The Montezuma Heritage Museum is celebrating the 150th anniversary of Colorado’s statehood, while the nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
Barbara Stagg, the museum development coordinator, said the museum, 35 S. Chestnut St. in Cortez, is using a grant from the Ballantine Family Fund to present “Yesterday’s Stories,” a weekly five‑minute radio program on KSJD that will run May through October.
“It's going to be at the same time and same day each week. So we’re hoping people will get in the habit of simply tuning in so they can listen to all of them,” Stagg said. “And that, of course, is going to reveal a whole lot about the history of this county and this area.”
Information about the date and time of the program is forthcoming. Stagg said the stories to be aired come from a combination of sources in the museum’s archive, including oral histories, written stories and early newspapers available through History Colorado.
“We could do the same kind of program for the next 10 years and never use all the stories,” Stagg joked.
The museum is also organizing the first Montezuma Heritage Days, which Stagg hopes will become an annual tradition. On May 1 and 2, the museum will host arts and crafts activities, storytelling and music performances honoring the diverse cultures integral to Montezuma County’s history.
“Children – young people especially – know much less than they need to about their own history, the history of their own land,” Stagg said.
In addition to Heritage Days, the museum is organizing special exhibits with History Colorado. Stagg recommended seeking information on southwest Colorado events for the special year at colorado150southwest.org.
She called on Cortez and Montezuma County to join in honoring Aug. 1, the exact date of Colorado’s induction into the United States 150 years ago.
“I want to get the word out to people because hardly anybody realizes Aug. 1 will be the exact date of our 150th anniversary of Colorado,” Stagg said.
avanderveen@the-journal.com
