Almost exactly four years ago on my way driving from Atlanta to Las Vegas — and after stopping by what was once the House of Miles in Colorado Springs to visit Randy Petersen — I passed through the city of Cortez in Colorado on United States Highway 160 on my way to Four Corners monument, where I was able to stand on the corners of four states at the same time.
Sunday Morning Photograph December 19 2021: Cortez in Colorado.
Cortez is located in the center of Montezuma County, which is at the southwestern corner of Colorado.
The Fiesta Twin Cinema on 23 West Main Street originally opened in late October of 1948 as the An Le Theatre before it was renamed as the Fiesta Theatre. The theater was purchased by its current owner — Allen Theatres — in 1967; and it became a twin cinema when the seating capacity was reduced from 646 seats to 500 seats in November of 1977, with 230 seats on one side and 270 seats on the other side. Although the price of a ticket can set you back as much as $12.00 on Fridays and Saturdays after 4:00 in the afternoon, you can pay as little as five dollars for a ticket all day on Tuesdays.
Much of the remainder of Cortez is a typical small city of almost 8,800 residents in the high desert and partially framed by the Ute Mountains off in the distance — but while some areas are rather quaint, other areas seem to suggest that the city was going through a trying period of time.
Final Boarding Call
I really like capturing a small slice of life with my camera whenever I travel. To me, that tells a story more than photographs at a popular “tourist trap” to which everyone flocks and has seen countless times. This photograph is one of those small slices of life, in my opinion.
Please click here for a complete list of the Sunday Morning Photograph series of articles at The Gate.
All photographs ©2017 by Brian Cohen.
