1921 in House Joint Resolution 460 of the 66th Congress. In addition to Grand Junction, the name "Grand" still remains in the Grand Valley between Palisade and Mack; in Grand Mesa, which stands more than a mile above the Grand and Gunnison Valleys and in Grand County, Colorado. The valley was an area historically occupied by the Ute people (Parianuche band). Settlers began to arrive in the 1880s, farming the valley for a variety of grains and fruits. In the 1890s, it was discovered that sugar beets were found to have a high sugar content and they became a major crop along with other fruits, grains and vegetables. Also in 1890, State Governor George A. Crawford planted a wine vineyard in the Grand Valley. By 1900, there were over 1,000 farms in the Grand Valley growing wine grapes and local sales tax records showed that 1,744 gallons of wine were sold that year. At the turn of the 20th century, evaporation techniques allowed fruit-growers to ship their products more efficiently to distant markets, yielding an expansion of fruit growing in the valley.In 1918, the Government Highline Canal was completed to provide water to cultivate 50,000 acres (20.0 km²) in the valley. The project included a roller dam in De Beque Canyon, the largest of three such dams of this type in the nation. See also List of valleys of Utah Grand Valley AVA Plateau Valley References External links Valleys of Colorado Regions of Colorado Valleys of Utah Landforms of Garfield County, Colorado Landforms of Mesa County, Colorado Landforms of Grand County, Utah Colorado River Colorado Plateau