I recently heard someone say that Mancos was settled by Mormons. That never happened.
The Mormons came in the mid-late 1880s and settled down in Webber Canyon. They shopped and mingled in Mancos, but they were a settlement that pretty much took care of its own, educated its children, built a large two-story church that could be seen for miles around, had dances that attracted people from all over the valley and lived the conservative tenets of their religion.
They built the first church in the Valley in 1885, southeast of what is now the Cedar Grove Cemetery. It wasn't until around 1930, however, that the Mormons built a church in town and began going to the dances in the Opera House with its great box-supper socials. Still, the Mormons maintained a kind of separation from the rest of the community until after World War II. But Mormons were certainly not the only ones who changed after that war. It was a time of intense change across the country.
I also heard that the Catholics were the first people to have church meetings in Mancos. I can see why. The Bauers were Catholics, and since George Bauer was the Father of Mancos, it would stand to reason that the first church meetings were Catholic. But the Bauers didn't come to Mancos until 1881. Not long after that, traveling priests were coming to Mancos. In 1912, a Father Joseph Bruner came from Rico to hold Mass and started a subscription fund to build or purchase a church building.
The Methodists appear to have held the first meetings and constructed the first church in town. Those meetings were community gatherings, and Protestants of all religions were invited to attend. The Wetherills were Quakers, and they not only attended, but held oxffices, and Mrs. Wetherill was a Sunday School teacher for some time.
The Baptists were certainly not far behind. They built a nice church in town, and in a strange twist of fate, that building, which was erected in 1899, was sold to the Catholics in 1915 and was moved to where the Catholic Church now stands. Although it has been modified and added to, it is still largely the old Baptist church.
The Baptists also sold their property to a Mr. Lingley in 1915 and bought a tent in which to hold their services. That didn't go over very well, so they sold the tent and began holding services in the Odd Fellows Hall (The Old Black Hall). It wasn't until 1922 that the Baptists once again constructed a church. Even though they had gone through some trying and painful times, the church began to wither until 1948 when Autrey Brown Sr. and his son became the area missionary and pastor. This was the beginning of dedicated work and the church has thrived ever since.
Darrel Ellis is a longtime historian of the Mancos Valley. Email him at dnrls@q.com.