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Montell
First United Methodist Church
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, April 2005 |
History
in a Pecan Shell
Once the site of the Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria
del Cañón Spanish Mission, the community can be found where the Nueces River meets
Montell Creek.
The namesake, Charles S. DeMontel, was a Texas surveyor
sent to map the valley. He camped here on his trip and left his name behind. A
few Anglo families settled in the valley in the late 1870s, including the family
of John Baylor, the self-appointed Confederate governor of the Arizona Territory
during the Civil War. Baylor is buried in the local cemetery. A post office was
granted in 1879.
From a population of 75 in the 1920s, the community declined
until only ten remained. The Episcopal Church of the Ascension has a stained glass
window, donated by the estate of John Jacob Astor. | |
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