Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

• That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
• We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
• On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Ouray (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Ouray. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Ouray is located in Ouray County and is the County Seat.

To see how the shape of Colorado's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Ouray County: Gunnison, Hinsdale, Montrose, San Juan & San Miguel.

Below are the counties that are near Ouray. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ouray:

• Ouray County     (The home county of Ouray)
  • The following are listed by their distance from Ouray, with the one closest to Ouray listed first.
  • Red Mountain ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Mountain
    • Red Mountain is located in Ouray County
  • Ridgway
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgway
    • Ridgway is located in Ouray County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,039 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ridgway <1>
  • Dallas
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas
    • Dallas is located in Ouray County
  • Loghill Village
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Loghill Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loghill Village
    • Loghill Village is located in Ouray County
  • Eldredge
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldredge
    • Eldredge is located in Ouray County
  • Colona
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colona
    • Colona is located in Ouray County
• Dolores County
  • The following are listed by their distance from Ouray, with the one closest to Ouray listed first.
  • Dunton ‑ Historic
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunton
    • Dunton is located in Dolores County
  • Rico
    (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rico have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rico
    • Rico is located in Dolores County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 262 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rico <1>
• Hinsdale County
  • The following are listed by their distance from Ouray, with the one closest to Ouray listed first.
  • Capitol City ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capitol City
    • Capitol City is located in Hinsdale County
  • Lake City
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
    • Lake City is located in Hinsdale County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 388 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake City <1>
  • Carson ‑ Historic
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carson
    • Carson is located in Hinsdale County
  • Old Carson ‑ Historic
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Carson
    • Old Carson is located in Hinsdale County
• Montrose County
  • The following are listed by their distance from Ouray, with the one closest to Ouray listed first.
  • Uncompahgre
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uncompahgre
    • Uncompahgre is located in Montrose County
  • Vernal
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vernal have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernal
    • Vernal is located in Montrose County
  • Cimarron
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cimarron have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cimarron
    • Cimarron is located in Montrose County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cimarron <1>
• San Juan County
  • The following are listed by their distance from Ouray, with the one closest to Ouray listed first.
  • Animas Forks ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Animas Forks
    • Animas Forks is located in San Juan County
  • Chattanooga ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chattanooga
    • Chattanooga is located in San Juan County
  • Eureka ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
    • Eureka is located in San Juan County
  • Howardsville ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howardsville
    • Howardsville is located in San Juan County
  • Silverton
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silverton
    • Silverton is located in San Juan County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 679 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Silverton <1>
  • Graysill ‑ Historic
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Graysill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graysill
    • Graysill is located in San Juan County
• San Miguel County
  • The following are listed by their distance from Ouray, with the one closest to Ouray listed first.
  • Tomboy ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tomboy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tomboy
    • Tomboy is located in San Miguel County
  • Pandora
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pandora
    • Pandora is located in San Miguel County
  • Liberty Bell ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Bell
    • Liberty Bell is located in San Miguel County
  • Telluride
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Telluride
    • Telluride is located in San Miguel County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,416 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Telluride <1>
  • San Miguel ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Miguel
    • San Miguel is located in San Miguel County
  • Mountain Village
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mountain Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Village
    • Mountain Village is located in San Miguel County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,470 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mountain Village <1>
  • Keystone ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keystone
    • Keystone is located in San Miguel County
  • Alta ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alta
    • Alta is located in San Miguel County
  • Vance Junction
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vance Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vance Junction
    • Vance Junction is located in San Miguel County
  • Ophir
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ophir
    • Ophir is located in San Miguel County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 190 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ophir <1>
  • Vanadium ‑ Historic
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vanadium
    • Vanadium is located in San Miguel County
  • Sawpit
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawpit
    • Sawpit is located in San Miguel County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 38 people
    • Sawpit has also been known as:
    • Saw Pit

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Ouray, see our County-by-County Page for Ouray.

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Ouray ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 87 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ouray.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

• A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Ouray. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Ouray and those printed in the larger area surrounding Ouray.
• An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Ouray.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Ouray:

• Websites specific to Colorado
  • Jump to Cyndi's List
  • Jump to Family Search
  • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Website for the //www.colorado.gov/archives/

• Pages specific to Ouray County
  • Jump to Cyndi's List
  • Jump to Family Search
  • Jump to Genealogy Trails

• Genealogy information for nearby counties
  • Dolores County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Hinsdale County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Montrose County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • San Juan County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • San Miguel County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails

• Cemetery Information and Directories for Colorado
  • Cemetery Junction: Cemeteries of Colorado
  • Cyndi's List
  • Cemeteries of Colorado
  • Cemeteries of Ouray County
  • FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of Colorado
  • Find-A-Grave: Home Page
  • Interment.net
  • Cemeteries of Colorado
  • Cemeteries of Ouray County

Cemeteries Near Ouray ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ouray.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Ouray covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ouray, with the one closest to Ouray listed first.

• Cedar Hill Cemetery
  (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cedar Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cedar Hill Cemetery
• Lone Tree Cemetery
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lone Tree Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lone Tree Cemetery
• Lone Tree Cemetery
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lone Tree Cemetery
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #57402 <5>
• Dallas Park Cemetery
  (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dallas Park Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dallas Park Cemetery
• Dallas Park Cemetery
  (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dallas Park Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dallas Park Cemetery
• Hillside Cemetery
  (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillside Cemetery
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #57339 <5>
• Old Cemetery
  (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Cemetery
• New Cemetery
  (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Cemetery
• Colona Cemetery
  (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Colona Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Colona Cemetery
• Nurse - Brownlee Cemetery
  (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nurse - Brownlee Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nurse - Brownlee Cemetery
• Button Cemetery
  (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Button Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Button Cemetery
• Uncompahgre Memorial Gardens
  (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Uncompahgre Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Uncompahgre Memorial Gardens

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Ouray had a population of 2,534 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Ouray had a population of 1,046 people.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Ouray, with the one closest to Ouray listed first.

• Portland
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Portland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portland
  • Portland is located in Ouray County
• Ironton ‑ Historic
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ironton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironton
  • Ironton is located in Ouray County
• Pandora
  (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pandora
  • Pandora is located in San Miguel County
• Red Mountain ‑ Historic
  (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Mountain
  • Red Mountain is located in Ouray County
• Animas Forks ‑ Historic
  (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Animas Forks
  • Animas Forks is located in San Juan County
• Telluride
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Telluride
  • Telluride is located in San Miguel County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,416 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Telluride <1>
• San Miguel ‑ Historic
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Miguel
  • San Miguel is located in San Miguel County
• Chattanooga ‑ Historic
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chattanooga
  • Chattanooga is located in San Juan County
• Ridgway
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgway
  • Ridgway is located in Ouray County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,039 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ridgway <1>
• Dallas
  (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas
  • Dallas is located in Ouray County
• Eureka ‑ Historic
  (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
  • Eureka is located in San Juan County
• Capitol City ‑ Historic
  (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capitol City
  • Capitol City is located in Hinsdale County
• Continue List   (12 more) ...
  • Ilium
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ilium have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ilium
    • Ilium is located in San Miguel County
  • Vance Junction
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vance Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vance Junction
    • Vance Junction is located in San Miguel County
  • Howardsville ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howardsville
    • Howardsville is located in San Juan County

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Ouray. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ouray.

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Ouray: www.ci.ouray.co.us/

The official website for Ouray County: www.co.ouray.co.us/

The official website for State of Colorado: https://www.colorado.gov/