Historical Markers and War Memorials in Montezuma County, Colorado
Cortez is the county seat for Montezuma County
Adjacent to Montezuma County, Colorado
Dolores County(7) ► La Plata County(32) ► San Juan County(51) ► Apache County, Arizona(48) ► San Juan County, New Mexico(29) ► San Juan County, Utah(47) ►
Touch name on this list to highlight map location. Touch blue arrow, or on map, to go there.
On East Main Street (U.S. 160) west of North Ash Street, on the right when traveling west.
This building was originally constructed in 1900.
The most notable occupant at this site was the Belmont Bar, a rough and raucous local drinking establishment during the 1950s and '60s.
The 1930s storefront is of an "art deco” character . . . — — Map (db m153363) HM
On Mildred Road north of Main Street (U.S. 160), on the left when traveling north.
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument encompasses 164,000 acres of southwest Colorado. It was established on June 9, 2000, to protect the cultural and natural resources of the canyons and mesas.
For hundreds of years, the canyons and . . . — — Map (db m160230) HM
On West Main Street (U.S. 160) at South Market Street, on the right when traveling east on West Main Street.
Originally the site of the Charles Duff Mercantile (circa 1889), was a pioneer Cortez commercial establishment and one of Cortez' first mercantile stores.
This southwest corner of Main and Market Streets has long been an important part of . . . — — Map (db m153372) HM
On Main Street (U.S. 160) at Chestnut Street, on the left when traveling west on Main Street.
Around the turn of the century, this corner was a popular downtown hitching rail, a place where business patrons tied up their horses.
One of the earliest buildings on the property was the Herman building which stood near . . . — — Map (db m160166) HM
Colorado Territory was created in 1861 for its gold, silver and other mineral resources. Its western boundary was designated as 32 degrees of longitude west of the Washington Meridian.
Colorado became a state in 1876. In 1878, U.S. Surveyor . . . — — Map (db m36527) HM
On West Main Street (U.S. 160) west of North Market Street, on the right when traveling west.
The original building on this site was built for Dr. G.H. Harrington in 1886. After the wood frame one-story building was destroyed in the Clinton Hotel Fire in 1907, the existing two-story sandstone building was constructed and served as the U.S. . . . — — Map (db m153365) HM
On East 1st Street at South Ash Street, on the right when traveling east on East 1st Street.
Originally constructed in 1909 by Pete Baxstrom using rock quarried from the Baxstrom quarry, the Calkins building was built in three separate phases.
An addition to the building shown in the photograph was added in 1923 and the final addition to . . . — — Map (db m153373) HM
On West Main Street (U.S. 160) at South Market Street, on the right when traveling east on West Main Street.
Originally the site of the Clark Mercantile (1890), this building has served a variety of downtown business functions over the past century.
Mary Bensey and her three daughters ran a laundry on the lower level and rented the rooms upstairs during . . . — — Map (db m153357) HM
On North Market Street north of Main Street (U.S. 160), on the right when traveling south.
Constructed in 1909 by the E. R. Lamb family, this building first housed E. R. Lamb Mercantile.
The store was advertised "as replete with a full line of furniture, general merchandise,
millinery, drugs, paints, oils, and building . . . — — Map (db m153371) HM
On Mildred Road north of Main Street (U.S. 160), on the left when traveling north.
Community Connections
Welcome to the Four Corners! As you explore this area and visit the National Parks, Monuments, and National Forest lands or drive on the San Juan Skyway, you will be traveling through a number of communities... . . . — — Map (db m160181) HM
Near U.S. 160, 0.2 miles west of Road 30.1, on the right when traveling east.
Starting in the 1880's, construction of the original irrigation canals and lateral ditches was done by hand using teams of horses and mules. Equipment was simple and crude by today's standards, consisting of horse drawn graders, scrapers and hand . . . — — Map (db m153384) HM
On East Main Street (U.S. 160) at South Beech Street, on the right when traveling east on East Main Street.
The Montezuma Valley Journal is the oldest continuous business in Montezuma County.
On April 28, 1888, four years prior to the town's incorporation, John Curry from
Telluride began publication of the Montezuma Journal through various owners, . . . — — Map (db m153358) HM
On Chestnut Street at Main Street (U.S. 160), on the right when traveling north on Chestnut Street.
The original building at this location, constructed about 1890, was the residence of W.G. Clucas, Town Marshal of Cortez from 1910 to 1920.
During the 1920s, J.A. McCabe operated a store in the building from which he sold . . . — — Map (db m160169) HM
On East Main Street (U.S. 160) at South Beech Street, on the right when traveling east on East Main Street.
