William J. "Bill" Callahan, Ralph Creston Bailey, and James Earl Shaw Discuss Early Grand Junction History

Description

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.