Author - News

Columns, Opinion

A civilized Thanksgiving at an uncivilized time

Was the famed "Outlaw Thanksgiving" in Brown’s Park history or simply a tall tale? According to Ann Bassett, the "Queen of the Cattle Rustlers," it wa...

November 12, 2025

Columns, Feature

How the San Juans got their name from an early trailblazer

The San Juan Mountains are not just a mountain range; they are the jagged, breathtaking spine of southwestern Colorado. This is a land of untamed peak...

October 8, 2025

Columns, Opinion

Dam it: the story of Ridgway State Park

Our neighborhood reservoir, Ridgway State Park, has become a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts.The park is a modern chapter in the long and ...

September 10, 2025

Columns, Feature

The West’s unsung heroes? Post offices

The American West, including the Western Slope of Colorado, experienced significant population growth in the latter decades of the 19th century. “Boos...

August 6, 2025

Columns, Feature

The rise, fall and rise of Ouray County

Why did thousands of people, most of whom had never even heard of Ouray, Ridgway or Colona, come to this remote part of Colorado? The history of Ouray...

July 9, 2025

Columns, Feature

County’s historic churches home to ample stories

When does a mining camp truly become a town? It happens legally with official documents of incorporation. It occurs economically when businesses arriv...

July 2, 2025

Years after acquittal, man gets prison in second case

News

TOP STORIES OF THE YEAR: BRIAN SCRANTON CONVICTED OF SEX ASSAULT

Years after acquittal, man gets prison in second case

By Erin McIntyre erin@ouraynews.com

December 31, 2025

Editor’s note: This story contains details about a sex assault case. Ten years after he was first arrested for alleged sex assault in Ouray County, a Ridgway man was convicted in another sex assault c...

County endures year of resignations, infighting

News

TOP STORIES OF THE YEAR: TUMULT WITHIN TOP RANKS OF COUNTY

County endures year of resignations, infighting

By Erin McIntyre erin@ouraynews.com

December 31, 2025

Ouray County government weathered a year of turmoil and transition in 2025, and ended the year hopeful that its new top leader would bring a fresh perspective and stability. County commissioners ended...

After tear down and rebuild, agency again faces upheaval

News

TOP STORIES OF THE YEAR: POLICE TURMOIL CONTINUES

After tear down and rebuild, agency again faces upheaval

By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com

December 31, 2025

After more than a year of turmoil that consumed 2024 and bled over into the first quarter of 2025, the Ouray Police Department underwent a complete tear down and transition under an interim police chi...

Looking Back, Opinion...

Looking Back

By Compiled from the files of The Ouray County Herald, The Ridgway Sun, and The Ouray County Plaindealer

December 31, 2025

60 Years Ago December 30, 1965 What can we expect to happen to our pocketbook in 1966? Here are some clues gleaned from the 43rd Annual National Agricultural Outlook Conference held in Washington D.C....

Mobile home park preservation highlights housing progress

News

TOP STORIES OF THE YEAR: SWISS VILLAGE SAVED

Mobile home park preservation highlights housing progress

By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com

December 31, 2025

As the calendar flipped from 2024 to 2025, things looked bleak for the residents of Swiss Village Mobile Home Park in Ouray. They had rallied to form a cooperative in the wake of learning the park was...

Carolyn Snowbarger

Remote-triggered avalanche in San Juan Mountains

First responders receive first COVID-19 vaccines