Cortez Mayor Dan Porter has declared May 15 as Cortez Historic Preservation Week, in conjunction with National Historic Preservation Month and Colorado Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month.
Several activities are scheduled in celebration to a week long event.
On Tuesday, May 15, Jill Seyfarth of Durango will present a talk entitled Montezuma Memories: Results from the 2011 Historic Building Survey of Montezuma Avenue. Seyfarth was hired by the city of Cortez to complete this inventory with a grant from the Certified Local Government Program. Her presentation will be a 7 p.m. at Hampton Hall at the Methodist Church on Park St. in Cortez.
On Saturday, May 19, free walking tours of historic Montezuma Ave. will be offered. Join a tour to find out which are the oldest houses on the Avenue, which was part of the Cortez Original Townsite, who built the homes and which house was originally a two story school building. An updated walking tour brochure will be available, researched and written by Montezuma Historical Society Historian June Head.
The free tours will be offered every half hour beginning at 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., leaving from the Cortez Cultural Center at 25 N. Market St. Call 565-1151 to reserve a spot. Each tour will be limited to 12 participants.
Brochures for a self-guiding walking tour of Main St. and Ash and First Streets will also be available. Discounts for food and merchandise will be available for tour participants at certain businesses in Cortez.
Also on Saturday, May 19, the Cortez Cultural Center will host a panel discussion titled Building the Crossroads. This panel will be moderated by Dale Davidson, and will begin at the Cultural Center at 3:30 p.m..
This week of celebrating Cortez and Montezuma Countys history is sponsored by the Montezuma County Historical Society, the Cortez Cultural Center, and the Cortez Historic Preservation Board.
For more information, please contact Linda Towle at 565-3987.
