World War I artifacts at the Museum include this bugle. They had many uses as a signaling instrument before radio was common. The khaki colored cap was standard issue for a soldier�s uniform.

The 1910s
 

The decade of the1910s saw growth and prosperity, but it was overshadowed by World War I which began in Europe in 1914. When the war ended in 1918, Grand Junction shared the national optimistic spirit that believed we had fought the final war, and civilization had moved beyond armed conflict. People believed the massive conflict was the �War To End All Wars.� This hopeful outlook was doomed to disillusionment. The population of Grand Junction in 1910 was 7,754, a 121.4 percent increase in a decade.
 

PEOPLE

Richard E. Tope was a school administrator. �Professor Tope� was admired as a cultivated gentleman of wide learning who recruited an outstanding staff of teachers, and set a standard of excellence. Mr. Tope was principal of the high school 1911-1918, and then superintendent of schools until 1938. On retirement he was appointed superintendent emeritus and consultant.

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COMMUNITY

World War I was a world-wide conflict during 1914-1918, and the United States was a combatant 1917-1918. Naval forces were engaged on the Atlantic, and land forces were mainly in battles in France. These Mesa County recruits, ready to leave for military service, boarded a car on the Midland Railroad which served Grand Junction from 1890 to 1918.  (Dean Photo, The Daily Sentinel)

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BUSINESS

In 1911, the elegant Grace Miller posed in fashionable clothes. She and a partner operated The Ladies Tailoring College. Grace secured her hat with a long hat pin, and a second pin was held ready between her teeth. A breeze could send a large hat flying away, and pins through the hairdo and hat kept the hat in place.   

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EDUCATION

A larger high school building was needed, and the 900 block between Chipeta and Gunnison Avenues was bought for the new location. The central section was built in 1911, and wings on each side were added beginning in 1917. There were 36 rooms and an auditorium for 500. The small number of students in 1891 had grown to over 600.
(Dean Studio Photo)

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AGRICULTURE

One of the largest irrigation projects in the nation, the Highline Project was completed in 1918. It provided the water to cultivate 50,000 acres in the Grand Valley. The unusual roller dam is shown as it was being built across the Colorado River in DeBeque Canyon. The level of the reservoir behind it is controlled by raising or lowering large steel cylinders, called rollers. There are only three roller dams in the country, and this is the largest.
(U. S. Bureau of Reclamation Photo)

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TRANSPORTATION

Especially in the west, roads between cities were primitive. Nonetheless, in October 1912 a hardy band of 27 motorists drove nine cars from Grand Junction to Salt Lake City. The road often dwindled to a wagon track, streams were forded, and deep mud was a problem. They made the journey in 11 days, and Salt Lake greeted the pioneers with a banquet. The drivers shipped their cars home by railroad. (Winfield Photo)

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CULTURE

The Park Opera House was at 430 Ute Avenue, facing Cottonwood Park - later Whitman Park. (The site is now the Museum of Western Colorado parking lot.) Equipped for theatrical events, lectures and music of all types, it featured local and touring companies. Performers from the Barrymores to the Four Cohans appeared there. The Opera House was in use from the 1890s until the 1920s when moving pictures changed theatrical demands.

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RECREATION

Spectacular red sandstone cliffs and canyons are to the west of Grand Junction. John Otto, pictured on horseback, was an environmentalist and visionary. He was determined that this scenic domain should be saved intact as a natural park. This dream was realized in 1911 when the Colorado National Monument was established. Otto, the first park superintendent, developed many hiking and horse trails including the twisting Serpent's Trail Road, now used for
hiking.
(Colorado National Monument Photo)

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