![]() |
|
Despite the
economic depression of the 1930s, peach production remained fairly
profitable. Palisade was the major peach orchard zone, but the Redlands and
Bridgeport also had extensive production. Fruit picking sacks, with a bottom
which opened easily for emptying, were invented in Palisade by Nancy Brown. The Mountain
Lion Fruit label adorned millions of boxes. Wooden baskets also were used
widely.
The 1930s |
|
The Great
Depression dominated the country in the 1930s. Grand Junction�s regional
economy eased the harshest effects. This was not a manufacturing center,
with closed factories and large numbers of unemployed. Growth was slow, but
the 1930 population was 10,247, an 18.3 percent growth from 1920. |
PEOPLE
Walter Walker was editor and publisher of the Grand Junction DAILY
SENTINEL from 1917 to 1956. He was an ardent supporter of every advance
in Grand Junction and western Colorado. A force in politics, he was
appointed by the governor to the United States Senate in 1932 to fill out
the term of the late Senator Waterman. On the national level, Walker was a
member of the committee which wrote the 1932 Democratic platform called the
New Deal by Franklin Roosevelt. Walker was a delegate to eight consecutive
national conventions, a state record. |
|
|
COMMUNITY
Radio was expanding rapidly across
the nation. Grand Junction�s first station was on the air January 13, l931
as Rex Howell established KFXJ, which later became KREX. It was the first
station of a radio and TV network called the Western Slope Broadcasting.
Company. His television station was the first in town in 1954. In the
following decades other broadcasters established several radio and television stations here, as well
as cable TV. |
|
![]() |
BUSINESS
The City Market chain was started by
the Prinster brothers with one small grocery store in Grand Junction in the
1920s. Grocery stores typically were not large. Supermarkets with wide
selections and lower prices were an idea of the l930s. City Market opened
the first of their many supermarkets at 4th and Rood in 1939.
|
|
EDUCATION The entire town was enthused about the 1936 Grand Junction High School Tigers football team. They made widespread sports news as they played an entire season without being scored upon. The toughest game was in Salida. A special train carried fans to the meet which the Tigers won, breaking Salida�s winning streak of 39 games. The 1936 season total was Tigers 506 to 0 for their opponents. Rah Rah Tigers! (1937 Grand Junction High School Annual) |
|
AGRICULTURE
Farmers needed seeds for their many
crops, and the Grand Junction Seed Company with its Mile High Seed brand was
a main supplier. The Grand Valley is superior for various crops. Red clover
is an example, and the seed company would contract with farmers to grow
clover for tons of seeds which were sold locally as well as nationally. They
exported and imported a wide variety of seeds, including flower seeds and
bulbs. |
|
TRANSPORTATION The
Grand Junction Municipal Airport was on 700 acres where the larger current
airport is located. It was dedicated June 14-15, l930. The first runways
were unpaved. There was one hanger with a windsock, and planes including an
Eagle Rock Biplane (pictured). In 1942 the airport was named Walker Field for the
newspaper publisher who was a strong backer. During World War II, hundreds
of Army and Navy cadets received basic flight training at Walker Field. |
|
|
|
RECREATION Copeco was a large pear and apple orchard owned by Earl Craven and partners. There was a club house for employees, and the spacious fruit packing building had a hardwood floor which also served for dances. Beginning in the 1930s a commercial dance hall, called Copeco, occupied the building. Dancing was popular, with a dozen ballrooms in the valley. |
|
|
If you have
arrived at this page from a search engine |