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Ridgway’s landmark U.S. flag
Erected on Jan. 1, 2021, the Weber Ranch’s 1,800-square-foot American flag has become a certifiable attraction in Ouray County. Its origin story is one of ingenuity and gratitude. Daniel Schmidt — Ouray County Plaindealer
By Daniel Schmidt, on June 14, 2023
Ridgway’s landmark U.S. flag

Editor’s note: This is the first installment in our new, occasional feature called “burning questions.” We thought this one would be a great one to start with, given the celebration of Flag Day this week. The goal of this series is to answer random questions about the area – and in this case, the question we received was, “What’s the deal with that gigantic flag in the middle of the valley?” Well, we figured out how and why it came to be raised, and did our...

Factors behind the fire: What drove its spread?
Main
Factors behind the fire: What drove its spread?
Experts: Age-old forests, climate change, extreme drought created prime conditions for Gold Mountain Fire
By Chart Riggall 
August 26, 2026
In the summer of 1879, the largest wildfire in Colorado history at the time tore through 26,000 acres of rugged forest about eight miles south of Silverton and presaged a vast shift in its landscape. ...
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Tax districts approved for proposed project
News
Tax districts approved for proposed project
Metro districts would fund improvements for possible 19-acre mixed-use Ridgway development
By James Hanlon 
August 26, 2026
The Ridgway Town Council approved creating four metropolitan districts at its Aug. 12 meeting for a proposed residential and commercial development on 19 acres in north Ridgway. The development, Alpen...
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Officials push Trump for disaster declaration
News
Officials push Trump for disaster declaration
Polis: Federal funding needed to help pay for $17M in damages from Gold Mountain, Aspen Acres fires
By Chart Riggall 
August 26, 2026
Federal, state and local officials pushed this week for President Donald Trump to issue a disaster declaration for the Gold Mountain and Aspen Acres fires that would open the door to additional federa...
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New principal brings international experience
Feature
New principal brings international experience
Michael Flaim named interim leader of Ouray preK-8 students
By James Hanlon 
August 26, 2026
Michael Flaim, an educator who taught economics and social studies at international schools for nearly 20 years, has started as Ouray School’s interim preK-8 principal for the 2026-2027 school year. T...
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News
Construction to control flooding begins
Work focuses on removing debris, building berms, barriers; project set to finish by Sept. 20
By James Hanlon 
August 26, 2026
Crews from Haynes Excavation began work last week to repair and protect areas prone to flooding and debris flows beneath the Gold Mountain Fire burn scar. The $2.8 million Emergency Watershed Protect ...
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News
Disaster relief sales tax headed for ballot
County pauses pursuit of road and bridge use tax
By James Hanlon 
August 26, 2026
Ouray County commissioners approved a ballot question Tuesday to ask voters for a county-wide 0.5% disaster recovery sales tax at the Nov. 3 election. Commissioners also paused efforts to pursue a 3% ...
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Editor Picks
Letters
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Public trails for all, not personal interests
By Jeff Lindberg 
August 26, 2026
Dear Editor: In response to the letter to the editor from Dianne Eschman in the Aug. 13 edition, as an avid off-roader and business owner in Ouray, I take issue with a few claims made. Off-highway veh...
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Letters
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
County needs a disaster fund, not an endless tax
By George Kerber 
August 26, 2026
Dear Editor: I am writing because the proposed disaster recovery fund sales tax deserves careful consideration before voters approve it. I’m concerned the ballot language creates an unlimited forever ...
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Monsoon flooding as old as Ouray itself
Columns, Feature...
Monsoon flooding as old as Ouray itself
By Karen Risch 
August 26, 2026
Situated on debris fans created by Portland and Cascade creeks, Ouray lies in a 5,000-foot deep rock bowl drained by five major creeks emptying into the Uncompahgre River. It’s not surprising that for...
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News
Advocates for fire authority pivot
By James Hanlon 
August 26, 2026
Organizers pitch placing county EMS under Ridgway Fire Ouray County plans to pivot efforts to consolidate a proposed fire and emergency response authority by merging Ouray County Emergency Medical Ser...
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News
Firefighting resources shrink as blaze nears containment
By Erin McIntyre erin@ouraynews.com 
August 26, 2026
A new team assumed command of the Gold Mountain Fire response over the weekend, ending a 55-day streak of management by three different federal incident management teams. A Type 3 incident management ...
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Remote-triggered avalanche in San Juan Mountains

First responders receive first COVID-19 vaccines

Ouray County Plaindealer
Office address:

195 S Lena St. Unit D
Ridgway, Colorado 81432
970-325-4412

Mailing address:
PO Box 529
Ridgway CO 81432

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