Mary Ann Ott comments on a column that I wrote a few weeks ago about the library.

She says: "When I was on the library board, Mattie Holston and her daughter, along with Edith Elliss, kept the library going for quite a long time. When the library moved out of the VFW building into the old Bauer Dry Goods, it was like coming into the sunshine. John Elliss built new bookshelves, and we had considerable help putting the building in order and moving the books. We actually had a trained librarian and, as I recall, her name was Marian. I looked up Sloyd since the library was once in the old Sloyd building and found it had something to do with vocational training."

A journey through history's pages

I was hoping I would find something to do with World War II and went to the second issue of the Mancos Times-Tribune in January 1917. I had an uncle who was in that war, and for quite some time, a helmet he wore was in the attic of our home. It had a dent in it where a bullet had hit.

I didn't find anything about WWI but did find a few things of interest.

'Will Smith Found Dead!'

"He went hunting with Francis Halls on the mesa southwest of the Weber community. Toward evening, Halls left Smith and returned home. No alarm sounded because it was thought Smith went to his homestead out around Mud Creek. Saturday night, his not appearing caused alarm. A search party went to where the horses had been tied and found Smith's horse still there. The search party walked along the mesa and found Smith lying in the snow about a hundred yards away from his horse. It was determined that Smith left his gun about a mile away and tried to make it to his horse but fell about 12 feet into the snow and died right there.

"The burial services were held at 2 o'clock Wednesday, and the body will be interred in the Weber Cemetery (the old Mormon cemetery).

"George Halls of the Weber community died of pneumonia after a brief illness. The end came peacefully Wednesday night. The funeral will be held at the Weber Hall, and the body will be interred in the Weber Cemetery."

Cold business

"The ice is being harvested and is about 15 inches thick. The quality is fine."

This is one of those years when we can relate to the temperature being cold enough to harvest ice. I remember the big ice tongs and the ice saw. My father had a shed filled with sawdust and that was where the ice was stored.

Darrell Ellis is a longtime historian who lives in Mancos.