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Hickenlooper hopeful for fire disaster order
Main, News...
Hickenlooper hopeful for fire disaster order
Senator tours flood-damaged areas, surveys planned fire mitigation efforts
By By Chart Riggall chart@ouraynews.com 
September 2, 2026
U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper said Friday he was optimistic the Trump administration will declare the Gold Mountain Fire a federal disaster, arguing Congress “wouldn’t settle for” the White House withholding relief funds from Colorado for the second year in a row. Hickenlooper, who surveyed fire damage and federally funded relief efforts in Ouray County last week, said at a meeting of elected offici...
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Mining proposal faces unanimous scrutiny
Finance managers get cool reception from commissioners in bid for $110M federal grant to revive gold and silver mine in Governor Basin
By By Chart Riggall chart@ouraynews.com 
September 2, 2026
Kris Peterson and Alex Klemt said it was an algorithm that led them west from Colorado Springs, up a rough dirt road past the Camp Bird Mine, and into the lofty tundra of Governor Basin. With the help...
Letters, Opinion...
Who is the MTN Lodge?
September 2, 2026
Dear Editor: I opened the letter received last Wednesday and was a bit confused as to the intent, since the photos leading the letter are of the True Grit and several businesses that no longer exist i...
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News
Looking Back
50 Years Ago
September 2, 2026
September 1, 1966 “We definitely intend to continue pushing forward with plans for a college in Ouray,” stated Warren Gibbs, speaking for the board of directors at a meeting last Saturday. Directors p...
News
Local Briefs
Stage 2 fire ban rescinded
September 2, 2026
Ouray County and the town of Ridgway have rescinded Stage 2 fire restrictions and dropping down to less-restrictive Stage 1 restrictions, citing recent moisture that has helped reduce fire danger. The...
Features coverage
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...
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...
Meet Ouray County’s new teachers
Feature
Meet Ouray County’s new teachers
August 26, 2026
Editor’s note: We have continued the tradition of including Q&A profiles of new teachers in the Ridgway and Ouray school districts in the newspaper this year, to help introduce these new leaders to th...
Good For You!
Feature
Good For You!
August 26, 2026
The “Good For You!” page is a place for reader-submitted photos illustrating community, celebrations and more. Want to submit a photo for publication? Here are some guidelines for submissions: - This ...
Ouray shop rocks on, 60 years later
Feature
Ouray shop rocks on, 60 years later
Columbine Mineral Shop looks much like it did when it opened in 1966, offering one-of-a-kind souvenirs
By By James Hanlon james@ouraynews.com 
August 26, 2026
“Rocks” says a simple sign extending over the sidewalk on Ouray’s Main Street, adorned with a columbine flower. Inside, long narrow displays invite customers to explore toward the back, receding into ...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
OHVs have made trail access more difficult
September 2, 2026
Dear Editor: I am writing in response to Jeff Lindberg’s letter in the Aug. 27 edition. My husband and I live in Ouray County primarily because we love to hike. We have lived here for eight years, but...
Letters, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Tree thinning vital to managing wildfire
September 2, 2026
Dear Editor: This letter pertains to an article by Chart Riggall in the Aug. 27 edition. I thought it was an excellent article on the history of fire in the San Juans, etc. However, there was, in my o...
Letters, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Wind played major factor in Gold Mountain Fire
September 2, 2026
Dear Editor: It was the wind. I read with great interest the in-depth article by Chart Riggall in the Aug. 27 edition of the Ouray County Plaindealer. He cited the history of our forests and the reaso...
Calendar & Events
News
Calendar & Events
September 2, 2026
Thursday, September 3 Ouray County Republican Central Committee monthly meeting, 6 p.m., Ridgway Public Library meeting room, 300 Charles St. "Rocky Horror Picture Show" shadow cast edition auditions,...
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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Remote-triggered avalanche in San Juan Mountains

First responders receive first COVID-19 vaccines

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