Lumber and hardware businesses have operated at this location since the early 1900s.
The outbuildings and frame construction buildings in back of the main structure were built around 1900. The front portion of the building was constructed of . . . — — Map (db m153362) HM
On West Main Street (U.S. 160), on the right when traveling east.
Originally located one block to the south on the corner of First and Chestnut Streets, the Montezuma County Court House was constructed on this site in 1937.
The designation of Cortez as the County Seat reflected the vision of our pioneer leaders . . . — — Map (db m154905) HM
On East Main Street east of South Market Street, on the right when traveling east.
Built in 1884, this is one of the earliest commercial buildings in downtown Cortez.
Prior to the turn of the 20th century, this building was home to the First National Bank of Cortez. A walk-in vault that is still in place today was installed . . . — — Map (db m153359) HM
On East Main Street (U.S. 160) at North Market Street, on the right when traveling west on East Main Street.
The first Cortez bank, the Montezuma Valley National Bank was constructed in 1908.
The building in constructed of native sandstone in a vernacular, commercial architectural theme with
Classical Greek Revival details. Like the Stone Block . . . — — Map (db m153364) HM
On West Main Street at South Maple Avenue, on the right when traveling east on West Main Street.
One of the first businesses located on this site was the Hi-way Station, a gas station, grocery and small trailer park owned by the Charlie Bowers family.
Bowers sold the property to the McGee family. The existing building was . . . — — Map (db m153356) HM
On East Main Street (U.S. 160) east of South Market Street, on the right when traveling east.
The original site of Nu-Way Western Wear (circa 1928) was a building used as a saddle, tack and harness shop.
The small shop also included a boot and shoe repair space. The owners expanded the building and opened a full-service shoe store that . . . — — Map (db m153361) HM
On West Main Street west of North Market Street, on the right when traveling west.
The building was built by the Anna and T. Gai family in 1953 and housed the local J.C. Penney's store from 1953 until the late 1980’s.
The building is representative of the 1950's chain store prototype using modern extruded aluminum storefront . . . — — Map (db m153367) HM
On East Main Street (U.S. 160) east of South Beech Street, on the right when traveling east.
In 1933 or '34, Frank McNeill purchased the Owl Café from Dr. Johnson, who owned the building, and Mike Spyres, who ran the restaurant.
McNeill received one of the first liquor licenses in the state of Colorado after
prohibition was repealed, . . . — — Map (db m153375) HM
On U.S. 160, 0.2 miles west of Road 30.1, on the right when traveling east.
The McElmo Creek Flume was in use from the 1890s to the 1990s, carrying water for over a
hundred years. After it was abandoned, it remained in good condition until 2006, when a
flash flood carried debris into the trough and damaged the wooden top. . . . — — Map (db m153382) HM
On West Main Street (U.S. 160) at North Elm Street, on the right when traveling west on West Main Street.
The original 80-acre Soldier's Homestead, located in La Plata County, was conveyed by the United States to Algernon S. Dutton in December, 1886.
After Monteruma County was formed in 1889, portions of the land were sold. Block 28 of the original . . . — — Map (db m153370) HM
On Mildred Road north of Main Street (U.S. 160), on the left when traveling north.
For more than 12,000 years, Native American people have inhabited this area. As the Ice Age ended, these nomadic people hunted bison and mastodons in the valleys, and gathered plants along the edges of glacial lakes and wetlands. . . . — — Map (db m160236) HM
On Main Street (U.S. 160) at Mildred Road, on the left when traveling east on Main Street.
In honor and memory
of all men and women
who served in the
Armed Forces of the
United States of America
[State Seals of the]
Four Corners U.S.A.
Dedicated July 4, 1991 — — Map (db m160176) WM
Near U.S. 160, 0.2 miles west of Road 30.1, on the right when traveling east.
The McElmo Creek Flume No. 6 is the last remaining example of 104 Wooden Flumes used to convey water diverted from the Dolores River to irrigate croplands and provide domestic water to the greater Montezuma Valley.
Cortez, Montezuma County and . . . — — Map (db m153387) HM
Near U.S. 160, 0.2 miles west of Road 30.1, on the right when traveling east.
Over the last 150 years, technology to store water and deliver it to local farmland has continually changed and improved. Increasing efficiency, reducing salinity, applying water to uneven or elevated areas, and automating systems are among the . . . — — Map (db m153388) HM
On Mildred Road north of Main Street (U.S. 160), on the left when traveling north.
