Interview with Ruth (McQueen) Smith and Isabella M. Cunningham

Description

Ruth Smith and Isabella Cunningham, former reporters for The Daily Sentinel, recall their careers at the newspaper during the 1920’s through 1940’s. Cunningham talks about covering railroad news and events, including the institution of a sixteen-hour-day law for workers. They remember two young children that were killed when playing with dynamite in Fruitvale. They describe the annual Christmas party for needy children that was put on each year by the Soup Eaters at the Avalon Theater during the Depression. They speak about former society editor Merle McClintock. They recall several local establishments. They remember journalist Norlin “Boots” Norgaard, who went on to work for the Denver Post. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado. *Photograph of Isabella Cunningham from the 1923 Grand Junction High School yearbook.