Mesa County Oral History Project

The Mesa County Oral History Project began as a joint project of the Museums of Western Colorado and Mesa County Libraries (MCL) in 1975. The Oral History Project collected tape-recorded interviews with pioneers of Mesa County and surrounding areas, and interviews with the children of pioneers. The Central Library housed the duplicate audio cassettes and provided patron access to the histories. The Museum stored the master tapes and kept files and transcripts related to the oral history collection. The Mesa County Historical Society also contributed significantly to the Oral History Project by collaborating with the library and museum to select interviewees, and by providing interviewers and other volunteers. Mesa County Libraries no longer partner with the Museum in housing duplicate copies of tapes. But the library now works with the Museum to digitize interviews from the Mesa County Oral History Project and to provide online access to the interviews through Pika, the library catalog. The Museum continues to house the original audio cassettes, interview transcripts, and other source material for the project. The Library and the Museums of Western Colorado still record oral histories with residents who have important knowledge of the area’s history. Please note that some interviews contain language that listeners or readers may consider offensive. Mesa County Libraries does not condone such language, but has included interviews in their entirety in the interest of preserving history.

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Interview with George Cecil Harper
Cecil Harper talks about his memories from early childhood in Loma, Colorado. He speaks about his father’s position as a surveyor on the Highline Canal, history of the dam’s construction, and about the celebration that was held upon the canal’s completion. He remembers the schools that he attended, including the Loma and Valley View Schools. He recalls his early jobs working for ranching outfits and working as a coal miner before he began life as a farmer. He discusses the honor that he received in 1978 for his work in agriculture and for his service on several community organization boards, including the Grand Valley Water Users Board. He talks about his parents and their homestead near Loma in the 1910’s, and the agricultural history of Loma. He remembers living in Horsethief Canyon on a ranch for three years as a child and speaks about the history of the canyon. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
Interview with George Watts
In a three part interview with Mesa County Oral History Project folklorist Elain Thatcher, George Watts talks about his life and shares poetry, songs and stories. In part one, he talks about his childhood in Hayden, Colorado, the early death of his father, and growing up on a 200 acre farm. He shares several poems and stories, including some tall tales. He remembers the people of Hayden. In part two, he speaks about the importance of song during his childhood, and how hymns were sung by his family and in church. He sings songs with his wife and daughter. He reminisces about his many past careers, tells jokes, and talks about his wife Enid Elaine’s background. He tells several stories about local happenings, including hunting trips, a mine explosion, and an attempted robbery. In part three, he reminisces about encounters with Ute people, celebration at the end of the Spanish-American War, a diphtheria epidemic so severe that it required the city of Hayden to create a new cemetery, battles between sheep and cattle ranchers, and outlaws. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
Interview with Gertrude (Hopple) McKay
Gertrude McKay, the first white child born in the De Beque, Colorado vicinity, talks about farm life and her childhood in the Roan Creek area. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries, the Museums of Western Colorado and the Mesa County Historical Society.
Interview with Gilbert Limberg and Loretta A. (Elkins) Limberg
Gilbert Limberg talks about growing up in Grand Junction, Colorado in a boarding house run by his mother, and later on a small farm on Old River Road. He also discusses his career as a boilermaker for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, his ownership of the Artesia Motel on Orchard Mesa, his work repairing machines that were used to first pave Grand Junction’s streets in 1925, and the Uintah Railway. His wife Loretta Limberg also offers her occasional insight. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries, the Museums of Western Colorado and the Mesa County Historical Society.
Interview with Gladys (Bradley) Earnest
Gladys Earnest talks about her job as a home demonstration agent in Garfield County and Mesa County, Colorado, helping rural people with soap-making, canning, and other personal, social, and economic development issues during the Great Depression. She also talks about the history of Glenwood Springs, her husband’s construction career, horseback trips to Trapper’s Lake and other excursions. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
Interview with Gladys (Penberthy) Carnahan
Early settler Gladys Carnahan describes her life growing up in Grand Junction, Colorado, including horse and buggy excursions with her father, school and social activities with friends, and attending the Mesa County Fair. She talks about her early involvement in the First United Methodist Church. She also discusses becoming ill during the Spanish Flu pandemic, furnishings in her family’s home, and being forced to support her family on a teacher’s salary due to her husband’s combat-related mental illness. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
Interview with Glen Edwin Brunk
Glen Brunk describes his career with the Mesa County Road Department from 1919 to 1929. He talks about the equipment that the road department used and about pouring the first asphalt in the county at the intersection of 30 and F Roads. He recalls his family’s move to De Beque in 1929, when he became an employee of the Colorado State Highway department. He remembers maintaining state roads, including the Plateau Canyon Highway from De Beque to the Camp Rock Store. He speaks about working conditions on the highway crew, crew pay, about building bridges, and the relationship between the state highway department and county highway departments. He talks about maintenance crews responding to accidents in the days before the state highway patrol. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
Interview with Glenn Edward Rogers
Glenn Edward Rogers talks about his early life in Cripple Creek and his military service during World War II. He discusses his early career as a biologist in wildlife management for the Bureau of Land Management’s Division of Wildlife (BLM). He remembers conducting deer counts on the Western Slope in the 1940’s and controversy around doe hunting season, the number of hunting licenses issued, and range deterioration. He speaks about the Division of Wildlife’s opposition to the construction of the Crystal Dam and the Curecanti National Recreation Area, due to concerns about the effects on wildlife. He details the scarcity of game because of overhunting before the institution of game management practices. He discusses how early grazing practices enabled pinon pine and juniper to replace grasslands around Roan Creek and other areas. He talks about the introduction of elk into Northwest Colorado by the Elks Club, aerial surveys of elk herds on the Western Slope, and airplane accidents while flying low to survey wildlife. He recounts the established of a Division of Wildlife office in Western Colorado, the growth of the BLM, consolidation in the Forest Service, and the growth of bureaucracy in the Forest Service that led to fewer contacts among personnel and the public. 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 1937 Colorado College yearbook.
Interview with Grace (Harty) Kistler
Grace Kistler talks about her childhood in rural Missouri and Pueblo, Colorado. She also describes life in De Beque, Colorado in the 1920’s and 30’s, and her husband’s role in the construction of the road through De Beque Canyon. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries, the Museums of Western Colorado and the Mesa County Historical Society.
Interview with Grace Lydia "Gracie" (Baker) Traynor
Grace Traynor talks about her son Harold Baker Wood and his service as a Boatswain’s Mate aboard the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. She discusses her son’s death during the attack and subsequent medals he received. She speaks about the enlistment of her sons in the armed forces during the Great Depression, when jobs were scarce, and about their lives in Grand Junction as young adults. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
Interview with Gratia E. (Johnston) Vogely
Gratia Vogely talks about her early life in Fruita, Colorado. This recording is made available via signed release by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado. *Please note that this interview contains profanity and/or racist and sexist language, which Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado in no way condone.
Interview with Gustaf Robert Gustafson
Robert Gustafson talks about the Wisemen’s Club, a Mesa County social and charitable organization to which he belonged in the 1930’s and 1940’s. He remembers the local dance halls and the big bands that played them. He describes growing up in a Swedish portion of the Globeville neighborhood in Denver, his educational background, and how he began working at the Public Service Company at the age of fourteen. He discusses his subsequent career with the Public Service Company as an accountant and supervisor. He speaks about his service on various school boards and committees, including the Mesa County School District Reorganization Committee. He talks about local chapters of the Elks, Masons, Kiwanis, and Odd Fellows. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.

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