The first white settlers moved into the Grand Valley in autumn 1881, after Ute Indians had been forcibly removed from most of Western Colorado.
A year later, the municipality of Grand Junction was officially recognized and held its first election. But it was in 1883 that the fledgling community really began to blossom.
This photograph, from Garry Brewer's collection, shows the town in 1884.
My history column from The Daily Sentinel is below.
Early GJ 5-14-23
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