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GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Two weeks ago, I put together a Grand Junction history quiz in honor of the demise of White Hall. What a turnout we had! Here are the answers.
Readers Gary Hines and Richard Genova got the most correct answers with 7 out of 10 correct. If they show up at the John Otto Sculpture unveiling tonight (Friday, Oct. 7), I'll give them a book!
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1. Can you name the three mascots of Gay Johnson's Restaurant?
A: Roscoe the Rooster, Stan the Steer and Gus the Ranch Hand. They were immortalized in tile over the sit-down counter in the First & Grand Avenue Gay Johnson's. I sure wish I knew where Gay came up with that idea. The big tile mosaic of these three hung behind the counter at the First and Grand Gay Johnson's restaurant. When the restaurant closed, it ended up behind the Gay Johnson's Tire Shop in the fenced area. I spotted it one day and tried to see about getting it restored. No one was interested and I'm sure it eventually ended up at the dump.
2. The two major downtown department stores closed and later housed museums in the 1980s. Can you name the stores and the museums that followed?
A: Montgomery Wards was located at Fifth and Main in William Moyers original Fair Building. It closed in the early '80s and sat vacant until The Doo Zoo, a nonprofit children's museum opened in that space in 1984. The Doo Zoo later moved to 421 Colorado Ave.
J.C. Penney's moved to the new Mesa Mall about 1981 and the building at Fourth and Main sat empty until the Museum of Western Colorado opened up Dinosaur Valley in 1985. Both attractions were a great asset to downtown because once the mall opened west of town, downtown Grand Junction went through a very bleak period. Look at it now! We even have mall stores moving back downtown knowing it the place to be.
3. Grand Junction was the first town in Colorado to do what with its water?
A: Put fluoride in its water. Smile? It must have helped some of us but I still had a lot of cavities. Too much candy at the movies. We'd go to the City Bookstore across from the Cooper Theater and load up before the movies. Little wax soda bottles filled with sugar water, licorice spirals with a candy bead in the middle, paper dots, mystery boxes with candy and a prize. Thanks to the late Dr. Ronald Ryan for filling my teeth; I actually loved to go to the dentist. Still do.
4. Where could you go to get a “Green River” fountain drink?
A: I had a few guesses of Mesa Drug on this one but I remember getting one at Gavin's Pharmacy across from Lincoln Park on Seventh Street. It was next to the Goofy Gal. I'd stop there on our way home from school when we went to Grand Junction Junior High School. I was probably going home with one of my girlfriends because I was supposed to ride the bus home. Sometimes I'd go downtown after school then ride home with my dad who worked at Home Loan & Investment Co. which was located in what is now the Free Press building. Those times I'd go to Mesa Drug and have a vanilla Coke and an order of French fries if I had any money.
5. What prominent Basque family owned the La Salle Hotel at 159 Colorado Ave.?
A: Jean and Benerita Urutty owned the La Salle Hotel. Jean Urutty emigrated from the Pyrennes. He came to America to herd sheep and eventually owned his own flock. He married Benerita Velasquez in 1935 and opened the La Salle Hotel. Sheepherder by day and hotelier by night. The hotel was located in the Barbary Coast District and later became The Beefeaters Restaurant, The Office and The Bayou. It was eventually razed and is now a parking lot for Two Rivers Convention Center. Urutty was a leader in the Basque community, organizing a Basque Festival every year on his farm property that is now Canyon View Park. His handball court remains on the southwest corner of the park in honor of his heritage.
6. What were the Woodsie spots called up on Little Park Road?
A: First Flats and Second Flats. These are now designated trails on BLM land. We also partied at Jacobs Ladder, The Boat Docks, and of course, out in the desert below the Bookcliffs. Answer guesser Richard Genova added The Potholes to the list.
7. What was Latino King Louie known for in Grand Junction?
A: King Louie was an accomplished artist and painted many murals around Grand Junction. I remember one was located in the courtyard at East Middle School and one on the side of the little grocery store in Riverside. He was also a boxer and a great role model for kids. King Louie was one of the first low-riders in town.
