Knight of Labor and Grand Junction’s First Library

The Mesa County Library traces its history back to 1897, when two women’s civic organizations merged to form the Women’s Library Association. By 1901, the association had achieved its goals with the opening of a physical library (there had been a subscription-based library since 1898) on the corner of 7th and Grand.

But this was not Grand Junctions first library. The first library was created by the Knights of Labor Assembly #3524. By February, 1888, The Knights were leaving “their lodge room open on Sunday Afternoon, for all persons who desire to avail themselves of the privilege of reading.” according to a notice in the February 18th 1888 issue of the Grand Junction News. Included in the library were subscriptions to “a large number of prominent newspapers and other publications of interest to the laboring classes.”

The Knights of Labor was a national Labor fraternity, something of a mix of a masonic lodge and labor union. Nationally the organization was rather conservative, focused more on up lifting the workingman rather than strikes and boycotts. Locally we know that outspoken anarchist, Carl Gleeser, was an early organizer and office holder, and the local Knights did support a strike. The K of L library was formed in 1886 as private library for members, and in many ways was a rebirth of the local K of L which almost didn’t survive the brutal and unsuccessful machinist strike of 1885, which saw federal suppression and the arrests of local strikers and leaders.

By the 1890’s the Knights of Labor were on the decline locally and nationally, and the Populist were the rising star, but the local K. of L. had laid the groundwork of class consciousness in the Grand Valley that would go on to support the populist and later socialist political movements into the 1930’s as well as organized labor to this day.