Mesa County Oral History Meeting: Recollections and Ramblings
Mesa County Oral History Meeting: Recollections and Ramblings In-Person
Long time Western Colorado resident and history buff, George Decker, will talk about his efforts to interview several dozen early pioneers of this region and his book, "Recollections and Ramblings," in which he published stories from those interviews.
Mesa County Oral History Meetings happen from 12pm to 1pm on the third Thursday of the month in the Central Library Community room in partnership with the Mesa County Historical Society.
- Date:
- Wednesday, June 18, 2025 Show more dates
- Time:
- 12:00pm - 1:00pm
- Time Zone:
- Mountain Time - US & Canada (change)
- Location:
- Central Library Community Room
- Library:
- Central Library
- Audience:
- Adults
- Categories:
- Speakers & Presentations
Born on a ranch in the Colorado Rockies, George Decker never knew his mother. She died of uremic poisoning two days after his birth. As was custom in those early times, relatives stepped in to care for the infant. Baby George was sent to live with his maternal aunt and uncle, first for a few days, then weeks. His stay eventually stretched to 19 years.
Decker, now 82, recently completed a memoir, detailing the life of a young boy who grew up cowboying in the rapidly fading American West. His adventures are detailed in straight talk right out of a cheap drugstore novel.
Decker became an authentic cowboy on his adopted ranch, learning to care for sheep and cattle, and developing a love for the West. He rode his first pony at about age 3, helped tend the “bum lambs” that had also lost their mothers and eventually traded up to run a small herd of cattle. He spent all his spare time exploring the streams and canyons of the small ranch and nearby Bureau of Land Management property.