8. Grand Junction's original square-mile town plat contained four parks — Maple, Chestnut, Walnut and Cottonwood. They were renamed in 1916, what are they called now?
A: The four parks were originally names after trees and were renamed after popular authors of the time. Maple became Whitman Park after Walt Whitman; Chestnut became Washington Park after Washington Irving; Cottonwood became Emerson after Ralph Waldo Emerson; and Walnut was renamed for Nathaniel Hawthorne.
9. What was Glade Park's original name?
A: It was originally named Big Park and when the Post Office was established in 1910, it was renamed Glade Park. I wonder if Little Park was named at the same time?
10. Where did the “Uncle Bob Collins Show” first air?
A: Uncle Bob Collins brought his show to Grand Junction and it first aired over the radio on KEXO. He then began broadcasting it on KREX-TV.
11. John Otto's Legends sculpture will be unveiled Oct. 7. He will be depicted riding his horse named Rowdy with his dog alongside. Do you know his dog's name?
John Otto supposedly had several dogs while living and working to establish the Colorado National Monument. One of his dogs was named Jim. He also had a dog that loved to chase the spark from the lit dynamite fuse. Maybe his name was Boomer.
12. During the '70s and '80s, several films were shot on location in the Grand Valley, name three.
Several people guessed some movies that I didn't know about. The three that were on my mind were “American Flyer,” “Vanishing Point” and “Running Wild,” which was produced locally with former Daily Sentinel publisher Ken Johnson involved. My mother, Ruby Brown, had a small role in the movie. She literally said: “They went that a'way,” to Lloyd Bridges.
Reader Gary Hines gave me Vanishing Point (1971); American Flyers (1985); Lansky's Road (1985); Starman (1984). A few years ago a movie starring Tim Robbins called “The Lucky Ones” was shot on Glade Park.
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Reach Priscilla at 970-260-5226, or email priscilla.mangnall@gmail.com.
Readers Gary Hines and Richard Genova got the most correct answers with 7 out of 10 correct. If they show up at the John Otto Sculpture unveiling tonight (Friday, Oct. 7), I'll give them a book!
--------------------------------------
1. Can you name the three mascots of Gay Johnson's Restaurant?
A: Roscoe the Rooster, Stan the Steer and Gus the Ranch Hand. They were immortalized in tile over the sit-down counter in the First & Grand Avenue Gay Johnson's. I sure wish I knew where Gay came up with that idea. The big tile mosaic of these three hung behind the counter at the First and Grand Gay Johnson's restaurant. When the restaurant closed, it ended up behind the Gay Johnson's Tire Shop in the fenced area. I spotted it one day and tried to see about getting it restored. No one was interested and I'm sure it eventually ended up at the dump.
2. The two major downtown department stores closed and later housed museums in the 1980s. Can you name the stores and the museums that followed?
A: Montgomery Wards was located at Fifth and Main in William Moyers original Fair Building. It closed in the early '80s and sat vacant until The Doo Zoo, a nonprofit children's museum opened in that space in 1984. The Doo Zoo later moved to 421 Colorado Ave.
J.C. Penney's moved to the new Mesa Mall about 1981 and the building at Fourth and Main sat empty until the Museum of Western Colorado opened up Dinosaur Valley in 1985. Both attractions were a great asset to downtown because once the mall opened west of town, downtown Grand Junction went through a very bleak period. Look at it now! We even have mall stores moving back downtown knowing it the place to be.
3. Grand Junction was the first town in Colorado to do what with its water?
A: Put fluoride in its water. Smile? It must have helped some of us but I still had a lot of cavities. Too much candy at the movies. We'd go to the City Bookstore across from the Cooper Theater and load up before the movies. Little wax soda bottles filled with sugar water, licorice spirals with a candy bead in the middle, paper dots, mystery boxes with candy and a prize. Thanks to the late Dr. Ronald Ryan for filling my teeth; I actually loved to go to the dentist. Still do.
