We were contacted by Elizabeth Manus , author and writer and editor, back in early May of this year.  She was anticipating a move to CO from NY City…

“Since 1841 when the Spanish made a treaty with the Utes, several expeditions had explored the Mancos Valley, either prospecting for gold and silver…

“News of the beautiful valley spread to relatives and friends. Soon homesteaders were making the arduous journey in covered wagons. The wagons were…

Many farmers went to the woods in the slack season to fell trees for their own use or to haul logs to the mills for ready cash.  At first the mills…

“Honoring their religious heritage, the pioneers gathered in homes for Sunday school classes, ministered to one another and to strangers, and welcomed…

The J.M. Rush Grist and Sawmill opened in 1883. Soon many mills were located in the alley. The arrival of the railroad in 1891 provided transportation…

At first all supplies had to be hauled in by freight wagon or pack animals from the railroad terminal in Alamosa. After the Rio Grande Southern…

Undoubtedly, the 18th century explorers caught glimpses of the Anasazi ruins, and William H. Jackson of the Hayden Geological Survey photographed the…

The first class graduating from the Mancos High School in 1908 included James Rickner, Belle Roberts, Eva Rutherford, Sadie Todd, Ruth Wattles, and…

Founded in 1893, the Mancos Times published all the news fit to print. The advertisements alone reveal much about the goods, services, and…

In 1898 the Guillet brothers build a flour mill in the northwest corner of Mancos. The mill ground flour, bran, for livestock and for the community…

“Homesteaders located along the river to obtain water for their fields. Root and Ratliff, Crystal Creek, and other ditch companies formed to cooperate…

The hills surrounding Mancos were rich with coal. Coal was needed to power the smelters in Durango and Rico, fuel the steam engines, and heat homes…