Cortez celebrates its history next week

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Cortez celebrates its history next week

Preservation week has a variety of events scheduled
Journal/Sam Green
Chairman of the Cortez Historic Preservation Board, Linda Towle shows the old school house that is now a house. The top floor of the old school was taken off and moved half a block down for another house.
Photo courtesy of Montezuma County Historical Society
Early Cortez leader Stephen J. Smith is shown in this historic photo. A panel discussion during Cortez Historic Preservation Week will include information about Smith's letters, and their information on the early development of Cortez and the Montezuma Valley.
Photo Courtesy of June Head ¬ The Cortez School is pictured in this historic photo from the 1890s. The school was located at 23 E. Montezuma, where the first story of the building still stands. Durango consultant Jill Seyfarth recently completed an inventory of historic structures on Montezuma Avenue and will present results Tuesday during Cortez Historic Preservation Week.

Cortez celebrates its history next week

Journal/Sam Green
Chairman of the Cortez Historic Preservation Board, Linda Towle shows the old school house that is now a house. The top floor of the old school was taken off and moved half a block down for another house.
Photo courtesy of Montezuma County Historical Society
Early Cortez leader Stephen J. Smith is shown in this historic photo. A panel discussion during Cortez Historic Preservation Week will include information about Smith's letters, and their information on the early development of Cortez and the Montezuma Valley.
Photo Courtesy of June Head ¬ The Cortez School is pictured in this historic photo from the 1890s. The school was located at 23 E. Montezuma, where the first story of the building still stands. Durango consultant Jill Seyfarth recently completed an inventory of historic structures on Montezuma Avenue and will present results Tuesday during Cortez Historic Preservation Week.
Cortez Historic Preservation Week

Activities for Preservation Week
Tuesday, May 15, Jill Seyfarth of Durango will present a talk entitled “Montezuma Memories: Results from the 2011 Historic Building Survey of Montezuma Avenue.” Her presentation will be a 7 p.m. at Hampton Hall at the Methodist Church on Park St. in Cortez.
Saturday, May 19, free walking tours of historic Montezuma Avenue. Tour includes seeing the oldest houses, the “Original Townsite” and which house was originally a two-story school building. Tours are limited to 12 people and will run 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. Brochures for a self-guiding walking tour will also be available. Discounts for food and merchandise will be available for tour participants at certain businesses in Cortez.
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 3 p.m. at the Cultural Center. The discussion will focus on early Cortez leader Stephen Smith. The panel also will explore the early development of Cortez and the Montezuma Valley. Donations are welcome.
For more information, contact the Cultural Center at 565-1151. See story on cortezjournal.com for more historic photos.