4. Where could you go to get a “Green River” fountain drink?
A: I had a few guesses of Mesa Drug on this one but I remember getting one at Gavin's Pharmacy across from Lincoln Park on Seventh Street. It was next to the Goofy Gal. I'd stop there on our way home from school when we went to Grand Junction Junior High School. I was probably going home with one of my girlfriends because I was supposed to ride the bus home. Sometimes I'd go downtown after school then ride home with my dad who worked at Home Loan & Investment Co. which was located in what is now the Free Press building. Those times I'd go to Mesa Drug and have a vanilla Coke and an order of French fries if I had any money.
5. What prominent Basque family owned the La Salle Hotel at 159 Colorado Ave.?
A: Jean and Benerita Urutty owned the La Salle Hotel. Jean Urutty emigrated from the Pyrennes. He came to America to herd sheep and eventually owned his own flock. He married Benerita Velasquez in 1935 and opened the La Salle Hotel. Sheepherder by day and hotelier by night. The hotel was located in the Barbary Coast District and later became The Beefeaters Restaurant, The Office and The Bayou. It was eventually razed and is now a parking lot for Two Rivers Convention Center. Urutty was a leader in the Basque community, organizing a Basque Festival every year on his farm property that is now Canyon View Park. His handball court remains on the southwest corner of the park in honor of his heritage.
6. What were the Woodsie spots called up on Little Park Road?
A: First Flats and Second Flats. These are now designated trails on BLM land. We also partied at Jacobs Ladder, The Boat Docks, and of course, out in the desert below the Bookcliffs. Answer guesser Richard Genova added The Potholes to the list.
7. What was Latino King Louie known for in Grand Junction?
A: King Louie was an accomplished artist and painted many murals around Grand Junction. I remember one was located in the courtyard at East Middle School and one on the side of the little grocery store in Riverside. He was also a boxer and a great role model for kids. King Louie was one of the first low-riders in town.
8. Grand Junction's original square-mile town plat contained four parks — Maple, Chestnut, Walnut and Cottonwood. They were renamed in 1916, what are they called now?
A: The four parks were originally names after trees and were renamed after popular authors of the time. Maple became Whitman Park after Walt Whitman; Chestnut became Washington Park after Washington Irving; Cottonwood became Emerson after Ralph Waldo Emerson; and Walnut was renamed for Nathaniel Hawthorne.
9. What was Glade Park's original name?
A: It was originally named Big Park and when the Post Office was established in 1910, it was renamed Glade Park. I wonder if Little Park was named at the same time?
10. Where did the “Uncle Bob Collins Show” first air?
A: Uncle Bob Collins brought his show to Grand Junction and it first aired over the radio on KEXO. He then began broadcasting it on KREX-TV.
11. John Otto's Legends sculpture will be unveiled Oct. 7. He will be depicted riding his horse named Rowdy with his dog alongside. Do you know his dog's name?
John Otto supposedly had several dogs while living and working to establish the Colorado National Monument. One of his dogs was named Jim. He also had a dog that loved to chase the spark from the lit dynamite fuse. Maybe his name was Boomer.
12. During the '70s and '80s, several films were shot on location in the Grand Valley, name three.
Several people guessed some movies that I didn't know about. The three that were on my mind were “American Flyer,” “Vanishing Point” and “Running Wild,” which was produced locally with former Daily Sentinel publisher Ken Johnson involved. My mother, Ruby Brown, had a small role in the movie. She literally said: “They went that a'way,” to Lloyd Bridges.
Reader Gary Hines gave me Vanishing Point (1971); American Flyers (1985); Lansky's Road (1985); Starman (1984). A few years ago a movie starring Tim Robbins called “The Lucky Ones” was shot on Glade Park.
-------------------------------
Reach Priscilla at 970-260-5226, or email priscilla.mangnall@gmail.com.
