![]() Ouray is a popular destination for ice climbing. His song "Black Bear Road" borrowed the phrase, "you don't have to be crazy to drive this road, but it helps", from a sign once posted somewhere at the beginning of Black Bear Pass. ![]() McCall helped make Black Bear famous in the area. Recording artist (and later Ouray mayor) C. Destinations include Yankee Boy Basin, Engineer Mountain, and Black Bear Road. The Million Dollar Highway is frequently regarded as one of the most beautiful roads in Colorado, but is also considered one of the most dangerous due to its sharp turns, steep ledges, and lack of guard rails. This stretch of highway connects Ouray to its neighboring cities of Silverton and Durango. Ouray has also become a popular destination for motorcyclists, as it marks the beginning of the Million Dollar Highway. Much of the town tourism is focused on ice climbing, mountain biking, hiking, trail running and off-roading in four-wheel drive (4WD) expeditions into the San Juan Mountains. Ouray bills itself as the "Switzerland of America" because of its setting at the narrow head of a valley, enclosed on three and a half sides by steep mountains. ![]() The majority of Ouray's economy is based on tourism. Ice climbers at the Ouray Ice Park in the Uncompahgre Gorge Source 2: National Weather Service (mean maxima and minima, snow depth 2000-2022) Ĭlimate data for Ouray, Colorado, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 2000–present The Köppen climate classification for Ouray is Dfb. Spring is generally cool with early spring often bringing the largest snowfalls late spring into early summer (mid-May through late June) is mild to warm and is usually the driest time of year. Winters are long and cold-though seldom extremely so-with considerable snowfall. Autumn is cool and mostly clear with occasional rain. ![]() Summers are warm in the day and mild to cool at night with brief thunderstorms often occurring in the afternoons in July and August sometimes resulting in intense, though short lived, rainfall. Ouray is located at an elevation of 7,792 feet (2,375 m), and experiences four distinct seasons. Yankee Boy Basin is located a few miles from the town.Īccording to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km 2), all of it land. The drive along the Uncompahgre River and over the pass is nicknamed the "Million Dollar Highway", although the exact origin of the name is disputed. Ouray is connected to Silverton and then Durango to the south by Red Mountain Pass which crests at just over 11,000 feet (3,400 m). It is only 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Telluride, but due to the severity of the landscape, the drive is about 50 miles (80 km). It is about 40 miles (64 km) south of Montrose. Joseph's Miners' Hospital (currently housing the Ouray County Historical Society and Museum), Western Hotel, and Wright's Opera House are included in the historic district. The Beaumont Hotel and the Ouray City Hall and Walsh Library are listed on the National Register of Historic Places individually, while the Ouray County Courthouse, St. The entirety of Main Street is registered as a National Historic District with most of the buildings dating from the late nineteenth century. McCall, was elected mayor, ultimately serving for six years. The line between Ouray and Ridgway was abandoned on March 21, 1953. The last regularly scheduled passenger train was September 14, 1930. It would stay until the automobile and trucks caused a decline in traffic. The Denver & Rio Grande Railway arrived in Ouray on December 21, 1887. By 1877 Ouray had grown to over 1,000 in population and was named county seat of the newly formed Ouray County on March 8, 1877. The town-after changing its name and that of the county it was in several times-was incorporated on October 2, 1876, named after Chief Ouray of the Utes, a Native American tribe. : 51, 84–86, 91Īt the height of the mining, Ouray had more than 30 active mines. By 1916, Camp Bird, Ltd., had produced over one million ounces of gold. The mine produced almost 200,000 ounces of gold by 1902, when Walsh sold out to Camp Bird, Ltd. In 1897, Walsh opened the Camp Bird Mine, adding a twenty-stamp mill in 1898, and a forty-stamp mill in 1899. Thomas Walsh acquired the two veins and all the open ground nearby. In 1877, William Weston and George Barber found the Gertrude and Una gold veins in Imogene Basin, six miles south southwest of Ouray. Originally established by miners seeking silver and gold in the surrounding mountains, the town at one time boasted more horses and mules than people. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |