Ada Hallar was born in Toquerville, Utah in January 1880. She was the daughter of Orley Hallar and Harriet Bliss and was the sixth child in a family of 12. Her parents were pioneers of Utah. They moved to Moab in 1892. It was there that she met and married Fred Hallar in August 1897. Soon after they were married, she being only 17 and Fred 22, they took over management of the Maxwell Hotel in Moab.

In the spring of 1900 they loaded up their wagon for Mancos. It took them a week. They located about 8 miles north of Mancos and built a one-room cabin.

Fred cut and sold ties to the D&RGS railroad and later became engaged in sawmilling. Ada cooked for the mill hands - 25 to 30 men.

They acquired the Mancos Hotel, which Ada managed for several years. She was always a good helpmate for Fred, a devoted wife and mother and found time to help neighbors and friends. She died in Southwest Memorial Hospital at age 89 in November 1969 and was buried in the Cedar Grove Cemetery.

Fred Hallar established the Point Lookout Cottage Camp next to the entrance to Mesa Verde National Park in 1930. He had 20 cottages, a filling station, grocery and hardware store, café and a curio shop. He acquired a bear cub and raised it to maturity. The bear was named Nehi because he would lie on his back and drink Nehi orange pop from a bottle.

Fred sold the Mesa Verde Hotel to Mr. Rickner.

Fred was a Montezuma County commissioner for four years and in 1931 was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives. He died in January 1939

Fred and Ada had a daughter named Vida who was their only child. She was 3 when her family moved to Mancos. After her father died, she worked at the Mallett's Garage for 15 years. I well remember Vida. She took my money when I paid for gas at 25 cents a gallon. Vida married Bob Mallett. Her obituary stated, "She may have disagreed, but she was never disagreeable."

Darrel Ellis is a longtime historian of the Mancos Valley. Email him at [email protected].