History of Railroads in Colorado and the Grand Valley

01/17/2024

11/25/2023

11/25/2023

A new non-profit is working to restore the old Union Depot in Grand Junction. That building is over 100 years old, and keeping the project on track, is no easy task.

11/24/2023

The Grand Valley Model Railroad Club is happy to announce its 35th Annual Christmas Train Show at Cross Orchards Historic Site! Check out the improvements we've made since last year, ranging from miniature street lightning, automobiles with working headlights and other light features, additional landscaping, new photos and updated historic information boards, and an outdoor animated ferris wheel.

Our indoor layout models the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad, circa 1950, in a living display. Familiar landmarks along Colorado's Western Slope, such as Grand Junction's historic Union Depot, the town of Glenwood Springs, and the iconic Mt. Garfield have been faithfully recreated. In the spirit of Christmas, our towns have been decorated with miniature Christmas lights, wreaths adorn our engines, trains are loaded with presents, and Santa is hidden somewhere on our layout. Find scenes on our scavenger hunt and learn about Grand Junction's railroad history in an event that's great for all ages.
Outdoors, you can find what may be the world's only garden railway built underneath a historic railroad trestle. This layout will be running weather permitting, although a light snowfall may allow us to demonstrate our working model snowplows. Nearby, you can also explore the museum's restored Uintah Railway cars.
Additionally, Cross Orchards will be offering rides on its tractor train and vintage firetruck transporting you across the museum's sixteen acres. You might even catch Santa greeting passengers with cookies and hot chocolate. A fire pit will be lit to keep you warm.

Open December 9th, 10th, 16th, 17th, 23rd, 24th & 30th, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Admission is:
$10 for a Family,
$5 for an Adult, or
$2 for a Child.
Cash or check only.
Proceeds benefit the Grand Valley Model Railroad Club and go towards maintenance costs and improvements.
For more information, please visit our website: https://www.gvmrc.org/ .p_tLwXMjmih_t9

07/04/2023

As we watch the fireworks this Independence Day, we remember the bombs that burst in the air over Grand Junction’s skies.

Early Sunday morning, June 27, 1943, at the height of the Second World War, Grand Junction residents awoke to the sound of explosions. As the westbound munitions train came to a stop in front of Grand Junction’s Union Depot, sparks from the brakes set fire to the wooden floorboards of a boxcar filled with ammunition. The fire was spotted by yardmen as the train pulled into position and orders were given to immediately separate the burning car from the rest of the train. The fire alarm was sounded with the depot given as the location for the fire. Switchman Victor Griffith and Carman Warren Lampshire risked their lives to uncouple the rest of the train, but by that time the fire had jumped to a second car and they found it impossible to separate the two cars. A decision was made to move the cars to a safer location. When the fire department arrived at the depot, they discovered that the cars had been moved to another part of the yard. When they arrived at the yard they were informed that the cars had been sidetracked on a siding further to the west. By the time the fire department arrived, shells had already started exploding. To make matters worse, the second car was filled with artillery shells compared to the smaller munitions in the first car. It was soon realized that the firemen could not put out the railroad cars without putting themselves in significant danger, so they focused their efforts on putting out fires caused by the explosions elsewhere.

For four hours, Grand Junction was bombarded with shells and shrapnel. Joe Brady, captain of the fire department’s engine crew, described the inferno as “glorified fireworks with lots of noise and pyrotechnics which came a week too soon for the Fourth of July and was entirely too dangerous a spectacle.” Miraculously, only four people were injured, the most serious of the injuries being Fire Chief Charles Downing’s arm that was hit with a piece of shrapnel. After walking a block to the nearest parked car, Downing was rushed to St. Mary’s Hospital and his arm was amputated an hour later.

Nevertheless, Grand Junction residents thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle with thousands of people flocking to the scene, many of them not having taken the time to dress. Officials had difficulty keeping spectators a safe distance away. Many people took unexploded shells home with them as a souvenir without realizing the danger, and they were forced to return the shells to the authorities. Children scraped chewing gum that had splatted against the walls when the freight car that contained it exploded. By the time the explosions began to die down at around six in the morning, parts of downtown had been left decimated. And yet, the event is still remembered fondly, by many, as the biggest fireworks show Grand Junction has ever seen.

A full article on this event will be made available soon.

Photos courtesy of the Museums of Western Colorado.

06/29/2023

05/15/2023

Twenty-five of the leading citizens of Grand Junction loaded into four large wagons on May 16, 1883 and rode to the east end of the valley where the town of

02/26/2023

The southwest corner of downtown Grand Junction, known as “Little Italy,” was once bustling with pedestrian activity. Within the next few years, it could be bustling once again — with

11/28/2022

PICTORIAL TOUR OF DOWNTOWN PALISADE WITH GARY HINES - DEC 15th at THE ORDINARY FELLOW WINERY

The Palisade Historical Society’s monthly history talk at The Ordinary Fellow Winery in December will be presented by Gary Hines, who will show “then and now” photos of the Town center. Gary normally gives guided walking tours of historic downtown Palisade. This tour will be easier, as everyone can sit comfortably in a chair where it’s warm inside the Winery and see how downtown buildings have changed over the years,

The talk will begin at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 15th at The Ordinary Fellow Winery, located at 202 Peach Avenue, in Palisade. This program is open to the public, and The Ordinary Fellow Winery is a relaxed and comfortable setting for people to learn about Palisade’s unique history and enjoy a glass of wine. The tasting room opens at noon, and Le Snack Fine Foods will be on site serving wonderful winter soups available for purchase starting at 4:30, so come early.