Welcome to Cortez, Colorado, and the San Juan Skyway — a 232-mile loop drive that will take you into the heart of the San Juan Mountains on state-maintained, paved highways.
The San Juan Skyway was designated a Forest Service Scenic . . . — — Map (db m160180) HM
On West Main Street west of North Market Street, on the right when traveling west.
A symbol of the commercial stability of Cortez over the past century, the Stone Block
Building was constructed in 1889 by the Baxstrom brothers from stone quarried west
of Cortez in Hartman Draw.
The building stood idle for several years and . . . — — Map (db m153368) HM
On County Road 28, on the right when traveling west.
In 1776 the year of our independence, a family was led by two Catholic priests, father Dominguez and Escalante. They camped in a meadow on the Dolores River which in 105 years became the town of Big Bend.
Big Bend had several saloons, a saw mill, a . . . — — Map (db m52402) HM
On Grand Avenue (Business U.S. 160) at South Main Street, on the right when traveling east on Grand Avenue.
With thanks and appreciation to Pete and Yvonne Doerfer for loaning the following items:
For display only - please do not climb on this equipment.
1892 Horse-Drawn Pull Grader
J.D. Adams invented the first successful . . . — — Map (db m122034) HM
On North Main Street at Bauer Avenue, on the right when traveling south on North Main Street.
"Chiseled from Mancos Hill, George Bauer began to construct his home in June, 1889.
The home was finished in December, 1890. Many Mancos residents pitched in to help
with construction; however, the masonry was hand hewn by George.
George Bauer . . . — — Map (db m153406) HM
"All Gave Some"...
"Some Gave All"...
None Sacrificed Honor...
On behalf of all veterans and their families, this memorial is hereby dedicated in service to Community, State and Nation by the members of John Derrick Halls Post #5231, . . . — — Map (db m207343) WM
Sleeping Ute Mountain
Sprawling ten miles across the highlands west of here, Sleeping Ute Mountain comprises no fewer than seven separate peaks — and at least as many legends. According to one, the mountain took shape eons ago when a . . . — — Map (db m153394) HM
Ancient Valley Cultures
Their homes may now be less visible than the cliff dwellings of their Mesa Verde neighbors, but the ancient farmers of southwestern Colorado were far more numerous. By the twelfth century perhaps 12,000 people tilled . . . — — Map (db m153392) HM
On Grand Avenue (Business U.S. 160), on the right when traveling east.
Entered on the National Register
of Historic Places, the Mancos High
School building was constructed
in 1909. It is the oldest high school
in continuous use in the state of
Colorado. — — Map (db m153405) HM
On Grand Avenue (Business U.S. 160) east of Mesa Street, on the left when traveling east.
Has been placed on the
National Register of Historic Places
by the United states Department of the Interior
January 9, 1988.
Placed on the
State Register
of Historic Places
January 27, 1988.
This plaque was purchased . . . — — Map (db m121094) HM
Clockwise, from top left:
Six ancestral Puebloan villages dating to around A.D. 1200 can be visited at Hovenweep National Monument although only Square Tower Sites are easily reached. The other sites are more remote and are not . . . — — Map (db m153391) HM
Dryland Farming
The first workable system for farming Colorado's dry southwestern plateau emerged near here some 2,000 years ago. Over the next twelve centuries, ancient farmers gradually developed a series of techniques — water storage, . . . — — Map (db m153389) HM
On Grand Avenue (Business U.S. 160) east of Mesa Street, on the right when traveling east.
As legend has it, The Columbine Bar was established in 1910, and continues to be one of the oldest operating bars in Colorado. In 1948 it was described in the Mancos Times as "an old bar run by old timers." It has always had a rather notorious . . . — — Map (db m121092) HM
Surrounded by deep canyons, villages here seem isolated, cut off from people on other mesas. Look closely at these cliffs and imagine hand and toe trails pecked into the sheer sandstone. These vertical trails were the Anasazi’s highways; steep . . . — — Map (db m71206) HM
Adapting to Alcoves To level the sloping alcove floor, the Anasazi filled in behind retaining walls. The altered floor not only supported rooms but also provided working space and a safe play area for children.
Oak Tree House appears to . . . — — Map (db m71209) HM
There is an enormous gap between identifying pithouse features—the hollows and scattered stones—and visualizing the inhabitants’ daily lives. Set in the four corner post holes, timbers supported a ceiling that was probably head-high. . . . — — Map (db m71203) HM
Mesa-top and Alcove Living Although the Puebloan used the cliff alcoves throughout the entire time they lived in Mesa Verde, the cliff dwellings themselves were not built until the final 75-100 years of occupation. For over 600 years these . . . — — Map (db m71207) HM
Near State Highway 10, 3 miles west of Moccasin Mesa Road, on the right when traveling west.
