Grand Junction, 247 miles southwest of Denver, is the largest city in western Colorado.
The ancient home of the Ute people, this area was not settled by Europeans until the 1880’s.
The city, situated in the middle of a long valley (The Grand Valley), was developed around the confluence of the Gunnison and Colorado Rivers.
In recent years, a robust wine-making industry has grown up amid the orchards that were cultivated by the earliest Europeans settlers.
This postcard photograph was made by George Beam about 1910.
Through blossoming orchards, a solitary figure travels by buggy.
The face of the postcard notes the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad which was an ambitious attempt to create a rail route the length of the western slope of the Rockies.
Portions of the railroad are still in use.
This postcard, published by the Colorado News Company of Denver, was printed in Germany (Leipzig, Berlin, or Dresden).
The postcard was not mailed, but we might assume that it was preserved as a lovely reminder of Springtime in the Rockies.