Greeley History Museum

1 week ago

Do you remember anything about July 6 in the year you were 13 years old?
In her oral history, part of the Greeley History Museum’s collection, Charlotte Beeten recalls what she saw near her home in Johnstown on that day in 1924, when she was 13 years old :

“The meteorite fell on July 6, 1924, and I shall never forget that day. My sister had been visiting us from California and she was leaving for home that day. My father and I were putting her suitcases in the back of the car. We were out in the yard doing that. All of a sudden we heard this horrible, horrible roar and we looked up and saw this big ball of fire coming from the southwest. It looked as if it was going to land right in our front yard. My father said, “Run into the house!” By that time my mother and sister were running out of the house to see what was happening. So I never did get into the house. It finally landed right across the road from Village [?] Chapel and, of course, we saw the landing and we saw the smoke still coming from it. My father was the first one on the scene. When it was cooled and the smoke had subsided, he held the meteorite out of its resting place. […] It embedded itself about two feet into the ground.”

The 20-pound meteorite was given to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and its story has lived on in newspapers as recently as 2000. On July 6, whatever you’re doing, watch the sky - you never know what a day will bring!

Please note : Personal stories are a really important way of saving history. If you’re interested in helping us transcribe oral histories like this one, please call 970-350-9220. ... See MoreSee Less