The rocks that house Mesa Verde's cliff dwellings have their own stories to tell.
Deposition
During the late Cretasceous period (about 90 million years ago) much of North America, including southwest Colorado and the present Rocky . . . — — Map (db m71530)
There are about 600 alcove sites in Mesa Verde National Park. About 90 percent contain fewer than 11 rooms. At least one-third are simply one room structures, probably storage rooms for a nearby cliff dwelling. There are only about a dozen cliff . . . — — Map (db m153353) HM
Near State Highway 10, 1.3 miles south of Wetherill Mesa Road.
Imagine this mesa top in A.D. 1150 with fields of corn, beans, and squash; supplemented with wild plants such as amaranth, tubers, and sunflowers. Children could be seen watering corn with clay water jars (ollas), and young men could be seen cutting . . . — — Map (db m71901) HM
On Mesa Top Loop (State Highway 10), on the right when traveling north.
Dance Plaza
Though the large alcove below is filled with Puebloan construction, there is no evidence of any habitation. The central pit – too large for domestic cook fires – held layer upon layer of ashes. Fire Temple’s size . . . — — Map (db m72559) HM
On Mesa Top Ruins Road, 2.9 miles south of Mesa Verde Ruins Road (State Highway 10), on the right when traveling north.
The cliff dwelling across the canyon is named for Mary Tileston Hemenway who funded the first scientific archaeological expedition in the southwest. At the time cultural objects were often removed for souvenirs or profit. Hemenway's support provided . . . — — Map (db m153346) HM
On Mesa Top Ruins Road, 2.3 miles south of Mesa Top Ruins Road (State Highway 10), on the right when traveling south.
Creative inspiration
The Ancestral Puebloans may have worked hard to survive here, but their lives were adorned with beauty and creativity. Intricately woven baskets, ornately decorated
pottery, and colorfully plastered interiors speak of . . . — — Map (db m153344) HM
A traveler in 1892 described a trail on the ridge before you as the Crinkly Edge Trail. In 1911, just five years after the park was established, the trail became the Knife Edge Road, a new section of the main park road. Although scenic, the road was . . . — — Map (db m153342) HM
Near State Highway 10, 0.4 miles north of Moorefield Campground Road, on the left when traveling south.
The town of Mancos, in the valley before you, historically served as the "Gateway to Mesa Verde."
As word spread of the Wetherills' "discoveries," tourists flocked to the area. The Rio Grande Southern Railroad, serving Durano, Mancos, and . . . — — Map (db m71529) HM
Montezuma Valley (below you) and Mesa Verde (where you now stand) were once part of the Ancestral Pueblo homeland. Between 600 and 1280 CE*, hundreds of villages and farming communities thrived on the mesas, plateaus, and canyons that form this . . . — — Map (db m153343) HM
Near State Highway 10, 3 miles west of Moccasin Mesa Road, on the right when traveling west.
As you travel about Mesa Verde look for seep springs — ready sources of fresh water for the Ancestral Puebloans.
Where is the Water?
Moisture, in the form of rainfall or snowmelt, percolates through porous sandstone layers until it . . . — — Map (db m71531)
Although silent today, Cliff Palace is a reflective reminder of a people who settled
among these cliffs, canyons, and mesa tops for a time, and then migrated to establish
new communities and neighborhoods further south. Here, for 700 years, they . . . — — Map (db m153355) HM
Near Mesa Topp Loop (State Highway 10), on the left when traveling south.
You are standing in the middle of what once was a medium-sized pueblo village and one of the last mesa top pueblos built on Mesa Verde. The tower and kiva, protected today by the shelter, were central to the community and were surrounded by at least . . . — — Map (db m153349) HM
The move to the alcoves began around 1200 CE and by mid-century, there were more than 30 cliff dwellings in the Cliff and Fewkes Canyon neighborhood. Several are visible from here. Imagine these canyons filled with the sights and sounds of a . . . — — Map (db m153352) HM
On Mesa Top Loop (State Highway 10), on the right when traveling north.
Children born in one of these cliff dwellings in 1225 CE experienced many changes in
their lifetime. Over the course of roughly 75 years, they and their families witnessed the migration from mesa top villages into alcove communities; a significant . . . — — Map (db m153350) HM
