Cortez

History

In 1886, the town was built to provide housing for the men working on the tunnels and irrigation ditches required to divert water out of the Dolores River and into Montezuma Valley. The town was named for Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés. The Cortez, Colorado post office opened on June 21, 1887. Many prehistoric sites in the Cortez area are listed on the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties or both the state register and the National Register of Historic Places. They include large parks or centers, such as Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, Canyon of the Ancients National Monument, Hovenweep National Monument, and Mesa Verde National Park. Also, smaller or individuals sites, such as Cowboy Wash, Hawkins Pueblo and cliff dwellings, Lowry Ruin, Mitchell Springs Archeological Site, also known as the Mitchell Springs Ruin Group, Mud Springs Pueblo, and Yucca House National Monument. Within the McElmo Drainage Unit (AD 1075–1300) is Cannonball Ruins, Maxwell Community, Roy's Ruin, Sand Canyon Archaeological District, and Wallace Ruin are found there. Trails or byways through the Cortez area include: *Old Spanish National Historic Trail *San Juan Skyway National Scenic Byway *Trail of the Ancients A Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance aircraft made an emergency nighttime forced landing August 3, 1959, at the Cortez Municipal Airport. Republic of China Air Force Major Hsi-Chun Mike Hua was on a training flight originating at Laughlin AFB, Texas; the U-2 aircraft engine flamed out at 70,000 feet AMSL. Maj. Hua established best glide and was able to navigate through a valley to a lighted airport that was not on his map, of the existence of which he was unaware until he found it. The airport was the only one in the area with a lighted runway illuminated overnight.

Geography

At the 2020 United States census, the city had a total area of including covered by water. |source 2 = National Weather Service }}

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  5,278
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,240
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  3,773
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  3,733
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,696
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  3,659
• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  3,609
• Northern Flicker

  Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,512

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2026-05-16
  15 km SSW of Sawpit, Colorado
• M 2.6 — 2025-11-21
  26 km SSW of Ojo Amarillo, New Mexico
• M 3.6 — 2023-03-10
  16 km S of Ophir, Colorado
• M 3.1 — 2017-12-10
  14 km NNW of Rico, Colorado
• M 2.5 — 2017-12-10
  14 km NNW of Rico, Colorado
• M 2.9 — 2017-12-10
  11 km WNW of Rico, Colorado