Captain Richard D. Mobley Monument Fund

Legion of the West Camp 7, Dept. of Colorado/Wyoming, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War is raising funds to purchase a new monument for Richard Daniel Mobley (B: 24 Jun. 1833; D: 10 Oct. 1893), who served in the Union Army during the Civil War as Captain, Company D, 17th Kansas Infantry, and was one of the founders of Grand Junction & Mesa County, Colorado. $5,135 of the proceeds of this fundraiser will be paid to Snyder-Grand Valley Memorials Inc. in Grand Junction while the remaining $600 will go towards costs associated with the dedication ceremony of Captain Mobley's new monument. “The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) is a fraternal organization dedicated to preserving the history and legacy of veteran heroes who fought and worked to save the Union in the American Civil War.”

Richard Mobley was the first resident of Grand Junction, the first Mesa County Judge, the first Postmaster of Grand Junction, a charter member of John A. Logan Post 35, Grand Army of the Republic in Grand Junction, the Pioneer and Historical Society of Mesa County, and Masonic Lodge 55 in Grand Junction, and a member of the Grand Junction Town & Development Company. At the time of his death, Richard Mobley was employed as the Commissioner Registrar of the U.S. Land Office at Montrose, CO. During the Civil War, Mobley served as Captain, Company D, 17th Kansas Infantry from 28 Jul. 1864 to 16 Nov. 1864. Early in his service, he was placed in command of the Union Army's post at Lawrence, Kansas, and later defended Kansas from the raids of Confederate Gen. Sterling Price and bushwhackers.

After being honorably discharged from the Union Army, Mobley remained in Kansas for several years before coming to the Western Slope of Colorado, during which time he was elected to three terms as a Kansas State Representative, and served as the Kansas State Land Commissioner, County Attorney of Ottawa Co., KS, and Clerk of the District Court for Davis Co. & Saline Co., KS. Mobley was initially buried without a tombstone and did not receive one until 17 Dec. 1924 upon the request of John A. Logan Post 21, G.A.R.

Whereas Mobley has a rather humble veteran’s headstone that has become weathered over the years, his partner in founding Grand Junction, George Crawford, who is often incorrectly regarded as the singular founder of the Grand Junction, is interred in a large mausoleum, outside of which stands a life-size statue of him. Legion of the West Camp 7, SUVCW believes that Richard D. Mobley is deserving of a new monument, one engraved with many of the titles and positions he held throughout his life, in addition to his Civil War service and other information.

We hope that in doing so, we may not only honor the life of Captain Mobley but that this project will help shed light on his largely forgotten role in the founding and settlement of Grand Junction and Mesa County and elevate him to his rightful place as a crucial figure in the area's history.

We would prefer to have Mobley’s new monument paid for by early October 2023 at the latest, as we hope to have it placed at his grave in the Masonic Section of the Orchard Mesa Cemetery in Grand Junction, Mesa Co., CO, and dedicated on 13 Oct. 2023, a mere 3 days after the 130th anniversary of Richard D. Mobley’s death. 

The monument will be made of silver cloud granite and measure 26 inches wide, 38 inches tall, and 8 inches thick. The stone itself will cost $3,995, and its foundation $690. Additionally, an enameled steel portrait of Mobley, which was completed for this project by the prominent historical artist, Gary Zaboly, from an 1886 engraving of Mobley, measuring 7.04 inches by 9.45 inches, will be adhered to the front of the stone, which will cost $460. The overall cost of the stone and its placement totals $5,135.

The other $600 we need to raise will not go towards the stone. Instead, it will pay for the printing of a program for the dedication ceremony of Captain Mobley’s new monument, the production of commemorative ribbons to hand out to participants at the ceremony, the services of a photographer who will produce tintype photographs of the dedication, and costs paid to Orchard Mesa Cemetery for helping set up the ceremony.

The dedication ceremony of Captain Richard D. Mobley’s new monument at the Masonic Section of Orchard Mesa Cemetery (2620 Legacy Way Grand Junction, CO 81503) is scheduled for Friday, 13 October 2023. We will begin setting everything up at 10:30 A.M. and the dedication will start at 11:00 A.M.

For those who may prefer to make donations outside of GoFundMe, they may be mailed to: Legion of the West Camp 7, SUVCW

P.O. Box 3035

Grand Junction, Colorado

81502