“Last month, you heard about the Lakeside Resort, huddled out-of-sight within the ridges between 12th Street and Horizon Drive. Yet, there is another story to be told about the old farmhouse sitting on the hill. This stately structure was there long before Lake Lenore was even thought of. No one knows how long the yellow [...]

Two very different looks for the Avalon Theatre. The Avalon was constructed in 1923 and heavily promoted by Daily Sentinel publisher Walter Walker. From the first performance by soprano singer Lucy Gates, the Avalon became the cultural center of Grand Junction until the 1940s. The Cooper movie theatre chain purchased the building [...]

The Palisade Historical Society will hold the inaugural “Palisade Reflections” program on Saturday, July 17 at 9:30 a.m. at the Veteran’s Memorial Community Center in Palisade. Long-time residents Bill Floryancic, Lucille (Phillips) Floryancic, Bill Beckwith, and Ed Maurer, Shirley (Rowley) Maurer will share their knowledge and memories to create a detailed map [...]

“There is a quaint, yet quiet community huddled within the northern part of Grand Junction, resting on the ridges between Twelfth Street and Horizon Drive. The name of this wonderful community is Lakeside. This beautiful neighborhood was the dream of William Thomas Carpenter, the founder of the Little Book Cliff Railroad, and the man that [...]

“Leadville is a special place…a treasure…a gem in the middle of Colorado. Located within easy driving distance from Denver and Colorado Springs, along the Top of the Rockies Scenic and Historic Byway, Leadville is a legendary frontier mining town with seventy square blocks of Victorian architecture, an adjacent 20 square miles of mining district, and [...]

“In the late 1800s, when coal and wood were used primarily for heat and when a ride on the local trolley was 25 cents, a great discovery was about to unfold in the Grand Valley.
George W. Smith, a newcomer to the valley, was hiking the rugged terrain of the Book Cliffs, when he came upon [...]

A perfect way to ring in the first day of summer - Cross Orchards Summer Camp!
The weather was great - sunny but not too hot. We start the day out with a flag ceremony and end it by taking the flag down. Garry Brewer and Bill Buvinger, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, [...]

An early view down Main Street taken from 6th Street looking west.  The long gone Mandel Opera House (where Main Street Bagels is currently located) is the closest building on the left.  In 1885 Grand Junction’s population was 378 hardy souls.  By 1890 the population exploded to 2,030 in large part due to the arrival [...]

For two nights the Museum of the West came alive!
During the grand opening of the Cortez Calendar exhibit, strange things started to happen at the Museum. An electric problem cut out all but a few lights in the building and patrons were guided through the Museum by security guards. Along the way it was [...]

The Beacon ran a terrific article this month on the Interurban - a light rail service which ran in the Grand Valley in the early part of the 20th century. Read about the interurban.
For more history on our region, check out our Grand Junction History in Pictures Timeline. It’s a great informative source, as [...]