History
Our organization was started in 1937 with about 20 members and was called the Mineralogy Club of Grand Junction. Meetings were originally held in the Lowell School building but was disbanded until 1946. Early meetings were than held in the Patriotic Room of the Court House. Our first Gem & Mineral show was in the Court House basement in 1947. There were no display cases, and the rocks were laid on planks. We had no dealers. Later, meetings were held at the old REA Building on Sixth Street, and then at the new facilities of the Grand Valley Rural Power Lines, Inc., on the East Freeway. Our 73rd annual Gem and Mineral Show was held on September 21, 2019, at the Mesa County Fairgrounds.
ln the late 1940s, interest in rockhounding in this area was increased by several events including, the discovery and recovery of fossil remains on the Redlands and north of Mesa, Colorado; the discovery of large deposits of high-quality jade in Wyoming; the expansion and improvement in the manufacturing of lapidary equipment; and the construction of roads in
Eastern Utah for the exploration and drilling for uranium ores which opened areas for rockhounding that were previously inaccessible.
ln 1958, the Club changed its name to the Grand Junction Gem & Mineral Club, and on March 30, 1959, the Club was incorporated as a non-profit organization, under the name of The Grand Junction Gem and Mineral Club, Inc. At that time, By-Laws for the operation of the Club were developed. The Club also affiliated with the Colorado Federation of Gem & Mineral
Societies, Inc. (CFGMS), the Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies, Inc. (RMFMS), and the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies, Inc. (AFMS).
In 1968, the Club voted to purchase 1 1/4 acres of land for $1,200.00 from Lloyd Files, for a club house. Mr. Files later donated $2O0.00 of the price to the Club on the condition they start construction of their club house within 18 months.
ln 1969, the initial building was constructed, primarily through the labor of Club members and donations. Due to increased membership and the start of lapidary and silver classes, additional space was needed for cIub meetings and in 1977 a large wing was added.
ln 1972, the Club transferred a small strip of Club land to Mesa County for widening and improving Monument Road. ln 1992, a second parcel of land adjacent to the original parcel was purchased. ln 1997 the two land parcels were legally combined into one parcel to simplify the property record.
ln 1998 Grand Junction Steel donated an 18×42 foot surplus steel building to the club with the condition that it be dismantled in a timely manner, which Club members did. After nearly two years, the building permit was finally obtained, and the building was then reassembled on the club property and is now used as our shop.
We are one of very few gem and mineral clubs in the nation that own our own clubhouse with extensive displays of collections. Having our own lapidary shop is also unique. We welcome you to join our organization and to utilize our classes and monthly programs. We have 2 meetings every month on the second and fourth Thursdays that start promptly at 7:00pm. Both meetings have guest speakers with club news and updates afterwards.
Come and join us!
