Greyhound Races at Grand Junction Colorado's Uranium Downs 1957

What would people do for fun in Grand Junction, Colorado on a July evening in 1957? They'd head out to Western Colorado's Uranium Downs for the Greyhound races.

If you've lived in Grand Junction long you know all about the horse races at Uranium Downs. Did you know about the Greyhound races? This looks to have been a big deal back in the day.

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Good Times at Grand Junction's Uranium Downs

Pictured below are pages from the program for Greyhound races from the evening of Tuesday, July 9, 1957, and Grand Junction's Uranium Downs. Post time was 8 p.m., rain or shine. This looks to have been the sixth night of the 45-day season for the year 1957.

According to the racing schedule, "There will be Greyhound Racing at Uranium Downs five nights each week, TUESDAY through SATURDAY, through Labor Day, Sept. 12." The program adds ten races will be held each night except for Saturday when 11 races were to be featured. Post times for the entire 45-day racing season was 8 p.m.

Featured Contestants For The Night

Some of the racers for the evening of Tuesday, July 9, 1957, included:

Irish Ghost
Pageant Doll
Sharp Princess
Stagger Juice
Arizona Sunshine
Big Thrills

Some Highlights From the 1957 Season In Grand Junction, Colorado

In addition to the Greyhound races, Uranium Downs hosted a number of related events:

Uranium Downs Derby
Uranium Down Puppy Derby
Labor Day Special
Au Revoir Special
Handicapper's Contest
Hotel-Motel Championship

Check Out the Ads

Part of the fun with this 1957 program would be the local advertisements. When was the last time you hung out at Grand Junction's Frank's Lounge, offering the finest food and cocktails, and Western Colorado's largest ballroom just two miles west on Highway 6 & 50?

If you were visiting from out of town, you might want to stay at the Athens Motor Hotel with 20 ultra-modern units, now featuring air-conditioning! This hotel was located at 2nd and Rood in Grand Junction. In 1957 it must have been a classy place. When I was growing up in the 70s and 80s it was the hotel where all the hookers would hang out.

Scroll through the gallery below and see some of the fun and excitement residents used to enjoy in Grand Junction in 1957.

Greyhound Racing at Grand Junction Colorado's Uranium Downs

Did you ever spend an evening at the Greyhound races at Grand Junction's Uranium Downs? I didn't, and I've been hanging out at Uranium Downs since the early 1970s.

Check out this awesome program from July 9, 1957. If the program is any indication, these Greyhound races were a huge deal. Back then, you could acquire one of these programs for $.50 cents at these Grand Junction businesses:

LaCourt Hotel at 2nd and Main
Mesa Drug Co. at 400 Main
City Magazine & Book Shop at 644 Main
Campus Drug Store at 1002 North Avenue
Christenson's Drug 1620 U.U. Highway 50

NEXT: Historic Photos of Colorado Horse Races + More

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.