The All America City recognition inspired widespread use of its logo. Even ash trays were adorned with the city�s new honor. The metallic red shoes with spike heels and pointed toes were dress-up shoes for teacher Gladys Conway. A hat, gloves and purse also were included in a woman�s ensemble.

The 1960s
 

The 1960s saw significant new developments. The Interstate Highway system reached here, and put Grand Junction on that important national transportation grid. The innovative downtown shopping park drew national attention. The city�s population in 1960 had reached 18,694, a 28.9 percent increase over 1950.
 
  PEOPLE

Dale Hollingsworth was manager of the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce from 1957 to 1968, and 1970 to 1984. As head of the Chamber, Hollingsworth was a leader in promoting the city and the area. Operation Foresight rejuvenated downtown, and the Chamber of Commerce was an important facilitator. 
(The Daily Sentinel)

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COMMUNITY

Main Street in Grand Junction was becoming congested with traffic, and streets and walks were aging. In the spring of 1962 Operation Foresight began reconstruction of the infrastructure, and also expanded the parking available. In May 1963 the project was completed, including extensive landscaping. The city was awarded All America City recognition by Look magazine for the innovative and successful downtown shopping park.
(Perry Studio Photo)

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  BUSINESS

New technological developments in electronics spurred its manufacturing. Electronic manufacturing plants began to open in Grand Junction to take advantage of the available labor force. Dixson, Ultronix, and Hickok were some of the manufacturers. Lower labor and distribution costs elsewhere lead most of them to move away in later decades.
(Bruce Dixson Photo)

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EDUCATION

Mesa College dedicated the Walter Walker Fine Arts Center on November 21, 1969. The auditorium presented the Performing Arts of music and drama. Instruction for those fields was provided in adjacent studios and classrooms. A nearby building had workshops, studios and kilns for the Fine Arts of painting, drawing, sculpture, metal and ceramics.
(Mesa State Archives, Tomlinson Library, Mesa State College)

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  AGRICULTURE

Cattle, sheep and horses were characteristic of ranches surrounding Grand Junction. In the West, riding and roping skills led to rodeo competitions. They evolved into dramatic professional rodeos, such as the Colorado Stampede Rodeo, sponsored annually by the Mesa County Sheriff�s Posse at the Fairgrounds on Orchard Mesa.
(Mesa County Sheriff�s Posse Photo)

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  TRANSPORTATION

The national Interstate Highway system was initiated in the 1950s. Interstate 70 reached Grand Junction in the 1960s. The highway through Glenwood Canyon was the final link in the national system and was not finished until the 1990s.
(The Daily Sentinel)

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CULTURE

Mildred Hart Shaw ( here atop an elephant ) was a reporter, an editorial writer, and then book reviewer on the Daily Sentinel from 1936 to 1980. From 1959 to 1970 she also
mentored the Junior Great Books reading and discussion groups for high school students. Many were intellectually stimulated by these sessions, and went on to excel at colleges and universities.

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 RECREATION

Skiing on the Grand Mesa had a major shift when the Powderhorn Ski Corporation bought the assets of the modest Grand Mesa Ski Club. In 1966 they cleared new runs, built the first of four chair lifts, and a lodge. Other expansions have followed. Powderhorn is now a large modern ski resort with a ski school, Nordic and Alpine terrain, ice skating rink and condominiums.
(Bob Beverly Photo)

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