Grand Junction- DONE

Well deserved adult beverages! [David Schneider]

TravelerIn September 1881, the former Ute Indian Territory was abolished and the Utes were forced into a reservation so that the U.S. government could open the area to settlers. Clinton County, Pennsylvania-born George Addison Crawford (1827–91) soon purchased a plot of land.[10] On July 22, 1882, he incorporated the town of Grand Junction and planted Colorado's first vineyard near Palisade, Colorado, causing the area to become known as the Colorado Wine Country. Grand Junction also has a storied past with gunfighters, miners, and early settlers of the American Southwest. Prior to its incorporation as the city of Grand Junction, the community was known as Ute, and was also briefly called West Denver. The narrow gauge Denver and Rio Grande Railroad reached Grand Junction from the southeast, from Pueblo via Gunnison in 1882, followed in 1890 by the standard gauge Rio Grande Junction Railway from the northeast, from New Castle (jointly owned by the D&RG and the Colorado Midland).[11] These greatly contributed to the expansion and settlement of the area.

TravelerGrand Junction is a home rule municipalitythat is the county seat and largest city of Mesa County, Colorado, United States. Grand Junction's population was 65,560 at the 2020 United States census, making it the most populous city in western Colorado and the 17th most populous Colorado municipality overall. As western Colorado's largest city, Grand Junction is the economic and cultural center of the Western Slope region. The city is a transportation hub situated at the convergence of Interstate 70, U.S. Highway 50 and U.S. Highway 6. Grand Junction is also home to Colorado Mesa University, enrolling nearly 10,000 students annually. The city is the anchor of the Grand Junction metropolitan area, home to over 150,000 residents as of 2020. It is located in the heart of the Grand Valley, a large Colorado River valley stretching over 30 miles east-to-west and 5 miles north-to-south. Grand Junction comprises the largest urban center between Denver and Salt Lake City, as well as the most densely populated area and the only metropolitan area in Colorado outside of the Front Range Urban Corridor.