Gateway to the Grand Mesa North
MESA
GRAND MESA SCENIC BYWAY FROM I-70/EXIT 49
TO HWY 65
The Grand Mesa has been an integral
part in man's occupation of Western Colorado. Archeological
finds suggest over 8,000 years of habitation and a pattern of
human use called the "GRAND CIRCUIT"! The north side of
the Grand Mesa Scenic Byway begins
at 1-70 and Exit 49, through
the Plateau Canyon (Hwy 65), through the town of Mesa, up
to Powderhorn Ski Resort, past Mesa Lakes Resort, past Lands End
Road and the Grand Mesa
Visitors Center, down into the town of Cedaredge where the byway
ends. You will drive from the 6,000 foot level to
over 10,000 feet in less than 63 miles.
The drive through the 12 miles of Plateau Canyon is alive with
past history. In the 1880's the first settlers arrived,
building crude rock huts nestled under huge rock
overhangs for protection from
the elements. They lived in these structures, of which
many can be seen
within the first 3 miles, until they could build permanent ranch
homes. All these structures are on private property
but if you drive slowly you might be able to
get some snapshots.
Most of the huts are now used for storage. Fields were
tilled and crops raised in this narrow canyon with
abundant water from Plateau Creek.
Further up into the canyon you will find one of the older homes,
the Harris Ranch, still inhabited. The house was built in
1912 and the old barn next to it was built earlier in
1904. Many travelers and
those hauling freight moved through this canyon and this was
the spot where they stopped, stayed overnight, ate their
meals and used the barn for
livestock and wagons.
The next stop is the town of Mesa which was homesteaded
about 1882. Several of the
buildings on Hwy 65 were
built in the early 1900's. The Mesa General Store is still
in operation and the lovely old white church with the
high steeple, is a major icon in the community. The church
is in immaculate condition and still being used today. Here you
will find a campground, post
office, general store, restaurant and a coffee shop.
(Beware there is no gas station in Mesa so you need to
fill up in Grand Junction, Palisade or Collbran because the next
station is in Cedaredge on the south side of Grand Mesa!)
There is an interesting bit of history that connects Mesa with
the town of Meeker where the infamous "Meeker Massacre" took
place in 1879. Indian Agent Nathan Meeker, who had no real
experience in dealing with the Indians, was sent to Meeker to
try and teach them how to
grow corn and other crops. The Ute Indians were a peaceful
people but Agent Meeker made a fatal mistake when he
decided to turn their horse race track into a corn field.
The Ute's rebelled and an all out battle took place leaving 11
white settlers massacred,
including Nathan Meeker. In the aftermath, the Indians
took his wife, daughter Josephine and one other woman
with 2 children hostages. They fled to an area just
outside of the town of Mesa (which was not settled yet) where
they were held for approximately 23 days. Chief Ouray and
his wife, Chipeta, negotiated for their return and eventually
the Indians released them to the soldiers. (It was told that one
of the
Indians fell
in love with Josephine Meeker and wanted her as his wife!)
The negotiations took place
under a cottonwood tree known as the "Meeker Tree". The
tree was still
standing in 1924 but
eventually died. It is on private property outside of Mesa and
not
open to the public.
(As a result of the massacre and kidnapping, Congress
passed the "Ute Removal Act. Of 1880" which denied the Ute's
twelve million acres of land that
had been guaranteed in perpetuity. The Indians were then moved and
relocated to parched dry acres in eastern Utah.)
As you
continue through the town of Mesa, you will pass Powderhorn Ski
Resort, Mesa Lakes Resort, then over the hill to the newly
remodeled Grand Mesa Visitors Center and
eventually down south to Cedaredge
where the byway ends.
Why would you want
to take this drive off the busy 1-70 interstate? It is a
peaceful drive with
rivers, streams, and cattle ranches. You will likely see
deer and elk and if you’re
lucky, moose and bear.
The hunting is the best and fishing abounds in the over 300
lakes across
the Grand Mesa. Hiking trails are in abundance, with b
ike
trails and camping. On the south side of the Grand Mesa you
will find apple, peach and cherry orchards in the Cedaredge
area, as well as wineries, restaurants, hotels and gas stations
for your enjoyment.
The present day MEEKER MASSACRE TREE taken on June 2010. Although the tree is dead it is still standing - but it is on an undisclosed private property and not open to the public