Monte Vista Library (Monte Vista Historical Society)
Rio Grande County
Now the home of the local historical society, this small stone building was constructed in 1895. The Women’s Literary Club was organized on August 4, 1884 for the purpose of establishing a circulating library. Initially books were kept in the back of the Fassett General Store, with Lillian L. Fassett serving as the first librarian.
Monte Vista Library (Monte Vista Historical Society) (1895 photograph.)
On January 18, 1887, the Monte Vista Library Association was incorporated, and the women of the association undertook a variety of fundraising activities to finance construction of the Monte Vista Library. Measuring just 16 by 22 feet, the simple flat roofed building housed the town’s library until the completion of the Carnegie Public Library in 1919.