Beneath Blue Mesa: The Gunnison River Valley Before the Reservoir

In the late 1950s, the United States Bureau of Reclamation was authorized to construct the Curecanti Project, consisting of three dams on the Gunnison River. The largest, Blue Mesa Reservoir, was created by the construction of a 390-foot dam at the start of the Black Canyon, inundating 23 miles of the Gunnison River Valley in the 1960s. This is the story of the loss of three towns (Iola, Cebolla, and Sapinero), sixteen fishing resorts, and fifteen ranches along the scenic Gunnison River west of Gunnison, Colorado. Local historian David M. Primus has spent over twenty years researching what was once beneath Blue Mesa Reservoir. He has interviewed dozens of people who grew up in the valley and have generously shared their photographs and stories. It is to the many people who were displaced by the reservoir this book is dedicated. The book includes over 200 photographs and many stories of life in the valley before the reservoir. It can be used as a tour, allowing the reader to stop at various points and imagine what was there before. About the author: Growing up on the Front Range of Colorado in the 1960s, David’s family spent summer weekends west of Denver. Walking along the Colorado Central railroad grade between Georgetown and Silver Plume, his grandfather pointed out the large rock abutments of the long-gone high bridge on the Georgetown Loop. Thus began a fascination for “what was there before.” David moved to the Gunnison, Colorado to attend Western State College (now Western Colorado University) in 1978. After graduating and beginning a career in technology, his avocation was focused on researching the history of the Gunnison Country. He has presented historical slide shows, conducted tours, and helped produce a GIS (Geographic Information System) database and map of historic sites in the Gunnison Country. Based on his grandfather's stories of growing up in Steamboat Springs in the early 1900s, David researched and wrote the book, Steamboat Springs: Memories of a Young Colorado Pioneer. He was a member of a team contracted to research, write, and publish the book Medicine in the Mountains: The Remarkable Storied History of Health Care in Lake City for the LCMC Endowment Fund, Inc. David has served as a long-time member of the Gunnison Historic Preservation Commission and as a board member of the Denver, South Park, and Pacific Railroad Historical Society.
ASIN: B0BJN2ZRJV
VSKU: DBV.B0BJN2ZRJV.A
Condition: Acceptable
Author/Artist:Primus, David M
Binding: Paperback
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: This copy has clearly been enjoyed—expect noticeable shelf wear and some minor creases to the cover. Binding is strong, and all pages are legible. May contain previous library markings or stamps.