SYDNEE FLOTRON-ODDITIES EDITOR
The Grand Valley might be cursed, and it could affect you if you plan on leaving anytime soon. Legend has it that anyone born and raised in the Grand Valley must collect dirt from four specific locations around the area before leaving:
-The Grand Mesa
-The Book Cliffs
-The National Monument
-The Junction of the Colorado and Gunnison Rivers
Back in 1881, this land was populated by the Ute Indians, or the “Utes.” They were forced to leave the Valley to go live on reservations in Utah, and supposedly cursed the Valley and it’s residents before leaving.
Why should we care? If you are a Grand Valley local who plans on leaving permanently one day, you must collect dirt from each of these locations and put it all in a jar before leaving or else you will be cursed to return to the Valley one day.
For some people, this isn’t a terrible curse. Ali Schmalz, a Grand Junction local, loves the Valley.
“It’s so easy to fall in love with this place, there’s something to do everywhere- from biking at Kokopelli, hiking the National Monument, to floating the Colorado River. These are features that not many places get to say they have within driving distance. I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon,” Schmalz said.
How well-known is this curse? Apparently, most locals hear about this curse at a young age. Many high school kids fill their dirt jars as a tradition before they graduate and leave for college. Schmalz graduated from Fruita Monument High School in 2018, and stayed in the Valley to attend Colorado Mesa University for college.
“My freshman year of college I was really bummed that so many of my high school friends went out of state to bigger schools while I was still here in the Valley. While I love it here, my mom told me not to worry because none of my friends who left did their jars and they would be back. Sure enough, some of my closest friends are trickling back,” Schmalz said.
Some locals, while aware of the curse, are still skeptical. Another Grand Junction local, Noah Stahlecker, plans on leaving the Valley and going out of state one day, but has no plans to make time to collect a jar of dirt to help get him there.
“Being born and raised in the Grand Valley, I have learned about a lot of local legends. One of the most prominent for Grand Junction natives is the collection of dirt from the trio, plus the confluence of the Gunnison and Colorado rivers. I personally have been told to collect the dirt from the four locations before I ever leave the Valley; however, I don’t think I will. I don’t believe in the curse, it’s just become a trend of sorts for people to post on social media,” Stahlecker said.
Whichever way you may see it, the legend has been scouring it’s way through the Valley since the 1930s. There is no factual evidence connecting the curse to the Utes, and no way to track exactly who started the rumor of the curse. Either way, if you plan on ditching the Valley, you may not want to take that risk.
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