa County. Velma (Roe) Knight also discusses her family’s history in Palisade. In an interview recorded on November 17, 1982 (transcript only, no audio), Basil Knight talks about growing up in Michigan, his grade school education, playground games, and going to college at Michigan State University. He shares memories of Palisade, Colorado where he and his wife owned an orchard. He discusses the schools he taught and worked in, working as a social worker, being a contact for the migrant school, becoming superintendent of schools, and assisting Navajo families with clothing donations. He speaks about the formation of the Mesa County Teachers Federal Credit Union, and the origins of Grand Junction High School’s cafeteria and lunch program. These interviews were conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado. *Photograph from the 1943 Grand Junction High School yearbook.
Walter Walker: Newspaperman, Political Activist, Concerned Citizen: A Lecture by Kenneth J. Baird
Kenneth James Baird lectures about Daily Sentinel publisher Walter Walker’s career through the 1930’s, when he was most active in promoting community development. The lecture, on May 4, 1981, was sponsored by the Mesa County Historical Society. 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.
Western Colorado Fantasy: A piano piece by John Goulet dedicated to Al and Margaret Look
During a radio broadcast aired on KREX, John Goulet plays a piano composition in four movements titled The Western Colorado Fantasy. Goulet wrote and dedicated the piece to Al Look and Margaret (Langen) Look in memory of “many hikes and picnics in the hills of Western Colorado.” The composition contains four movements: Prelude, Prehistoric Colorado National Monument; Lullaby for a Lizard, Dance of Two Dinosaurs; Sonata to Strata of Colorado Monument; 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.
William J. "Bill" Callahan, Ralph Creston Bailey, and James Earl Shaw Discuss Early Grand Junction History
Bill Callahan, Creston Bailey, and James Shaw discuss the history of early Twentieth century Grand Junction. The three men talk about their fathers: Thomas F. Callahan, the owner of Callahan’s Mortuary (now Callahan-Edfast); Dwight B. Bailey, the owner of the D.B. Bailey grocery store; and James Scott Shaw, a rancher, miner, and owner of the Midland Garage. They talk about Main Street businesses, including Sampliner’s. They remember the wagons that used to deliver ice and water. They recall large fires that destroyed the Denver and Rio Grande ice house and other buildings. They speak about changes in cars over time, automobile dealers, and car and airplane races. They remember playing in vacant lots, fights between gangs of boys, smoking “punk”, and swimming. They recall some of the brothels and madams in town, including The Line, a brothel at 5th Street and South Avenue, and Katie Stone’s brothel at 240 Colorado Avenue. They remember dance halls, such as the Mile-Away and the Green Lantern. They recall attending Mesa College in its early days and speak about the YMCA. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
Women of Mesa County Past and Present: Women in Politics: A Discussion with Maxine Albers and Jane Quimby
During the program Women in Politics at the Museum of Western Colorado, Maxine Albers, the first woman to serve as a Mesa County Commissioner, and Jane Quimby, the first woman to serve on Grand Junction’s City Council, talk about their experience as pioneering women in politics, about sexism they faced from some male politicians, and about the local legislative process. 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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