Western Colorado has seen a handful of mild winters these last few years. Some weather services are predicting similar conditions for winter 2016-1017. What did a typical winter look like back in the days before most of us were born?

It might just be my imagination, but I would swear Grand Junction used to see far more severe weather back in the early 1970's. Pardon the cliche', but I really do remember walking through a foot of snow to get to school. It wasn't at all uncommon for schools to close due to heavy snow.

Maybe this is all just relative; I used to be a lot shorter. Perhaps my perspective is a little skewed. In my defense, though, here are some of my grandpa's photos from Western Colorado in the 1940s and 50s.

I really enjoy the shots of 7th Street. It really hasn't changed that much, has it? The one difference would be that in this day and age the streets would have probably already been plowed earlier. Looking at the shot of 5th and Main, it certainly appears the means of snow removal has changed over the years. Back in the day, snow plows came in the form of a dude with a shovel.

One thing certainly hasn't changed - check out the lady crossing the street in downtown Grand Junction. She's wearing a mink coat and a skirt. Today, people wear a parka and a pair of flip flops.

If you're a Western Colorado native, then there's a strong chance you're looking forward to winter. If you're new to the area, well, this is pretty much what our winters look like.

I was born here, so it's impossible to be objective. What do you think, have our winters changed much over the last 60 years?

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