by Walter Thomas (Tom) Scates

The featured Scates Family photo is from 1954: Faith & Harry in back, Tim & Tom in front.

1957: After we moved to 548 28 Road, Grand Junction, CO  81501, during the summers, while I was in high school, we swam in the Grand Valley Canal, which was about ½ mile from our house. The canal ran along some bluffs, known as Mantey Heights. There was a section of the canal with shallow depths that emptied into a deep pool of water (6’ to 7’ foot deep). We liked to dive off a bluff about 10-12 feet above that pool.

This one time, my older brother Harry, about 19, my brother Tim, about 13, and me, 15, went there to swim. One time, Tim dove in and got caught up in a whirlpool and could not get to the water surface for air. Fortunately, Harry was on the bluff and dove in behind Tim. He was a strong swimmer, and he pulled Tim to the bank where we could pull him out and he gasped for air but was okay. And then, we walked back to our house.