Path to Colorado statehood was rocky

There was plenty of opposition to allowing Colorado Territory to become a state in the 1870s. But after numerous attempts the Colorado Statehood proclamation was signed by President Ulysses S. Grant on August 1, 1876. My Daily Sentinel column about that effort is linked below.

40 minutes ago

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Path to Colorado statehood was rocky

40 minutes ago1 min read

Tractors began to supplant horses in 1920

There were more domestic horses in the United States in 1920 than at any time in our history, but there were also more tractors. And more than 100 companies were selling tractors in the U.S. in 1920. My column about tractors versus horses in 1920 is linked below.

Jul 211 min read

Finding longitude a long, hard job

This column is a about a subject that has fascinated me for a long time: the historic efforts to find the best ways to compute longitude, both on land and sea. Determining latitude has always been much easier. There's a link below to my column June 6 in The Daily Sentinel.

Jun 71 min read

Memorial Day train wreck was not unusal during early 20th century

A train derailment near Grand Junction on Memorial Day weekend, 1920, This photo shows a 1918 train wreck in Tennessee that is believed to be the deadliest in U.S. history, killing more than 170 people. took the lives of the train's engineer and fireman. Such accidents weren't unusual in the early decades of the 20th century, but railroad safety was beginning to improve. Below is a link to my history column in The Daily Sentinel.

May 281 min read

GJ train depot opened with a quake

Grand Junction's Union Train Depot is 120 years old this spring. And it opened just a day before a massive earthquake struck San Francisco, sending hundreds of refugees through Grand Junction. This photo shows what the depot looked like about 1914. My column from The Daily Sentinel is linked below.

May 121 min read

Grand Junction gets mountain water

After several decades of dealing with muddy water from the Grand (Colorado) and Gunnison Rivers, This sign at the base of Kannah Creek shows the Kannah Creek drainage. the city of Grand Junction finally achieved its goal of obtaining clean mountain water from the Kannah Creek drainage on Grand Mesa on July 4, 1912. My history column from The Daily Sentiinel is linked below.

Apr 271 min read

Trying to answer questions about GJ Indian School

Officials from History Colorado will be in Clifton April 21, seeking public assistance as they attempt to find more information about the cemetery at the old Grand Junction Indian School on D Road east of Grand Junction. But the location of the cemetery is just one of many questions regarding the school. Below is a link to my Daily Sentinel history column discussing those questions.

Apr 161 min read

In the month where we celebrate 150 years of Colorado becoming a state, what better document to read that the original Colorado Constitution.

Ok, so most people aren't going to want to read this ancient document in it's entirety. For one thing, it's 65 pages long, about double the length of the original U.S. Constitution. Also, there are a lot of important items that most people don't care about one bit. Do you really want to know who is on the state land board and how they are selected?

Still, it's interesting to see some of the items that they found important then, such as the makeup of the 26 counties. Grand Junction, which didn't yet exist, would have been in Lake County.

If you do want to take a peek at the original Constitution, you can do so at:

https://archives.colorado.gov and search for the first Colorado Constitution.

ABOUT ME

I retired as editorial page editor of The Daily Sentinel in Grand Junction, Colorado in 2014. Since then, I've continued to write a twice-a-month history column for the Sentinel, while seizing every opportunity I can, with my wife Judy or my horses, to enjoy the beautiful outdoors of the Colorado Plateau.

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Path to Colorado statehood was rocky

FEATURED POST

Never Miss a New Post.

TRAIN OF THOUGHT

Path to Colorado statehood was rocky

Tractors began to supplant horses in 1920

Finding longitude a long, hard job

Memorial Day train wreck was not unusal during early 20th century

GJ train depot opened with a quake

Grand Junction gets mountain water

Trying to answer questions about GJ Indian School

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Path to Colorado statehood was rocky

FEATURED POST

Never Miss a New Post.

TRAIN OF THOUGHT

Path to Colorado statehood was rocky

Tractors began to supplant horses in 1920

Finding longitude a long, hard job

Memorial Day train wreck was not unusal during early 20th century

GJ train depot opened with a quake

Grand Junction gets mountain water

Trying to answer questions about GJ Indian School

BOB's Book Picks

ABOUT ME

SUBSCRIBE

BOB's
Book
Picks