With three outstanding museums to visit in Ouray County, an aficionado of mountain history and lore is offered an embarrassment of riches. Ranging from history to railroading and ranch life, the natural sciences and even the film culture of feature movies made here, there is much to engage anyone who has an interest in what makes this corner of the world special.
The Ouray County Historical Society
The Ouray County Historical Society (OCHS), 420 6th Ave. in Ouray, and named “The Best Little Museum in the West” by the Smithsonian a few years ago, is dedicated to preserve, protect, exhibit, and interpret all matters relating to the natural, social, and cultural history of Ouray County and the adjacent San Juan Mountain Region of Colorado. That’s a tall order, and this well-regarded local institution has been fulfilling its mission admirably since 1971.
The museum is housed in a handsome three-story building located between the Ouray City Hall and the Ouray County Courthouse. Constructed of hand-cut stone in 1887, the St. Joseph’s Miner’s Hospital was operated as such continuously until 1964 when a State issued mandate that any hospital having more than one story had to have an elevator caused the hospital administration to decide to close. OCHS acquired the building shortly thereafter.
The museum consists of 36 rooms, each focusing on a different aspect of Ouray County history. These include a period doctor’s office, an operating room and a dental office, a large parlor dedicated to the Walsh family, the wealthy owners of the Camp Bird Mine, a world-class mineral collection, a simulated hard-rock mine, a general store, and so much more. You can try to enjoy the whole museum in one hour, but you will be left wanting more.
One room is always dedicated to a rotating exhibit; the subject for 2021 will be “The History of Climbing in the San Juans.” Check the OCHS website, for current hours and special programs, such as the always-anticipated "Evenings of History.” A local phone number, 970-325-4576, might also be helpful in determining hours of operation.
The Ridgway Railroad Museum
The Ridgway Railroad Museum, founded in 1999, focuses on the history of the three narrow gauge railroads that operated in Ouray County. These are the Denver and Rio Grande Western (D&RGW) Ouray branch that ran from Montrose down to Ouray from 1887 til 1952; the Silverton Railroad that ran from Silverton north over Red Mountain Pass down into the Ironton valley and operated from 1888 until 1923; and the Rio Grande Southern Railroad (RGS) that operated from Ridgway to Durango via Telluride, Rico and Dolores and operated from 1891 until 1952.
The museum has a 16 acre site in Ridgway with a half-mile loop for operating narrow gauge equipment. On site we have D&RGW caboose, stock car, box car, and two gondolas. We also have on site every year from September til June RGS Goose No. 4 which we give rides on every weekend in Sprint thru fall. Passenger cars include RGS car No. 252 and D&RGW business car C. We also have an operating replica of the 1931 RGS Motor No. 1 which we give rides on Spring through summer. Finally, sometime in 2021 we will have an operating steam engine, a replica of RGS No. 36, the first engine on the RGS.
The railroad yard is located at 200 N. Railroad St., across from the Ridgway Town Hall, just east of Hartwell Park and is open to view 24/7. At 16 acres, with a train shed, trains, and a Galloping Goose, the yard is easy to find.
One added bonus is that Ouray County is blessed with a gracious number of train buffs who are veritable treasure troves of information and love nothing better than to share what they know.
The Ouray County Ranch History Museum
The Ouray County Ranch History Museum (OCRHM) was created in 2006 to preserve the area’s ranching history, highlight its heritage, and serve as a resource for the study of the genealogy of families who settled in this area. Educational talks, historical exhibits, and hands-on ranch/farm events demonstrate this rural lifestyle as it relates to iconic ranching.The museum is currently housed in the 1891 train depot building at 321 Sherman St. in Ridgway.
With water rights established in 1875, Ouray County has a rich history of prospecting, pioneering, ranching, and the railroad The ranches sustained the miners with food and supplies while the railroad moved cattle and ore to market. All three groups were integral to the others’ operations. Displays in the museum showcase family photographs, tack from local ranches, journals, furniture and household items, and banking documents. Of particular interest is the exhibit describing the saving of the town of Ridgway in 1975 from the Dam Project, which had been slated to drown the entire town under the proposed reservoir. As the town was spared at the 11th hour, Ridgway has been called “The Town That Refused to Die."
Movie memorabilia from locally-made Hollywood films “How the West Was Won” (1962) and “True Grit" (1969) include the paddy wagon, 100 original scene photos, and Debbie Reynolds’ six foot chandelier from her collection from “Gone with the Wind” (1939). Outdoor exhibits include a cabin (1885), historic tractors and thresher, and additional ranch machinery.
A combined campus of the individual ranch and railroad museums is currently in the planning stages for the 17+ acre site due east of Railroad St. in the heart of Ridgway. A nearly 10,000 square foot ranch museum building, the town’s 1909 jailhouse along with additional historic buildings, a working blacksmith shop, barn, corrals, and pole barns will occupy 9.5 of the acres, allowing visitors to experience our rich ranching heritage.
Some of the exhibits of ranch life inside the museum.
In nearby Montrose County there are even more museums to enjoy. One of member Abby’s favorites is the Ute Indian Museum. Never a dull moment in our region…