Glade Park, Mesa County, Colorado 39.01526 -108.81038 Mesa Colorado USA http://www.geonames.org/5423029/glade-park.html geoNames entry for Glade Park, Colorado An unincorporated community to the south of Grand Junction, Colorado, accessible by Little Park Road from the Grand Valley. Glade Park is bordered by the Colorado National Monument and Pinon Mesa. The area is higher in the elevation than Grand Junction, and was an early settlement for cattle and sheep ranchers, beginning in 1881. Later, homesteaders attempted to dry farm in the area, which lacked irrigation, but were not successful. Glade Park had several small schools serving different locations. For entertainment, people held dances and dinners. Early Grand Valley residents often went to Pinon Mesa during the summers, where they camped and enjoyed the cooler weather. Today, Glade Park is primarily a residential community for people who work in the Grand Valley. Some landmarks, such as the Glade Park Store, which continues to operate, remain from Glade Park's early years. Longtime resident Loyd Files estimated the Population to be 500 in the 1920's, including several farmers/ranchers in the surrounding area. According to Cordelia (Hamilton) Files, who lived on Glade Park in the 1930’s, drought and Dust Bowl conditions affected Glade Park at that time. Grass and other vegetation had been removed from the soil by poor farming practices, and there were no roots to hold the soil in place, so it blew away in the wind. Many homesteaders and farmers moved away during this time, and all of the schools on Glade Park closed except for one. According to Dorothy (Gordon) Mahoney, telephone service was brought to the area due to the efforts of her father, rancher George Washington Sleeper, and Louise (Sieber) Sleeper. yes yes