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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First Interview with Laird Key Smith
Laird Smith talks about his grandfather Frank Smith’s severe case of Tuberculosis that caused the doctor to move with his family to Grand Junction, Colorado. He describes the apartment next to a saloon where the family lived on Main Street, where drunken men would sometimes crawl in through the windows by mistake. He discusses his father Silmon Smith’s “spartan” upbringing, his camping alone on the Grand Mesa for long stretches when he was thirteen, and how he became an authority on water law by lawyering to ranchers. He tells stories of Frank Smith’s medical practice, including an amputation conducted with the aid of Silmon. He remembers his mother Lina (Brunner) Smith, and an incident when she threw his clothes out of the window because she tired of picking up after him. He speaks about the Pest House in Grand Junction, the standpipe at 7th Street and Ouray Avenue that delivered water, and the building of Land’s End Road. He talks about his father’s love of nature and how that love was passed onto him. 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 1936 Colorado College yearbook
First Interview with Laura (Bristol) Foster
Laura Foster discusses John “Peg-leg” Foster and his involvement in Telluride mining strikes, and her life as a pioneer woman in the Paradox Valley. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
First Interview with Loudene "Miss Loudene" Humeston
Loudene Humeston talks about her teaching career in the Collbran School, and about the fire that took the top floor off of the original building. She also discusses town dances, teaching Sunday school at the Collbran Congregational Church, the history of town buildings, and aspects of Plateau Valley history. This interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
First Interview with Lucille (Hunter) Mahannah
Lucille Mahannah, an early education and civic leader in Mesa County, describes her early life on the Hunter Ranch, a ranch established by her family in what later became the Hunter District. She also talks about her career in education as a teacher and as the Mesa County Superintendent of Schools. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado. Note: The Lucille Mahannah interview consists of two audio cassette tapes. Although MCPLD was able to digitize only the first of the two cassettes, the transcripts for both oral histories can be read in the Transcript field below.
First Interview with Lucy (Ferril) Ela
Lucy Ela discusses John Otto, the Colorado National Monument, and the settlement of Glade Park. 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 1936 Grand Junction High School yearbook.
First Interview with Luella Frances (Muth) Morgan
Luella Morgan talks about starting work in the National Bank in Glenwood Springs in 1916, when she was fifteen years old, and details the Boston System of banking (also known as the Suffolk System) and what it was like working in a bank. She also discusses working at the Palisades National Bank from 1922 to 1978, changes in local banking over the years, women in banking, and selling Liberty Bonds during World War I. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
First Interview with Mabelle (Gardener) Clymer
Mabelle (Gardener) Clymer talks about early Twentieth century life 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.
First Interview with Madge E. Davis
Madge Davis discusses her teenage years in the 1910’s working on the Cross Ranch in Mesa County, thinning peaches and packing peaches with her mom and dad. She describes fruit growing operations on the farm. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of the Mesa County Public Library and the Museum of Western Colorado.
First Interview with Marie (Becker) Young
Marie (Becker) Young talks about her experience living in Germany for a year, and the early days of fruit farming in Mesa County, Colorado. Marie also discusses the early history of Orchard Mesa, her social and work life as a teenager, the business of cattle driving and roundups with her husband in Utah, and her life as a homemaker. 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.
First Interview with Marie Louise (Johns) Nowlan
Marie Nowlan discusses the history of her family in Grand Junction, including her father’s employment as a conductor for the Interurban route, her brother Joey’s involvement as a player for and manager of the Grand Junction Baseball Team, and her memories of the Mesa County Fair. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
First Interview with Mary A. (Robinson) Cox
Mary Cox talks about her education at the Bryant School and elsewhere in Grand Junction, about corsets and other aspects of school fashion, the history of the Riverside Neighborhood, attending community dances and Glenwood Springs’ Strawberry Days, and boys swimming in the Colorado River. She also discusses old downtown businesses, going to movies at the Majestic Theater, a brothel that advertised at the Mesa County Fairgrounds during a baseball game, going to concerts at the bandshell in Whitman Park, kids playing hooky, gold mining in Death Valley, kerosene lamps, washboards and iceboxes. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
First Interview with Mary Belle (Powers) Plaisted
Mary talks about her early childhood in Kansas as one of nine children and her family's move to Colorado upon the death of her father. Mary details the train and its passengers during the move, including Russian immigrants coming to work the beet fields, and her mother's outreach. She mentions her mothers career training riding horses as a way to support the family. She talks about her relationships, children, and the struggle she faced trying to support them. She describes the Great Depression era and how much materials cost, programs available to the needy, federal assistance and loans, and how the Grand Valley ranchers would support families affected by the Dust Bowl. She covers various other topics, including gardening, water rights, recipes, tools, ranching, homesteading, the uranium boom, local history, and land uses. 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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