Laird Smith talks about the life of his father, Silmon Smith. He recounts his father’s childhood trapping bear on the Grand Mesa at the age of thirteen, running a fruit and vegetable cart while in high school, and graduating second in his class from the Franklin School. He speaks about his father’s education at Colorado College, his position as editor of the college paper, and his work as the assistant weatherman in Colorado Springs. He recounts his father’s marriage to Lina Brunner of Colorado Springs and describes her family. He talks about Silmon Smith’s education as a lawyer, his return to Grand Junction to practice law, and his law firm. He discusses Smith’s introduction to water law, a topic on which he became a national authority, allowing him to be a key advocate for Western Slope water interests. 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 Colorado College yearbook