Indian ponies and irrigation ditches

The Kiefer family was one of the earliest pioneer families in Mesa County, and were especially important in the development of the Lower Valley. My column about the family is linked below.

21 minutes ago

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Indian ponies and irrigation ditches

The Kiefer family was one of the earliest pioneer families in Mesa County, and were especially important in the development of the Lower Valley. My column about the family is linked below.

21 minutes ago1 min read

Replacing Indian School was major effort in early 20th century

Attempts to find a new use for the property that had housed the Grand Junction Indian School The abandoned Indian School circa 1916 required efforts locally, in Denver and Washington, D.C. My article from The Daily Sentinel is linked below.

Mar 71 min read

Grand Canyon railroad was a dubious dream

In 1889, a Denver businessman convinced investors he could build a railroad from Grand Junction, Colorado, through the Grand Canyon and on to southern California. Even after three men died, including the businessman, the dream continued. The drawing here was from a news article about the project in Denver in October, 1889. My history column about the project is linked below.

Feb 191 min read

Gilman is a unique ghost town

For more than a century, mining took place on Battle Mountain, Gilman sat near top of Battle Mountain, while rail line and Eagle River below. and the town of Gilman developed near the mine entrance. First silver, then zinc made the mines profitable as they were carved out of Battle Mountain. My history column from The Daily Sentinel is linked below.

Feb 61 min read

Mesa County pioneer was an enthusiastic promoter

A.A. Miller, who was among the first people elected to the Grand Junction City Council in 1882, A.A. Miller in a peach orchard. also served as Mesa County Treasurer, then Mesa County Commissioner. As the county Immigration Commissioner in 1899, he worked hard to convince outsiders to move to the county. My Daily Sentine column is linked below.

Jan 191 min read

Lincoln Park Auditorium served as dance hall and convention center

The Auditorium at Lincoln Park in Grand Junction, now known as the Lincoln Park Barn, has been around for a little more than a century. For much of that time, it's primary function was as a dance hall. But it also hosted numerous conventions and other events. My column from The Daily Sentinel is linked below.

Jan 51 min read

This book, written by John D. Kiefer in the 1950s, about his adventures in Western Colorado around the turn of the last century, was the source of much of my information about the Kiefer brothers in Western Colorado. The three Kiefer brothers to originally settle here were John D. Kiefer's uncles.

Unfortunately, the book was privately published and a copy was loaned to me. I haven't found any copies available for sale. However, there is one listed as available for in-library reading only at the Mesa County Libraries main branch in Grand Junction.
I also got quite a bit of information from the book, Echoes of a Dream: The Social Heritage of the Lower Grand Valley of Western Colorado, which was compiled in 1983 and is more widely available.

ABOUT ME

I retired as editorial page editor of The Daily Sentinel in Grand Junction, Colorado in 2014. Since then, I've continued to write a twice-a-month history column for the Sentinel, while seizing every opportunity I can, with my wife Judy or my horses, to enjoy the beautiful outdoors of the Colorado Plateau.

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Indian ponies and irrigation ditches

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Never Miss a New Post.

TRAIN OF THOUGHT

Indian ponies and irrigation ditches

Replacing Indian School was major effort in early 20th century

Grand Canyon railroad was a dubious dream

Gilman is a unique ghost town

Mesa County pioneer was an enthusiastic promoter

Lincoln Park Auditorium served as dance hall and convention center

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Indian ponies and irrigation ditches

FEATURED POST

Never Miss a New Post.

TRAIN OF THOUGHT

Indian ponies and irrigation ditches

Replacing Indian School was major effort in early 20th century

Grand Canyon railroad was a dubious dream

Gilman is a unique ghost town

Mesa County pioneer was an enthusiastic promoter

Lincoln Park Auditorium served as dance hall and convention center

BOB's Book Picks

ABOUT ME

SUBSCRIBE

BOB's
Book
Picks