Category: History

Did you know . . . ?

Cool facts about the Panama Canal

Since it opened August 15, 1914 more than 960,000 ships have transited the Canal. (That’s almost 1 million!)

It takes a ship an average of 8-10 hours to transit through the Canal.

A ship saves 7,860 nautical miles when traveling from New York to San Francisco through the Canal instead of [...]


Spanish Missions of the Southwest

We have been hard at work ironing out the details of the Spanish Missions trip and after looking it over all I can is one thing…wow! This trip will truly hit the highlights of northern New Mexico and will be full of history and culture.
Our first day will be a long drive to the [...]


Oral History Program: Terry Hammer, Jr.

On January 21, Terry Hammer, Jr. gave a presentation on the Colorado Militia from 1861 to 1927. Around 50 people attended January’s program.
All Oral History Programs will be held at noon in the Whitman Educational Center, 248 S. Fourth Street. The programs are jointly sponsored by the Museum of Western Colorado and the Mesa County [...]


“Distant Cities in the Mist” Exhibit in the News

If you didn’t get a chance to see the exhibit yet, check out the article with photos here that was in the January 22nd Grand Junction Free Press. Then come in to the Museum of the West and see the whole exhibit!


Distant Cities in the Mist Opening

The newest exhibit at the Museum of the West opened Friday, January 15. Three hundred people attended the opening of Distant Cities in the Mist: The Search for Lost Kingdoms. Native American singer Tim Trujillo provided entertainment to the crowd.


“Distant Cities in the Mist: The search for lost kingdoms” opens January 15

Museum of West exhibit focuses on explorers of Grand Valley
Explorers found their way to the Grand Valley for hundreds of years, and for the most part, they were believed to have passed through on their way to someplace else.
More and more, though, the Grand Valley, and the imposing Grand Mesa overlooking it, appears to have [...]


Oral History Program: Rhy Paris

For the November Oral History Program meeting, Rhy Paris, from the Veteran’s Cemetery in Grand Junction, gave a talk on the creation of the Colorado State Veteran’s Cemetery and the benefits to all those who have served our country.
All Oral History Programs are held at noon in the Whitman Educational Center, 248 S. Fourth Street. [...]


October’s Behind-the-Scenes Tour Canceled

We apologize for the late notice but our Behind-the Scene tour will be canceled for this month.  Join us November 20 or December 18!


Behind the Scenes Tours Scheduled for Fall - Starts October 30

Ever wonder what happens at the museum after dark or what is behind closed doors? Want to know where and how artifacts not on display are housed and cared for?
The Museum of the West will hold three behind the scenes tours - October 30th, November 20th and December 18th. The tours start at 5:30 pm [...]


Uintah Train Day!

Join us for Uintah Train Day and enjoy a special tour conducted by one of the extraordinary volunteers who brought this spectacular renovation of our caboose to fruition. We’ll “christen” the car at noon followed by a PowerPoint presentation by Bill Pratt on the history of the Uintah Railway.
Location:
Cross Orchards Historic Site
Date:
Saturday, October 3
Time:
10 am [...]