Avalon Theater, Grand Junction, Colorado
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Al Look discusses his 40-year employment with the Daily Sentinel, including his relationships with publishers Walter Walker and Preston Walker and the lives of the two men. He also discusses the Typographical Union Strike of 1946 and the hardships it caused between the union and the Sentinel. Al also talks about his and Walter Walker’s relationship with the Ku Klux Klan, Walker’s tolerance of the brothels on South Avenue, and Walker’s rivalry...
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Voice Recording
Mary Price discusses what she knew about Walter Walker and his family, impressions of Walker held by Mesa County residents, social events the Walkers were involved in, the presence of the Ku Klux Klan in Grand Junction, and the Typographical Union Strike. She also talks about her German immigrant father, his ownership of the prominent LaCourt Hotel in Grand Junction, and his fear of the Klan. This recording is made available via signed release by...
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Voice Recording
William “Bill” Nelson explains his time spent working for the Daily Sentinel under Walter Walker and Preston Walker. He discusses the Typographical Union Strike, the quality of The Daily Sentinel compared to other newspapers, the Ku Klux Klan in Grand Junction, and Walter Walker’s many community involvements. This recording is made available via signed release by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries...
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Compound
Gilbert Baylis explains his relationship with former United States Senate appointee Walter Walker’s son, Preston, who was a close friend of his growing up. Baylis describes Preston Walker as a very popular fellow and a friendly rival to him. Baylis also discusses his own education in politics, and Walter and Preston’s family life and social activities. This recording is made available via signed release by the Mesa County Oral History Project,...
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Voice Recording
During a Mesa County Public Library program, Michael Husband speaks about the many cultural activities in early Grand Junction and Mesa County, Colorado, including music, dance, and theater. He names top performers who came to Grand Junction, including the Russian Ballet, John Philip Sousa, the New York Philharmonic, and the Chicago Symphony. He discusses the role of Walter Walker in supporting and promoting the arts. He lists the many venues that...
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Voice Recording
Grand Junction, Colorado newspaper columnist, amateur historian, geologist and paleontologist Al Look discusses Grand Junction personalities such as Walter Walker and William J. Moyer, pre-radio reporting of World Series scores and boxing matches, and other aspects of Mesa County history. This interview is made available via signed release by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries, the Museums of Western Colorado...
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Voice Recording
To mark the centennial celebration of the town of Grand Junction, Colorado in 1981, the Mesa County Oral History Project wrote and recorded several radio plays about local history. Beginning on September 26, 1981, local radio stations KSTR, KREX-AM, KREX-FM, and KMSA broadcast the plays. Authors of the plays used interviews recorded by the Mesa County Oral History Project as inspiration. This archival recording contains the play Sousa Day in Grand...
Format:
Compound
Al Look talks about taking groups of teachers on tours of the Colorado National Monument and about the history of Grand Junction’s Avalon Theater. He describes the Biltmore, a gambling hall on Main Street owned by J.W. “Big Kid” Eames, and the murder of Eames by dance hall owner and would-be robber Fern “Bubbles” Sadler. He also discusses Pretty Boy Floyd’s brief stay at the Yellow Jacket in Delta, Colorado and his frequenting of Grand...
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Compound
Marie Treece describes running Grand Junction, Colorado’s community concert series and the many famous musicians who visited Grand Junction during the early to mid-1900’s. She recalls the difficulty that African-American musicians, such as Roland Hayes, had in finding a place to stay. She talks about her experiences teaching and travelling with a Mesa College choral troop. She discusses directing a choir in one of the area’s CCC camps, hosting...
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Voice Recording
Ruth Smith and Isabella Cunningham, former reporters for The Daily Sentinel, recall their careers at the newspaper during the 1920’s through 1940’s. Cunningham talks about covering railroad news and events, including the institution of a sixteen-hour-day law for workers. They remember two young children that were killed when playing with dynamite in Fruitvale. They describe the annual Christmas party for needy children that was put on each year...
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Compound
Al Look talks about his involvement with the International Newspaper Advertising and Marketing Executives, about his On Guard column in the Daily Sentinel, about taking the first aerial photographs of the Grand Mesa, and about the history of the Avalon Theater. He also discusses getting lost while hunting agates, the Lincoln Park Zoo, John Otto’s construction of trails on the Grand Mesa, and other aspects of Mesa County history. The interview was...
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Voice Recording
Wyatt Wood describes his time as the manager of the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce and talks about the people he met there, including John Otto, who at one time was allowed to keep a desk in the Chamber office. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
Format:
Voice Recording
Dick Williams talks about the games he played with children as a boy in the downtown area of Grand Junction, including hide and go seek and kick the can. He remembers playing sandlot baseball and other games in a vacant lot on 9th Street between Grand and White Avenues. He recalls swimming in ditches and canals, and ice skating in what is now Lincoln Park. He speaks about competing in athletics in high school and college, and in Pioneer Clubs, which...
