Grand Junction High School (first location), Grand Junction, Colorado 1911 1956 9th Street and Chipeta Avenue Grand Junction Mesa Colorado USA The first Grand Junction High School building was constructed at 9th Street and Chipeta Avenue in 1911. Richard E. Tope was the principal. He later became the superintendent of schools for Mesa County School District 51. The school housed grades 10-12. A west wing was added in 1917, and an east wing in 1920, allowing freshman to move over from the Franklin School. In 1926, a junior high and gymnasium were constructed to the west side of the campus. According to William Rump, who attended the school in the 1920’s, all sports teams at that time were coached by Wally Holt. The school lacked a bus and players had to arrange for their own transportation to out of town football games in Delta, Montrose, or elsewhere. After the opening of the second Grand Junction High School building at 1400 North 5th Street in 1956, Grand Junction Junior High School took over the entire building on Chipeta. It closed in 1971 upon the opening of East and West Junior High Schools. Most of the buildings were demolished in 1973, though the former junior high school and gymnasium housed Columbine Elementary School until recently. The new Chipeta Elementary School building now stands in the same location. *Information for this article was taken from In the Beginning... A History of the Districts and Schools that became Mesa County Valley School District Number 51 by Albert and Terry LaSalle. **Photograph from the 1915 Grand Junction High School yearbook. place:349 Grand Junction, Colorado yes yes