Grand Junction Looking Mighty Cold in the late 1940s

Are you prepared for another Grand Junction winter? Things are about to get chilly. Chosen completely at random, enjoy 14 Bob Grant photos from the late 1940s that look mighty cold.

Fortunately for the Grand Valley, our winters are fairly mild. Then again the region has been known to see some low temperatures. As you can see in the photos, even when it's cold, the world keeps turning.

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Getting These Bob Grant Photos 'Out There'

These photos represent an ongoing project of mine. I have thousands and thousands and thousands of my grandpa's prints and negatives, most have which haven't seen the light of day in 70 years. It's become part of my life's work to sort, scan, catalog, and share these photos.

Since I'm not a trained archivist and given my limited time, the best method I've found is to digitize the prints and share them publicly. Regrettably, I have almost no information to go with these prints and negatives. Given that dilemma, getting the images in front of the public has proven effective when it comes to gleaning information about the subjects.

Look Close - These Images Have 'Western Colorado' Written All Over Them

Take a good look at the photos. It never fails - a viewer somewhere recognizes someone in the shots, and voila, I have information to work with. If you don't recognize the people, it's possible you might be familiar with the location or the event taking place.

With this particular gallery, it seems I'm in luck. Many of these negatives were stored in a sleeve which included the date, written in Bob's own hand.

Grand Junction The Way It Was

While none of these shots include major snowdrifts, avalanches, or blizzard-like conditions, they do show Grand Junction and Western Colorado of the late 1940s during the winter months. In a way, it's amazing how little has changed. Then again, with some shots, it's hard to believe you're looking at the same Grand Junction where we now live.

Grand Junction Looking Mighty Cold - Robert Grant Photos

Wintertime is setting in here in Western Colorado. While our winters are mostly mild, it can get a bit chilly from time to time. Grand Junction and the surrounding areas look mighty cold in these shots.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Downtown Grand Junction Businesses of Yesterday

If you stop and think about it, several of the business pictured above are still up and running. Most of these photos were taken in the 1950s. Almost 70 years later, many are still going strong. Sure, some have moved to new locations, but others, Quincy's for example, are right where they've always been.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Western Colorado Winters of the Past

Here's a short gallery of Robert Grant photos showcasing Grand Junction and Western Colorado winters. They sure are fun. Then again, sometimes the snow and cold temperatures result in trouble.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Grand Junction Christmas Light Displays of the 1940s

These decorations don't compare to the magnificent blue light display you'll see in the neighborhood in the northwest part of town. It was a different time. Even at that, there's something heartwarming about these 1948 decorations.

These are the best of the best of 1948. I regret I don't know which house placed first, second, etc. In the end, it doesn't matter. They're all great. Take a look at the gallery. Who knows? You might see a house you recognize. For that matter, you might see someone you recognize.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Growers and Farmers of Western Colorado

You'll definitely recognize the surroundings. Bob Grant loved capturing Western Colorado icons in the shot. Whenever possible, he'd get Mt. Garfield in the background. If Mt. Garfield weren't available, he'd get the Bookcliffs, Grand Mesa, or even the Colorado National Monument.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Colorado Cannery Workers from September 1947

Let's go back to Coloroado 1947 with these hard working Americans.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Grand Junction Horses of Yesteryear

Please enjoy a number of Bob Grant photos from the Grand Valley's past. These came from a box labeled "Horse." Yep, that's it, the box was called "Horses." These were selected at random, covering a number of decades.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Awesome Grand Junction Fashion of the Past

Here's a fashion flashback to Grand Junction, Colorado, of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. Many of these photos appeared in Sunday inserts promoting new fashions from Downtown Grand Junction merchants.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Random Images of Grand Junction

These 16 photos were chosen strictly at random. All photos are by Robert Grant.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Western Colorado Winters of the 1940s and 50s

Enjoy these winter images captured from various sites around Western Colorado. All images are by Robert Grant. The majority of these shots were pulled at random from a drawer of negatives labelled "January 1949." A few others came from a neighboring file cabinet filled with thousands of Bob Grant prints.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Life Around Grand Junction

Bob Grand photos from Grand Junction's past. People enjoying their lives as they go about their daily routine.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Colorado's Kanarado Mine

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Beauty Pageant Contestants of Western Colorado

Behold Western Colorado's "Miss Atomic Energy" and her attendants, plopped down on a filthy pile of highly toxic uranium ore. Take a trip back in time to Grand Junction of the past with these Bob Grant photos of local beauty queens and pageant contestants.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Grand Junction Father & Son Photos of World War I & II

The photos below are from the personal collections of father and son, James and Robert Grant. James L. Grant of Clifton served in the United States Navy during World War I. Years later, his son, Robert Grant, would serve in the United States Army in World War II.

James L. Grant served as the Postmaster of Clifton. His son, Robert, was the photographer at the Daily Sentinel from the late 1930s until his retirement in 1985. James passed away in 1971, and Robert in 2000.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: JUCO World Series of the Past

Grand Junction has hosted the Junior College World Series for close to half a century. For approximately half of those years, Bob Grant was there with his camera. He continued capturing images of the tournament until his retirement in 1985.

My dad (Bob Grant's son-in-law) went through a ton of Bob Grant negatives to dig up a few memories. Baseball fans are sure to remember many of these shots.

One of Bob Grant's most prized photos would be the first image in the gallery, the shot of the hawks at Suplizio Field. That particular shot won him an award from the Press Photographers Association.

As a Grand Junction native, I really enjoy some of the nostalgia spotted on the signs in the background. Did you see the billboard for "Mr. Steak"? If you were around Grand Junction in the 1970s, you definitely knew about "Mr. Steak."

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Random Photos of Grand Junction Residents of the 1940s

All of these images were lifted from negatives from Bob Grant's career. I have Bob's old negative cabinet at my house. It's loaded with tens of thousands of negatives, most in sleeves, some of which include information as to the contents.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Movies Filmed in Western Colorado and Eastern Utah

Did you know some of your favorite movies from the 1950s and '60s were filmed in Western Colorado and Eastern Utah? Grand Junction photographer Bob Grant had a chance to shoot a few photos from these movie sets.

Categories: Grand Junction Events, Outdoors

Grand Junction Looking Mighty Cold in the late 1940s – Bob Grant Photos