Wednesday, January 8, 2025
Small Town Vibe
Population <1000

Ouray, CO: See why this town is called Switzerland of America!

Small Town Vibe

Ouray, Colorado

2020 Population: 898*

July 2024: When you picture a beautiful Mountain town in your mind, you may very well be picturing the small town of Ouray, Colorado! We spent a fun-filled summer day in Ouray on our tour of Colorado’s Western Slope. We learned that this town is a tourist haven in every season!

Ouray is the county seat of Ouray County. It is located along Hwy 550, approximately 38 miles south of the larger city of Montrose.

Ouray – A Brief History

The town of Ouray was founded in 1875 along the Uncompahgre River near the San Juan Mountains. Once the homeland of the Nuche (Ute) people, prospectors found silver in 1873 and later gold in the area and platted Ouray in a natural amphitheater surrounded by 5,000-foot mountains. The town’s name commemorates the Ute leader who signed the agreement leading to their removal. Ouray was incorporated in 1876 and named the county seat of Ouray County in 1877. The Denver & Rio Grande Railroads arrived in 1887.

Early Years: Mining and Railroad wealth

As a mining supply town, Ouray served many rich mines within the region, including names like Yankee Girl, Grand Prize, Guston, National Belle, Orphan Boy and Treasure Trove. Thomas Walsh, an Irish immigrant and owner of the prosperous gold mines Camp Bird Mine and Idarado, funded the Ouray town library, town hall’s clock and bell tower.

Fun Fact – The mine owner’s daughter Evalyn Walsh McLean owned the Hope Diamond (yes, that one!.. this woman had an interesting life that you may want to check out).

These early days of mining prosperity came end after the US silver crash of 1893 and Ouray’s population declined steadily until 1930. However, even in these early days, Ouray was becoming known as a tourist destination.

Switzerland of America

Tourism began to thrive after 1887, which saw the opening of one of Colorado’s grandest hotels, the three-story Beaumont, and the arrival of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. Ouray began billing itself as “The Switzerland of America” thanks to its snowcapped Alpine scenery. The early major attractions in town were the large municipal hot springs, pool, and bathhouse, which opened in 1926.  Other natural wonders near Ouray include Cascade Falls, Bear Creek Falls, and the Box Canyon.

Pop Culture Fun Fact – Ayn Rand’s descriptions of Galt’s Gulch in the book Atlas Shrugged were based on the town of Ouray, Colorado, which Rand and her husband visited in 1951 when they were relocating from Los Angeles to New York.

Sustaining A Tourism Economy

Tourism and outdoor recreation have continued to drive the local economy. More recent examples include:

  • Jeep tours of the surrounding mountains provide access to Yankee Boy Basin, with its awesome carpet of wildflowers, to various ghost towns, and to the ruins of many a mine.
  • Hiking and motor trails start in town, including paths to the Box Canyon and lower and upper Cascade Falls.
  • Rock climbing has also emerged as a major attraction
  • During the 1990s, Ouray also began aggressively promoting winter tourism by keeping the natural hot pool open all year, encouraging cross-country skiing, and marketing itself as the American ice-climbing capital, with an annual ice festival held in January at the Ouray Ice Park.
  • Million Dollar Highway (part of the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway) is the twelve-mile stretch of US 550 south of Ouray through the Uncompahgre Gorge to the summit of Red Mountain Pass. Its creation dates back to 1883 and was fully completed in 1926 as part of the federal highway system.

From the beginning, Ouray strove to achieve and later protect its architectural prominence. In 1983 the town was designated as a National Register Historic District encompassing 331 structures. Its unusually intact, well-preserved Main Street features the elegant Beaumont Hotel, the chateau-like Elks Club, the Wright Opera House, and many handsome storefronts. Quiet, tree-shaded streets are lined by well-kept Victorian homes in one of Colorado’s best-preserved mining towns.

The Ouray County Historical Society has fought to save the town’s historic structures. They have also worked closely with the Environmental Protection Agency in an effort to balance environmental clean-up from mining operations while carefully salvaging the nearby ghost towns and mine sites.

small town vibe

Our 8 Favorite experiences in Ouray

We parked along historic Main Street and spent a fun day exploring! Here are some of our favorites.

VisitOuray.com

#1. Walk around the beautiful town to admire the historic architecture!

Ouray’s historic downtown is one of the most vibrant places we have visited, with beautifully restored historic architecture full of active businesses. There is much to see and admire just by walking around town.

#2. Rest and Refresh at one of the many fun “Third Spaces”

There are so many restaurants, coffee shops, breweries, parklets (i.e. “Third Spaces) along Ouray’s business district. Below are just a few that we experienced ourselves:

#3. Lots of fun shops – our favorite was a local book shop

There are way too many fun shops to mention them all here, but we enjoyed all that we stopped in. A special shout out to the local bookstore, and the fun shop with Racoon product displays worth experiencing 🙂

#4. Downtown Ouray has a super nice public restroom!

We have to give a shout-out to the accessibility and cleanliness of the Ouray Public Restrooms around town. We used the one in the City Hall/Library – and we never take a nice public restroom for granted! 🙂

#5. Hike around the town… literally!

One of the many unique things about Ouray is that there is a hiking trail that literally encircles the town! We hiked about half of it, from one of the many trail heads making the trial easily accessible and providing a great way to hike whatever distance you choose – all with a fantastic view!

#6. Relax in a Hot Springs pool in the middle of town

After our hike around Ouray, we headed to the Hot Springs pool, open to the public at reasonable prices and amazing views!

#7. Experience History both in architecture and in local museums!

#8. So much else to do and see in the area

More to Explore!

Plan your visit to coincide with an event. Explore the organizations that support community and place-making in Ouray.

Annual Events

Organizations that Support Community in Ouray

Map of Ouray

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