Two Iconic Grand Junction Signs Found Hidden in Orchard Mesa

As it turns out, two iconic Grand Junction drive-in movie signs have been lingering around the valley this entire time.

If you head out to Orchard Mesa, tucked away behind a locked fence, you'll find these two pieces of Grand Junction history peeking out from behind a water tower.

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Grand Junction's Chief and Rocket Drive-Ins

Do you remember the old Chief and Rocket drive-in theaters? They used to be on North Avenue where you now find Wally World and Texas Roadhouse. For those of us growing up in Grand Junction in the 70s, these theaters were a childhood fixture.

These Old Grand Junction Signs Were Cool

While a bit dated, the signs at the entrances were really pretty cool. It's highly unlikely that in this day and age a business could display a sign with imagery like that of the Chief drive-in. That probably wouldn't fly in today's world.

Where You'll Find These in Grand Junction?

Word had been circulating for some time the two signs were hidden in Orchard Mesa. A post went up on the "You Know You're From Grand Junction When" Facebook page. This info pointed me in the right direction.

If you head to the water plant in Orchard Mesa, just up the hill on 26 1/4 Road from the Orchard Mesa Cemetery, you'll find them. Unfortunately, this is a secure, fenced-in area, with no access to the buildings.

Being somewhat familiar with the area, it was possible to head over to the south side of the fenced area and catch a glimpse of where the signs are stored. These shots were taken through a chain-link fence, about 150 feet from the subjects.

Waylon Jordan

...and a little bit closer...

Waylon Jordan

The Future of the Signs

Why are these signs being stored here? The thread on "You Know You're From Grand Junction When..." states the signs belong to the Museum of Western Colorado, and the city is letting them store the signs at this location.

Within that same thread, one person came forward and asked if it were possible to purchase the signs. It would be interesting to see how that unwinds.

Can You Get a Closer Look at the Signs?

Not really. They are deep within a restricted area. The only reason I managed to get this close is I own property in the area. Even at that, I had to trespass a teeny little bit in order to get this close.

Thank you to those on Facebook who shared info about this. I really enjoyed seeing these old signs again. Hopefully, the museum will find a good use for them.

LOOK: Here are the 50 best beach towns in America

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.

Keep reading to see if your favorite beach town made the cut.

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To prepare yourself for a potential incident, always keep your vet's phone number handy, along with an after-hours clinic you can call in an emergency. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center also has a hotline you can call at (888) 426-4435 for advice.

Even with all of these resources, however, the best cure for food poisoning is preventing it in the first place. To give you an idea of what human foods can be dangerous, Stacker has put together a slideshow of 30 common foods to avoid. Take a look to see if there are any that surprise you.

Filed Under: Grand Junction History

Categories: Colorado News, Colorado – Mesa County News, Colorado – Western Slope News