Parachute

Mount Callahan stands dark against a brilliant evening sunset in Parachute. Kelley Cox/Post Independent Click to Enlarge

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Old-timers in the valley might not know what you mean when you talk about Parachute. The town’s name was Grand Valley from 1904 to 1980.

The name of the town was actually Parachute up until 1904. The legend is that a surveyor in the 1800s spotted a bit of erosion in the nearby hillside that looked like billowing parachutes (which did, in fact, exist then).

Some people argue that the town voted to change its name in 1904 for the very reason it voted to change the name back in 1980 — people confused it with neighboring Grand Junction. In 1904, the town wanted the economic advantage of getting confused tourists off the train early. In 1980, they got sick of their mail ending up 40 miles to the west.

The Colorado River, which runs through the town, used to be called the Grand River.

Mike Callahan, for whom a nearby mountain and a charitable fund are named, is credited with settling the town. He built a house using the magnificent and sturdy blue-gray rocks he found in abundance, ignoring the native Ute Indians’ warnings that the stones were not good building material.

Legend has it that Callahan lit his first fire in the fireplace at his housewarming party and ultimately overwarmed the cottage. The gray stones were oil shale and the whole house went up in flames.

Oil shale mining, along with that of soda ash, and now natural gas drilling, have provided the town’s primary economies over the last many years. Oil shale extraction proved too costly in the 1980s and companies like Exxon Corp. pulled out of town, leaving the town depressed for more than a decade.

Today, the energy industry is flourishing in the area and Parachute is one of the fastest-growing towns in the state.

Rodeo clown Tyler Williams, of Fruita, smiles at Grand Valley Days Rodeo fans during a break in the action July 22, 2005, in Parachute. Post Independent Photo/Kara K. Pearson Click to Enlarge

Parachute Info
Town of Parachute
222 Grand Valley Way
P.O. Box 100
Parachute, CO 81635
(970) 285-7630
(970) 285-0292 fax

Mayor
Roy McClung

Mayor Pro-tem
John Loschke

Town Trustees
Kyla Kiburis
Judith Hayward
Linda Waite
Judy Beasley
Travis Sproles

Town administrator, clerk & treasurer
Juanita Satterfield

Deputy clerk
Denise Chiaretta

Assistant clerk
Christina Trout

Town planner
Laura Diaz

Consultant
Dennis Stranger

Public Works Director
Mark King

Field supervisor
Billy Carter

Parachute Library
(970) 285-9870
244 Grand Valley Way

Police Department
(970) 285-7630
(Non-emergency)
Police chief
Cary Parmenter

Police records
coordinator
Janet Cross

Fire department
(970) 285-7711
(Non-emergency)
Grand Valley Fire
Protection District
David Blair, chief
(970) 285-9119
(Non-emergency)
1777 Battlement Parkway
gvfpd@sopris.net

Parachute/Battlement Mesa Park and
Recreation District
Mary Anderson, executive director
Toby Fields, program supervisor
P.O. Box 299
Parachute, CO 81635
(970)285-0388
(970)285-1110 FAX
ppr001@comcast.net