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

Main, News...

Ridgway to grow capacity to fight wildland fires

Additional staff, engine can enhance skills, create more revenue

By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com

December 3, 2025

Ridgway’s wildland firefighters have mopped up hotspots in Nevada, fought wildfire on the front lines in California and protected structures at home in Colorado. Since the Ridgway Fire Protection Dist...

Main, News...

County chops event center operations to aid budget

By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com

December 3, 2025

Ouray County is performing triage on its 2026 budget as 2025 revenues are coming in lower than expected, placing even more pressure on the county’s general fund savings. County leaders have been worki...

News

New council’s first task: Fill vacancies

After soliciting applications, councilors to interview, pick appointments Jan. 5

December 3, 2025

Ouray city leaders swore in a new mayor and city councilor Monday night, then turned their attention to the council’s most pressing issue: Finding and appointing two more councilors to fill out the ra...

News

Slow start to snow season

Wave of storms helps, but snowpack in San Juans well below normal

By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com

December 3, 2025

A series of post-Thanksgiving storms delivered desperately needed snow to the moisture-starved San Juans, but snowpack at the start of December remains well below average in Ouray County and the surro...

News

SEASON OF SHARING

Ridgway Ouray Community Council

December 3, 2025

Editor's note: The Ouray County Plaindealer is continuing its tradition of featuring nonprofit organizations based in Ouray County, serving Ouray County in a series of profiles called Season of Sharin...

Carolyn Snowbarger

Remote-triggered avalanche in San Juan Mountains

First responders receive first COVID-19 vaccines