Grand Junction

Grand Junction sits in a valley first shaped by Paleo-Indian hunters and later inhabited by the Ute people, who controlled the region until their forced removal to a reservation in Utah in 1881. Shortly after, Civil War veteran George A. Crawford and a group of partners claimed a townsite near the confluence of the Colorado (then called the Grand) and Gunnison Rivers. On September 26, 1881, they laid out the new settlement, which soon became known as Grand Junction.

The town grew rapidly. By early 1882, it had a general store, a newspaper, social clubs, and a deal in place to bring the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, which arrived that November. On July 22, 1882, Crawford formally incorporated the city. He also played a key role in launching irrigation efforts that helped establish the area's agricultural economy. In the same decade, he planted one of the region’s earliest vineyards near Palisade, helping spark what would become Colorado’s wine industry.

Fertile soil and mild winters proved ideal for fruit. Farmer Elam Blain picked the valley’s first commercial crop in 1884, and orchards of apples, pears, apricots, cherries, and peaches soon filled the landscape. By 1900, ranchers and growers shipped produce and cattle from the which by then had a booming 3,503 residents and 181 businesses. Today, petroglyphs, early irrigation ditches, and historic downtown buildings still trace a path from that first claim in 1881 to a city known across Colorado for wine, fruit, and a past as colorful as its surrounding cliffs.

Serves as the gateway to Colorado’s wine country, hosts art galleries, farm‑to‑table dining, and performance venues downtown.

Presidential Visit & Infrastructure Milestone (1909): In 1909, President William Howard Taft visited Grand Junction to dedicate the Gunnison Irrigation Tunnel and attend the Mesa County Fair. That same year, the city introduced electric streetcars—a significant leap in local transportation.

Handy Chapel: Symbol of Community Resilience (1892): Handy Chapel, built in 1892 by Grand Junction’s African American community, stands as the only remaining original church in the city's founding square mile. It holds significant historical value and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.

Pine Gulch Fire (2020): A lightning-caused fire that burned over 139,000 acres near Grand Junction, becoming the largest wildfire in the state at the time.

John Otto – “Hermit of Monument Canyon”: An eccentric trailbuilder and conservationist, Otto meticulously carved miles of hiking paths into the red-rock landscapes around Grand Junction.

Dalton Trumbo: Born and raised in Grand Junction, Trumbo became an Academy Award–winning screenwriter, novelist, and playwright. He was also one of the Hollywood Ten, blacklisted during the Red Scare.

The Grand Mesa to the east is the world’s largest flat‑top mountain; the nearby Colorado National Monument features the country’s second‑largest arch concentration.