PRESS RELEASE: Palisade Historical Society May History Talk - History of Railroads in Palisade, CO

For Immediate Release
Date: April 30, 2025

MEDIA CONTACT:
JoAnn Rasmussen  
Palisade Historical Society      
970-812-3064 | info@historicpalisade.org

PALISADE HISTORICAL SOCIETY PROGRAM
“The History of the Railroads in Palisade, CO”
Thursday, May 14, 2026 - 6pm - at the Palisade Community Gym

 

Matt Darling, the Curator of Cross Orchards, will discuss the fascinating story of the significant impact the railroads had on the growth and prosperity of Palisade. Every detail is discussed from the fact that the railroads did not go through Palisade until 1890 up to modern trains of today. He has extensively researched the history of railroads which faced enormous difficulty building through Colorado's mountains. He will also explain how that struggle brought the Rio Grande & Colorado Midland railroads to Palisade which were important in our agriculture and coal mining history. Autographed copies of his book published by the Palisade Historical Society, The History of Railroads in Palisade, Colorado, will be available for donation at the event.  

Matt has been studying Colorado Railroad history nearly all his life. Born in Lafayette, Colorado, he has lived in Grand Junction since 1981. He holds a bachelor’s degree in U. S. History from Mesa State College. As a young man Matt apprenticed with his father learning Automotive repair and is a Journeyman Mechanic.  

 
Matt Darling started as a volunteer in the Library at the Museum, before being hired to lead Cross Orchards. Matt assisted with the reorganization of two large Railroad photos collections and assisted the Helper Museum with their Railroad photo mosaic exhibit. He joined the Palisade Historical Society as the Museum’s liaison. He has been a member of the Rio Grande Modeling and Historical Society since 2004 and has contributed 12 articles so far to their quarterly publication, the Prospector. Matt was on the Board of Directors for a year and served as the Editor of the online newsletter the Green Light for 5 years. His main hobby is building scale model trains, which he has been doing since he was 6 years old. He also has a Railroad history library with 450 books and periodicals. Hiking is a passion for Matt and he loves to explore the Colorado mountains with his wife Dr. Christine Noel.

The history talk will begin at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 14th at the Palisade Community Gym. This program is open to the public to learn more about Palisade's unique history. No reservations required. There is free admission, but donations are appreciated. As food and beverages will not be sold on site, people can bring their own to the program. Come early to socialize and grab a seat!  (more)
 
MAY 14  - PALISADE HISTORICAL SOCIETY PROGRAM – Page 2

The Palisade Historical Society’s website: www.historicpalisade.org, Social Media Pages: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PalisadeHistoricalSociety/ and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historicpalisadeco will include information about dates and topics of future history talks.

You can also visit the Palisade History Museum at 3740 G Road – near Elberta and Highway 6 on the north frontage road. The area is under construction for the Elberta Roundabout Project, but the Museum is accessible. It is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays year round. Admission is free, and donations are appreciated.

Those wanting more information about the Palisade Historical Society are encouraged to visit www.historicpalisade.org or call 970-812-3064.

LINK: www.historicpalisade.org

ABOUT THE PALISADE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The Palisade Historical Society was incorporated in March 2010 and is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission to collect, preserve, and communicate the unique history of Palisade, Colorado, and to foster, encourage, stimulate, and develop public appreciation of this history. Palisade’s first History Museum opened in August 2021, and since then, more than 2,700 visitors have come to learn about Palisade history from the interesting displays. In 2025, more than 750 people attended our History Talk program!

The Historical Society has published booklets with photos and information about the history of coal mining, irrigation, railroads, and fruit and wine in Palisade. The Historic Palisade Coloring Book is used in local elementary schools, and the coal mining and irrigation booklets are used as textbooks at Palisade High School science classes. The booklets and other publications from local authors are available at the Palisade History Museum 3740 G Road – near Elberta and Highway 6 on the north frontage road. The area is under construction for the Elberta Roundabout Project, but the Museum is accessible.

The Historical Society creates/presents historical programs, videos, and displays, and offers guided walking tours of historic downtown Palisade. It also has collected oral histories of long-time Palisade residents in video and written summary formats available on its website.

As stewards of The Palisade Tribune, the newspaper of record from 1903 until it ceased publishing in March 2014, the Historical Society has archived copies and digitized 4,826 issues – from June 1903 to December 2003, with more on the way – which are available online in the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection database for free research by students, teachers, genealogists, historians, and everyone.

If you want to volunteer at the Palisade History Museum, at Palisade Historical Society events, or need more information about the Palisade Historical Society, visit www.historicpalisade.org or call (970) 812-3064.

On Facebook, look for the Palisade Historical Society
On Instagram, look for @HistoricPalisadeCO