Grand Junction Colorado Area Business Signs of the 1940s & 50s

Do you recall the old Mesa Drug sign? How about the giant City Market banners taking up half the side of the store? Check out these Robert Grant photos of Grand Junction area business signs from the 1940s and 50s.

Things used to be a little simpler. Whereas we now have giant business signs with scrolling messages, graphics, bright lights, and tons of pizzaz, there used to be simple signs. They were typically flat, painted, and simple. If you were a bigshot you had neon. Take a look back at the way things used to look in Grand Junction.

Get our free mobile app

Make the Most of What You Have

The sign at my dad's old muffler shop on 5th Street was just that... a muffler. He painted the business name on it and hung it up by the street. Budget for his project? Precisely zero dollars and zero cents.

Advertising as Art

Take a look at the photos and you may find some constitute works of art. You'll see tremendous craftsmanship in some of these signs.

A Few Standouts

I, for one, really enjoy the shots of the Daily Sentinel sign. Then again, the Mutual Savings and Loan sign makes its message perfectly clear. The entire face of their building is occupied by the giant letters L O A N S.

A Walk Down Grand Junction's Memory Lane

Look closely and you'll probably be surprised how many of these buildings are still around. To name a few: the Hi-Fi Shop (now a house...again), the Harris Drive-In and Penguine Room (has hardly changed), and the North Avenue Gay Johnson's.

Like always with these Bob Grant photo galleries, keep your eyes open for someone you recognize. Every time I publish one of these posts people contact me to let me know they've identified someone in the photos.

Grand Junction Colorado Area Business Signs of the 1940s and 50s - Robert Grant Photos

Take a look at business signs from the Grand Junction area through the lens of photographer Robert Grant.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Western Colorado Winters of the Past

Here's a short gallery of Robert Grant photos showcasing Grand Junction and Western Colorado winters. They sure are fun. Then again, sometimes the snow and cold temperatures result in trouble.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Grand Junction Christmas Light Displays of the 1940s

These decorations don't compare to the magnificent blue light display you'll see in the neighborhood in the northwest part of town. It was a different time. Even at that, there's something heartwarming about these 1948 decorations.

These are the best of the best of 1948. I regret I don't know which house placed first, second, etc. In the end, it doesn't matter. They're all great. Take a look at the gallery. Who knows? You might see a house you recognize. For that matter, you might see someone you recognize.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Growers and Farmers of Western Colorado

You'll definitely recognize the surroundings. Bob Grant loved capturing Western Colorado icons in the shot. Whenever possible, he'd get Mt. Garfield in the background. If Mt. Garfield weren't available, he'd get the Bookcliffs, Grand Mesa, or even the Colorado National Monument.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Colorado Cannery Workers from September 1947

Let's go back to Coloroado 1947 with these hard working Americans.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Grand Junction Horses of Yesteryear

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.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Awesome Grand Junction Fashion of the Past

Here's a fashion flashback to Grand Junction, Colorado, of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. Many of these photos appeared in Sunday inserts promoting new fashions from Downtown Grand Junction merchants.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Random Images of Grand Junction

These 16 photos were chosen strictly at random. All photos are by Robert Grant.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Western Colorado Winters of the 1940s and 50s

Enjoy these winter images captured from various sites around Western Colorado. All images are by Robert Grant. The majority of these shots were pulled at random from a drawer of negatives labelled "January 1949." A few others came from a neighboring file cabinet filled with thousands of Bob Grant prints.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Life Around Grand Junction

Bob Grand photos from Grand Junction's past. People enjoying their lives as they go about their daily routine.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Colorado's Kanarado Mine

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Beauty Pageant Contestants of Western Colorado

Behold Western Colorado's "Miss Atomic Energy" and her attendants, plopped down on a filthy pile of highly toxic uranium ore. Take a trip back in time to Grand Junction of the past with these Bob Grant photos of local beauty queens and pageant contestants.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Grand Junction Father & Son Photos of World War I & II

The photos below are from the personal collections of father and son, James and Robert Grant. James L. Grant of Clifton served in the United States Navy during World War I. Years later, his son, Robert Grant, would serve in the United States Army in World War II.

James L. Grant served as the Postmaster of Clifton. His son, Robert, was the photographer at the Daily Sentinel from the late 1930s until his retirement in 1985. James passed away in 1971, and Robert in 2000.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: JUCO World Series of the Past

Grand Junction has hosted the Junior College World Series for close to half a century. For approximately half of those years, Bob Grant was there with his camera. He continued capturing images of the tournament until his retirement in 1985.

My dad (Bob Grant's son-in-law) went through a ton of Bob Grant negatives to dig up a few memories. Baseball fans are sure to remember many of these shots.

One of Bob Grant's most prized photos would be the first image in the gallery, the shot of the hawks at Suplizio Field. That particular shot won him an award from the Press Photographers Association.

As a Grand Junction native, I really enjoy some of the nostalgia spotted on the signs in the background. Did you see the billboard for "Mr. Steak"? If you were around Grand Junction in the 1970s, you definitely knew about "Mr. Steak."

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Random Photos of Grand Junction Residents of the 1940s

All of these images were lifted from negatives from Bob Grant's career. I have Bob's old negative cabinet at my house. It's loaded with tens of thousands of negatives, most in sleeves, some of which include information as to the contents.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Movies Filmed in Western Colorado and Eastern Utah

Did you know some of your favorite movies from the 1950s and '60s were filmed in Western Colorado and Eastern Utah? Grand Junction photographer Bob Grant had a chance to shoot a few photos from these movie sets.

Filed Under: Grand Junction Colorado, Robert Grant Photos

Categories: Colorado News, Colorado – Mesa County News, Colorado – Western Slope News, Events: Grand Junction Colorado

Feel Like a Time Traveler with These Grand Junction Colorado Business Signs