OURAY

Ouray was originally established by miners chasing silver and gold in the surrounding mountains. The town at one time boasted more horses and mules than people. Prospectors 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 the Camp Bird Mine opened. 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. ~wikipedia

BOX CANYON

The economy today is based solely of tourism. Known also as Little Switzerland because of its position at the narrow head of a valley, enclosed on three and a half sides by steep mountains. This enclosure is referred to as a box canyon.

OFF ROAD

The one noticeable inhabitant in town is Jeeps. Jeeps everywhere; along with all sorts of ATV/UTV’s. This is understandable as there are off-road trails surrounding this area. We did not venture out and rent a jeep or go on a tour…on this trip anyway. There are certainly enough videos on youtube to make you think twice about venturing out on the trails. That said, it still looks like a grand adventure to me. Some day. The following video provides some insight into the area trails.

AROUND TOWN

Ouray is a beautiful place to visit. The downtown is lined with shops, pubs and restaurants. We stayed at Ouray Main Street Inn; The Miners Cabin. It was a great home-base for a few days while we explored the area. We very much enjoyed our dinner at Bon Ton. The Artisan Bakery serves up fantastic breakfast burritos. Ouray Candy & Ice Cream Parlor served up a delightful scoop of just that – ICE CREAM – each evening we were there. We will definitely be back to Ouray. Love this town.