A treasure of local history may be available again soon.
Local author Molly Warren said last week that the second edition of “Montezuma’s Trails of Time” is due out any day now and that she is excited to start signing copies.
“It is filled with over 1,500 historical photos,” Warren said.
The book weighs almost five pounds and is about 700 pages. It was first published 21 years ago.
Warren said that when she started the book, she set out to answer one simple question: “I was wondering about the Blue Door school by the M&M,” she said.
And before long, Warren wanted information on all the old schools.
“I wanted to do a write-up on all the country school teachers who were still alive, and everyone told me, ‘You have to look at all the country teachers,” Warren said.
As Warren researched the schools, she learned about the students who attended them and the history of the area.
“I was going to do a 20-page write-up on the teachers of the old schools and well ...” she said, holding up her book.
The second edition will have a hard cover and include 30 new pages, updates and corrections.
“This would make a great present for history buffs,” she said.
Warren said that one of her favorite pages shows photos of children riding to school on horses, mules and bikes.
Other favorites include pictures of downtown Cortez during the 1905 Fair Day and downtown Dolores in 1895.
Warren, 71, was born in California in 1943, and was raised on a farm between Dolores and Cortez.
slivick@cortezjournal.com