Mayor Dan Porter has proclaimed that Cortez will celebrate Historic Preservation Week May 13-8. There will be a full schedule of free public activities, including walking tours to highlight Montezuma Avenue’s built environment from the 1890s through the 1950s.
The fourth annual collaboration between the Cortez Historic Preservation Board, the Cortez Cultural Center and the Montezuma County Historical Society features presentations on 14 newly listed properties to the Cortez Historic Register, as well as the world-famous Hanging Flume in Montrose County and four hourly guided walking tours of Montezuma Avenue.
On Tuesday, May 14, Jill Seyfarth, of Cultural Resource Planning in Durango, will offer a colorful presentation of her latest research on historic structures on Montezuma Avenue, entitled, “Montezuma Ave. Memories: Results of the 2012 Survey.”
Funded by a Colorado Certified Local Government grant to the City of Cortez, she will tell about the buildings and the people who built and lived in them. Hosted by the Montezuma County Historical Society, the free program will be at 7 p.m. at the Cortez Methodist Church, 515 N. Park St.
On Thursday, May 16, at the Cortez Cultural Center, 25 N. Market St., Ron Anthony of Anthony & Associates will describe the history of the Hanging Flume, a world engineering marvel along the San Miguel and Dolores rivers, and how a professional team has reconstructed a portion of the flume. His talk is entitled, “Restoration of the Hanging Flume: An Adventure in Preserving Places that Matter.”
Anthony is also involved in investigating the possibilities of preserving the McElmo Flume outside of Cortez. He and other consultants will be on site at the McElmo Flume (adjacent to Highway 160, just west of the Fairgrounds) on Thursday and Friday, May 16 and 17, to further assess the condition of the structural components of the flume. The public is welcome to stop by.
Free walking tours of Montezuma Avenue, guided by volunteers steeped in local history, will be offered from the Cortez Cultural Center, 25 N. Market, on Saturday, May 18 beginning at 10 a.m. on the hour until 1 p.m.
Each tour will culminate in visits to the interior of St. Margaret Mary Church and Rectory.
Tours are limited to 12 people per tour. Reservations are required and may be made by calling the Cortez Cultural Center, 565-1151. Some area businesses will offer discounts to tour participants who display their name badges.
For more information about Cortez Historic Preservation Week, tune into KSJD’s “Zine,” 90.5 FM, on Friday, May 10, at 8:30 a.m. for a lively discussion with Jill Seyfarth and Linda Towle, chair of the Historic Preservation Board.