Ouray, Colorado
| Ouray, Colorado | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Ouray, Colorado looking north from Highway 550
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| Nickname(s): Switzerland of America | |
 Location in Ouray County and the State of Colorado |
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| Coordinates: 38°1′24″N 107°40′20″W / 38.02333°N 107.67222°WCoordinates: 38°1′24″N 107°40′20″W / 38.02333°N 107.67222°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Colorado |
| County | Ouray County Seat |
| Incorporated | 1884-03-24 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Home Rule Municipality |
| • Mayor | Pam Larson |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.8 sq mi (2.2 km2) |
| • Land | 0.8 sq mi (2.2 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 7,792 ft (2,375 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 1,000 |
| • Density | 965.3/sq mi (372.7/km2) |
| Time zone | Mountain (MST) (UTC-7) |
| • Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
| ZIP code | 81427 (PO Box) |
| Area code(s) | 970 |
| FIPS code | 08-56420 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0204753 |
| Website | www.ci.ouray.co.us City of Ouray |
Ouray /ˈjʊəreɪ/ is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Ouray County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 813 at the U.S. Census 2000 and 1,000 as of the U.S. Census 2010. The Ouray Post Office has the ZIP code 81427.
Originally established by miners chasing silver and gold in the surrounding mountains, the town at one time boasted more horses and mules than people. arrived in the area in 1875. In 1877, William Weston and George Barber found the Gertrude and Una gold veins in Imogene Basin, six miles south southwest of Ouray. Thomas Walsh acquired the two veins and all the open ground nearby. In 1897 opened the Camp Bird Mine, adding a twenty-stamp mill in 1898, and a forty-stamp mill in 1899. The mine produced almost 200,000 ounces of gold by 1902, when Walsh sold out to Camp Bird, Ltd. By 1916, Camp Bird, Ltd., had produced over one million ounces of gold.
At the height of the mining, Ouray had more than 30 active mines. The town—after changing its name and that of the county it was in several times—was incorporated on October 2, 1876, named after Chief Ouray of the Utes, a Native American tribe. By 1877 Ouray had grown to over 1,000 in population and was named county seat of the newly formed Ouray County on March 8, 1877.
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