Grand Junction, CO

Main Street c1910

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Grand Junction, CO
Elevation 4,583 feet.
Population 8,665 (c1920)
Denver 424 miles (via Marshall Pass).

Located in Colorado’s fertile agricultural area of the Grand Valley, Grand Junction is the biggest town you drive through when traveling between Denver and Salt Lake City. The town is a supply center for the region providing goods and services for the surrounding agricultural and ranching communities. Crops produced in the region include apples, peaches, apricots, pears, cherries, as well as alfalfa, beans, and corn. Cattle and sheep are also raised in found in the Grand Valley.

Visitors to Grand Junction will find much outdoor recreation and magnificent scenery to enjoy. The town is surrounded by beautiful wilderness areas, from the canyons made by the meandering Colorado River east of town, to Grand Mesa, a very sizeable table top mountain, located just southeast of town. And, only one half hour away, Grand Mesa National Forest offers much in the way of hiking and mountain biking in the summer, as well as cross country ski trails in the winter.

The first Europeans in the Grand Valley were two Spanish explorers, Francisco Antanasio Dominguez and Silvestre Velez de Escalante, who, at the end of the eighteenth century, wanted to find a route to connect the missions in New Mexico to the missions in California. But it wasn’t until 1821 that the valley was made part of the United States.

In 1853, John Gunnison and John C. Fremont mapped part of the land while searching for a railroad route. In 1870, The United States Geological Survey constructed an in depth book of maps of the entire area called the Haden Survey. It was widely sold throughout the U.S.

The Valley was originally Ute land, but they signed a treaty in 1880 agreeing to move onto a reservation in Utah, leaving the area free for settlers to inhabit. The first settlers quickly irrigated the area using the waters of the Colorado River and established the town of Grand Junction.

By 1882, the population of the town consisted of 150 men and two women, who relocated from Gunnison, 125 miles upstream. In order to entice more women into moving there, the town offered a free plot of land to the first woman married in Grand Junction. Also that year, a bridge was built across the Colorado, bringing the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad into the area. Soon there was a population of over a thousand people. Hotels and restaurants sprung up, as well as a drug store, a blacksmith shop, and about a dozen saloons.

During that same year, expanded irrigation of the valley proved successful for fruit orchards, such as peach, pear, and apple. D.S. Grimes of Denver planted 100,000 fruit trees along the Colorado River, and stated that it was “the best fruit growing between Salt Lake and Kansas”. In 1899, the states first sugar mill was established in Grand Junction and named “The Colorado Sugar Manufacturing Company.”

By the early part of the twentieth century, the agricultural production in Grand Junction had become so successful, that it became known as one of the most productive areas in all of Colorado. Also around that time, oil and uranium wells were being drilled in the area, and up until the 1960’s, uranium production brought more notoriety to the area.

Modern day Grand Junction is still a major agricultural zone, but the outdoor recreation has enabled the town to capitalize on tourism as well. The spectacular mesas, red rock canyons, and lush forests in the area attract hikers, mountain bikers and vacationers wishing to escape the hustle and bustle of the cities. The Grand Junction area also offers river rafting for all levels, and rafting trips on the Colorado, Yampa, and Green rivers can be booked for a length ranging from one to five days. During the winter, Powderhorn Ski Area, located 35 miles from town, offers decent down hill, as well as cross-country, skiing.

In the town itself, visitors can wander museums with exhibits that range from geology, art, history, and the culture of Colorado, to Dinosaur Valley, which displays large, lifelike dinosaurs that realistically move and roar. After exploring what the town has to offer, one can relax for an enjoyable lunch or dinner at the diverse cafes or restaurants. The nightlife is not the most exciting, but it does exist, and live music can be heard at a few of the local hotel bars.

Railroad tracks were first laid into Grand Junction in 1882. The first line into town came from Salt Lake City to the west. Soon after tracks were laid from Grand Junction south to Montrose to finish the Marshall Pass Route along the Gunnison River. Next, in 1890 a joint venture line with the Colorado Midland railroad was constructed along the Colorado River east to Rifle and connected with the D&RG line from Glenwood Springs. This section of track was built by a separate corporate name of Rio Grande Junction Railway.

The tracks to Montrose were originally narrow gauge but were quickly changed to standard gauge in 1905.

An 8 stall brick Roundhouse and Turntable were built as well as brick Machine Shops and a Car Repair Shop.

The Union Depot was constructed in 1905. It was originally shared by the D&RG, RGW and the Colorado Midland railroads. Following the merger of the two Rio Grandes and after the closing of the Colorado Midland in 1918 the Depot was only used by the D&RGW. The Union Depot still stands and has been restored. It is easily found and well worth a look.