When barnstormer Red Darnall roared into Cortez around 1930, he thrilled local kids and their parents.
Darnall opened an airport on a remote stretch of dirt east of Cortez. Eighty years later, the former airport site lies within the now-larger city of Cortez, behind Big O Tires.
A few old-timers might still recall some of the unpredictable pilot’s stunts.
“There’s very few people who got to ride with Red,” said June Head, a historian with the Montezuma County Historical Society. “I did. And a few of the kids got to ride with Red, and a few of the things he would do would surprise you, but that was just Red Darnall.”
During a telephone interview Jan. 25, Head recalled Darnall flying two boys over Cahone Mesa north of Cortez to shoot rabbits from the plane.
In the historical society’s recently released book, Volume 4 of “Great Sage Plain to Timberline: Our Pioneer History,” J.T. Wilkerson recalls packing up with his family in their 1924 Dodge to head from Lakeview to the county fair at Cortez around 1932-33.
“One of the highlights of the fair was an exhibition of flying,” Wilkerson, who was about 7 or 8 years old, recalls in “Great Sage Plain to Timberline.” “Red Darnall was flying his plane and it circled and circled and went way up in the air and was almost difficult to see. What a sight! Then a man jumped out of the plane with a parachute and landed safely on the ground.”
Volume 4 of “Great Sage Plain to Timberline” continues the historical society’s commitment to preserve the lifestyles and adventures of Montezuma County’s pioneers.
Another 200 pages of local history, Volume 4 reaches as far back as the mid-1800s and some of the first pioneers to venture into the area now known as Montezuma County.
“We still had quite a lot of history we felt needed to be put out, plus people were responding to our requests to tell us about their family, and all of a sudden we had enough for Volume 4,” Head said.
The “Great Sage Plain to Timberline” series isn’t narrated by historians. It relies mostly on written accounts from Montezuma County residents who are descendents of pioneers, and on preserved accounts by pioneers, to tell the area’s history.
CAREFUL RESEARCH
Publishing stories submitted by area residents enables the historical society to provide more information than it could if local historians tried to write all the accounts. It also puts responsibility for the stories’ accuracy on people who submit information.
“I found out years ago you didn’t catch hell if somebody from the family gave it to you,” Head said.
“If they’re wrong, they take the blame for it,” she added.
Stories in the book describe livestock rustling, wagon trains, the Indian Wars, ranch life, historic buildings, an early wedding, mail delivery via farm tractor, horse races, family histories and other details from roughly the mid-1800s through mid-1900s.
A few accounts almost read like the dime novel adventures that thrilled 19th century readers with tales of fictional Western characters and stories of real legends like Buffalo Bill and Billy the Kid.
One story, “A Pioneer Experience,” written by Sam Todd in 1925, describes a battle in which a band of Ute Indians led by Mancos Jim ambushed a U.S. Cavalry troop from Fort Lewis and some volunteer cowboys.
“The trail now began to leave the valley and climb into the foothills of a high mesa lying west of us that seemed to be, as daylight appeared, capped by an unbroken rim rock as far in each direction as we could see, that appeared to be from 50 to 200 feet thick,” Todd’s story recounts. “When full daylight came we were at the foot of this wall and the trail led to a narrow break in it, barely wide enough for one horse to go into. … And while we were talking we heard a goat bleat just on top, and it was plain to us boys that we were in a trap. …
“A government scout named Warrington dismounted and said, ‘All right, Captain while you find water I’ll scout around and see what’s up there,’ and started walking towards the gap. A cowboy named Higgins, commonly known as Rowdy, jumped down and said, ‘I’ll go with you.’ Just as they reached the foot of the gap there was a roar of guns from overhead and poor Warrington and Rowdy tumbled down.”
A CASUAL VOICE
Although some of the stories highlight exciting pioneer adventures, the accounts are written in a casual voice, as if the reader were either sitting in cabin with an old-timer and listening to recollections of the past, reading an old diary, or perusing a family history penned decades ago under the glow of a lantern.
Native Americans who read Volume 4 of “Great Sage Plain to Timberline” might justifiably feel like their ancestors’ points of view are not fairly represented. However, Head said the series does focus on “Our Pioneer History,” so accounts about conflicts between pioneers and Native Americans are told from the pioneers’ points of view.
With Volume 4, the historical society has published 800 pages — four 200-page books — of local history in two years. Head, who worked with fellow historian Ginger Graham to produce Volume 4, doesn’t know if the historical society will be able to publish a fifth volume.
“I did say, and so did Ginger, if we did Volume 5 and didn’t come up with enough stories to fill the 200 pages, we probably would use a bunch of old-time pictures to fill the pages,” Head said.
Volumes 1-4 of “Great Sage Plain to Timberline: Our Pioneer History” are available at Books, 124 Pinon Drive, Cortez, 565-2503.
Proceeds from sales benefit the historical society and its efforts to establish a local museum, Head said.
“It all goes into the historical society with being earmarked for a museum and learning center,” she said. “Maybe someday something will come along.”
All four volumes were printed by Larry Yarbrough and staff at Pioneer Printing in Cortez.
People who want to submit information about their family’s history in Montezuma County for possible inclusion in a fifth volume still can, Head said.
“People are starting to call again and ask if we are going to do another one will we use their family history,” Head said. “I’m letting them know we will put it in the archive for the historical society but I can’t guarantee there will be a Volume 5.”
For more information, contact June Head at 565-3880 or Ginger Graham at 565-7767.
Reach Russell Smyth at russells@cortezjournal.com or 564-6030.
