Benton and Evelyn Canon settled in Grand Junction in 1887. This bamboo pattern Belleek teapot, a fine porcelain from Ireland, was a wedding present that traveled with them.

The 1880s
 

The 1880s was a decade of beginnings. Planners and visionaries in 1881 saw the promise in this broad valley. The arid Grand Valley was a desert, but it was traversed by two major rivers. Water from the Grand River ( later renamed the Colorado ) was soon brought to town and farms, via dams, canals and ditches. The first of many canals were the Pioneer Canal, and the Pacific Slope Ditch in 1882. Grand Junction was incorporated in 1882, and by 1883 Mesa County was established with Grand Junction as the county seat. The town�s population in 1885 was 378, according to a special Colorado State Census, but other sources claimed it was over 800. 
 

PEOPLE

George A. Crawford (1827-1891) headed the Town Company and is considered �the father of Grand Junction.� A skilled entrepreneur, he also founded three cities in Kansas, and Delta, Colorado. Elected governor of Kansas in 1861 in an election invalidated on technicalities, he did not serve. However, he usually was known as �Governor� Crawford.
(F. Gutekunst Photo)

Click for larger image.

COMMUNITY

The first structure in town in 1881 was the Town Company office. A log cabin at 2nd and Ute, it was built from cottonwood trees growing near the river. The residents were Mr. and Mrs. R. D. Mobley. R. D. Mobley was the first postmaster.

Click for larger image.

BUSINESS

On Sept. 26, 1881 the Grand Junction town site was selected, and stockholders then established the Grand Junction Town and Improvement Company. They owned the land, and were distinct from the town government. They surveyed streets and lots, promoted sales of the land they owned, and encouraged settlement. The town occupied a square mile, spanning from 1st to 12th Streets, and from North to South Avenues. The plat shows the layout of the town.
(Photograph and attached digital image, Mesa County Clerk and Recorder's Office)

Click for larger image and downloadable PDF
versions of full-size plat map.

EDUCATION

Schooling for the children was an early priority. Nannie Blaine Underhill was the first teacher. The first school, a crude cabin of upright logs, soon was replaced by a better building of local brick. Teacher Isa Caldwell is in the doorway. She began teaching in 1882 and taught all grades in the one room school.
(W. H. Jackson & Co. Photo)

Click for larger image.

AGRICULTURE

Kate Harlow and her husband, John Petal Harlow, had one of the first farms on Rapid Creek. They experimented with a wide range of grains, vegetables and fruit, and nearly everything grew well. Kate had an early restaurant and fruit stand on Grand Junction�s Main Street.

Click for larger image.

TRANSPORTATION

The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad reached town in November, 1882 and it was a major boost to the success of Grand Junction. Trains were of paramount importance in the era before automobiles, trucks and airplanes. Grand Junction became a major division point of the railroad, with repair and maintenance shops.

Click for larger image.

CULTURE

Literary societies, churches, lodges, bands and orchestras, and plays and musicals soon flourished. The frontier town began to be polished. Schools were a major factor as music, art and drama were taught in addition to the three R's. Here is a trio of teachers, ambassadors of culture, in fashionable attire.

Click for larger image.

RECREATION

Grand Mesa provided recreation from the earliest days. Scenic beauty, and abundant fishing and hunting were appreciated by the settlers. Summer homes and resorts began to be built, usually near cool lakes. Glade Park also was a summer favorite. Winter sports were sledding and skating. Skiing came later.

Click for larger image.

If you have arrived at this page from a search engine
and the bottom navigation frame is missing,
click here to go to www.gjhistory.org. (Browser will open in a new window.)