Oh, the weather outside was frightful, but Mancos history could be delightful. till, by the time they trudged through the snow and hitched them to a buggy or wagon to ride into Mancos for some necessary groceries it may very well have not been delightful.

Someone who would have known about that was Joseph Edward Lewis, who came to Mancos in 1904 with his wife, Ann Lou Freeman, and whom he had married in 1894. Too bad we can't ask Joseph what Mancos was like when he arrived, but we do know he would have seen the Bauer House that was erected in 1896. He would have also seen the office of The Mancos Times, which was located to its present position in 1896. Two others still standing are the Ausburn House built in 1894, now known as the Old Mancos Inn and the Wrightsman House erected in 1903 and now owned by Abe and Alice Saunders.

Edward would also have seen Charlie Kelly's Livery and Feed from which he made tourist pack trips to Mesa Verde. And he would have seen the Old Black Hall. The upper story was the location of the Masonic Lodge until the building was torn down in 1956. The reception after my marriage to Rovilla Elliss was one of the first activities to be held in the new and present day location of the Masonic Lodge.

Joseph passed away in mid-June of 1955 at the age of 92. His wife, Anna Lou, had died 22 years earlier. Two of Joseph's sons were living in Mancos at the time of his death, Edward and Albert. Albert found Joseph's body in the charred ruins of his cabin. It was believed Joseph died of a heart attack and inadvertently caused the fire that destroyed his cabin.

Anna Lou had four brothers, Ira, John, Charles and Henry Freeman. Ira is best-known for being an editor and publisher of The Mancos Times and for being the author of The History of Montezuma County.

Darrell Ellis is a local historian in Mancos.