A Community Coloring Book Celebrates Cortez’s Heritage

Cortez has a long and rich history. For generations, ranching, farming, logging, and mining built a vibrant community. More recently, tourism, recreation, and the creative arts have flourished, leading to new growth. Yet, despite a storied past, many residents lack a deep connection to Cortez’s history and heritage, a problem staff and volunteers with the City of Cortez, Montezuma County Historical Society, and Cortez Public Arts Advisory Committee wanted to solve. Their solution? Create a historic coloring book illustrated by local artists. “You need to know your roots, your culture, to really know yourself,” says Betsy McDowell, a local artist whose work was selected as the cover for the city’s “Historic Cortez Coloring Book.” Watch the video below to learn more about local efforts to celebrate Cortez’s heritage and the LOR Foundation’s support for the “Historic Cortez Coloring Book.”

You can download a free digital copy of the Historic Cortez Coloring Book here.