Andrea Peralta Villa was unsure how she would make it to college until the final few days before classes started, despite having a roommate and a nearly full-ride scholarship lined up. She overcame th...

The American West, including the Western Slope of Colorado, experienced significant population growth in the latter decades of the 19th century. “Boosterism” was one of the government strategies used ...

THURSDAY AUGUST 7 Ouray County Republican Central Committee monthly meeting, 6 p.m., Ridgway Christian Center, 120 Redcliff Dr.  More information at ourayrepublicans.com. Farmers market, 10 a.m.– 2 p....

Ye olde bard returns to the stage this weekend in Ouray, with "The Merchant of Venice" brought to the Wright Opera House by UpstART Theater. This summer's traditional production of William Shakespeare...

Pati Marquez and Martin Jimenez opened the first Tacos & Beer in Montrose mid-pandemic without advertising anywhere, aside from telling a few customers from their former restaurant. “Nobody knew, exce...

It was a cold call that led Clay Bales to warm up to the San Juans. Five years ago, he picked up the phone and dialed the number for Jason Raible, the listing agent for a Ouray bed and breakfast that ...

When Joan Gibson-Bevier first sat down at a pottery wheel in 1976, she knew she had found her passion. Forty- nine years later, she runs her own business, The Closet Potter, from her house in Ouray. S...

Send us your celebrations! The “Good For You!” page is a new feature we have launched in the Plaindealer, where we publish reader- submitted photos illustrating community, celebrations and more. Maybe...

THURSDAY JULY 24 Story and craft time, 4-6 p.m. at the Ouray Public Library, 320 Sixth Ave. All ages welcome. Bike maintenance with Singletrack Addict, free, for ages 10-18 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. at the ...

THURSDAY JULY 17 "Natural Tie–Dye" activity with the youth garden club for ages 8–18, from 3:30–4:30 p.m. at the Ridgway Public Library, 300 Charles St. Tech Thursday – Get help with quick tech proble...

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 County follows the familiar story of the American...

If you find it difficult to keep quiet at the theater, the Ouray County Players invite you to come on out and see "Spaghetti Western or … Mission Im-pastable" at the Wright Opera House. No one's going...

Send us your celebrations! The “Good For You!” page is a new feature we have launched in the Plaindealer, where we publish reader-submitted photos illustrating community, celebrations and more. Maybe ...

THURSDAY JULY 10 Painting on canvas for tweens and teens from 3:30-4:30 at the Ridgway Public Library, 200 Charles St. Supplies provided. Please sign up at the library or call 970-626-5252. Sketch com...

The sights and sounds of the Fourth of July in Ouray are ubiquitous. The powerful spray of fire hoses. The shrieks of kids racing through Fellin Park. Cheers and honking horns on Main Street. This yea...

Name: Robert Stoufer Age: 73 Lives in: Ouray When did you come to Ouray? I studied to be a geologist, but I never did geology for a living. I went to college in Mississippi, and did grad school in Kan...

When does a mining camp truly become a town? It happens legally with official documents of incorporation. It occurs economically when businesses arrive to support the mining interests. Its culture beg...

THURSDAY JULY 3 CEMETERY TOUR: Dallas Park Cemetery tour with sexton Coleen McElroy, 10 a.m., 7690 Colorado Highway 62. $20 per person, RSVP to the Ouray County Museum at 970-325-4576. CONCERT: Courth...

Those looking to relax or adventure atop a body of water can book trips, grab gear and even walk to the Uncompahgre River from Best Slope Adventure Company, a new equipment and guide shop in Ridgway. ...

It feels like an original Ouray mining house fused with an antique showroom. A refurbished wooden sliding door conceals the kitchen, an old-school storefront sign reading Smith-Strand & Co. hangs over...