Orchard Mesa is rich in history (Appendix Map 24). Like all of Mesa
County, Orchard Mesa was a Ute Indian territory until 1881 when the
area was opened for settlement. In that year, George Crawford, the
founder of Grand Junction, first viewed the Grand Valley from a point
above what is now the Fifth Street Bridge on Orchard Mesa. Before
George Crawford and the many pioneers that came to settle the Grand
Valley, early Spanish traders and explorers passed through on the
way to search for gold, silver and other riches. They came across
Orchard Mesa on the Old Spanish Trail Northern Branch from 1829 to
1848. This trail made its way through Mesa County from Santa Fe, New
Mexico to Green River, Utah, where it rejoined the main branch of
the trail. It was used by early traders, trappers and explorers to
trade with the Ute Indians.