In 1896, John Wilson arrived in McElmo Canyon. Almost 130 years later, in 2025, his great-great-granddaughter is being celebrated for her role in bringing local history to life.
The Montezuma Heritage Museum would not be what it is today without the tireless dedication of Ann Wilson Brown.
On Aug. 22, the museum formally recognized Brown as a community leader who champions historical education by unveiling a plaque in her honor. Without Brown’s initiative, the legacy of Montezuma County might still remain tucked away in attic storage boxes or under basement cobwebs.
Along with her husband, Don Brown, also honored by the museum, the county’s rich history comes to light.
“Historical artifacts had been and were still scattered through various parts of the county, from the airport to City Hall and et cetera,” said Montezuma County Historical Society Board President Brian Bartlett, reading from a speech on behalf of Brown’s longtime colleague, Joe Keck, during the celebration.
Today, visitors to the museum learn about Indigenous tribes, Spanish explorers, making a living on the land, mining and logging, the towns and communities of the county, history and culture of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, historic families, history of schools, and ancient and modern water development.
“Ann worked so very hard, through so many obstacles, to realize this long-held goal of having our own county museum,” Bartlett read.
More than a dozen attendees, mostly from the Montezuma County Historical Society, gathered around a table with baked goods, coffee and lemonade to honor Brown, listening closely and occasionally chiming in as she recounted a resilient journey to bring the museum – which opened its doors in late 2022 – into fruition.
Brown is a lifelong resident of the region with multigenerational ties to the land. Following her shepherding and mercantile store-running great-great grandfather, next in line was Brown’s grandfather, Claude Wilson, who served several terms as a county treasurer. Later, Brown’s brother, Kelly Wilson worked as an extension agent.
Brown herself helped run numerous political campaigns and later served as the district office director for three U.S. senators, as she and others present recounted during the celebration. She has been an advocate for childhood education and myriad projects uplifting the surrounding community, attendees said.
Brown served on the board of the Montezuma County Historical Society beginning in 2016, taking on the role of chairperson from 2018 to 2023. Her far-reaching connections to the community played an essential part in making the museum a reality.
“When I joined the historic society, I kept hearing, ‘We gotta have a museum, we gotta have a museum,’” Brown said.
From repeated meetings with the Montezuma Board of County Commissioners to a sweeping fundraising project, Brown was at the forefront of it all.
County Commissioners donated the former social services building to serve as the museum in 2015, but that was only the beginning. Dozens of historical artifacts gathered and $475,000 funds raised later, the museum opened in November 2022.
“When you get to be 80 years old, you start thinking, ‘well, I better back off,” said Brown, who added that she’d soon turn 87.
Brown, however, did not want to take the credit for the museum, pointing to her family, other board members and local residents who allowed the doors to open.
“The thing that made it was the community,” she said.
Jim Mimiaga, a former Journal staff writer, contributed to reporting for this article.
