BlockOuray, Colorado
26 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1902 and the latest in 1983. It stands in the Ouray census division. It lies in ZIP code area 81427. It stands on Portland Creek. The Survey maps it on the Ouray quadrangle. 898 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 7,792 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Ouray
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 3 records
Beaumont Hotellisted 1973
Ouray City Hall and Walsh Librarylisted 1975
Ouray Historic Districtlisted 1983
Population over time
2 figuresOuray fell from 1,000 to 898 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1,000 | |
| 2020 | 898 | -102 (-10%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
10 surveys from 26 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1902 USGS Ouray quadrangle1:62500
- 1904 USGS Ouray quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1909 USGS Montrose quadrangle1:125000
- 1911 USGS Montrose quadrangle1:125000, 3 printings
- 1955 USGS Ouray quadrangle1:24000, 9 printings
- 1956 USGS Montrose quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1959 USGS Montrose quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Montrose quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1968 USGS Montrose quadrangle1:250000
- 1983 USGS Montrose quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
24 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 24 fires within 5 miles of Ouray between 1992 and 2020, burning about 10 acres in total. 15 started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Natural | 15 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 4 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 3 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 September 2004 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | under an acre | Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests | ANGEL |
| 8 August 2005 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests | ANGEL |
| 28 August 1994 | Natural | under an acre | Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests | not named |
| 20 August 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests | SILVER GULCH |
| 11 August 1992 | Natural | under an acre | Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests | not named |
| 8 July 1997 | Natural | under an acre | Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests | HORSETHIEF |
| 7 July 2018 | Natural | under an acre | Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests | HORSETHIEF |
| 30 July 2000 | Natural | 6.0 acres | Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests | CORBETT |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 95 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 95 workings within 5 miles of Ouray: 87 past producers, 4 occurrences, 2 unknowns, 2 producers. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Silver, Gold, Lead, Zinc. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American-Nettie | Gold, Copper, Zinc, Silver, Lead | Past Producer | Galena, Pyrargyrite | |
| Bachelor Mill | Silver, Gold, Lead, Zinc | Past Producer | ||
| Bachelor Mine | Silver, Copper, Zinc, Lead, Gold | Past Producer | Galena, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | |
| Bay City Mill | Gold, Lead, Silver, Zinc, Copper | Past Producer | ||
| Camp Bird Mine | Copper, Gold, Lead, Silver, Zinc | Past Producer | 1896, 1900 | |
| Gold King | Lead, Copper, Zinc | Past Producer | ||
| Grand Veiw | Silver, Copper | Occurrence | Vein | |
| Keno | Gold, Silver, Lead | Past Producer | ||
| Laura Dunmore | Gold, Lead, Zinc, Uranium, Silver | Occurrence | Vein | |
| Lucky Twenty Mine | Zinc, Lead, Gold, Silver | Past Producer | Galena, Pyrite, Sphalerite |
Storms near this place
23 since 1998Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Ouray in 23 storm reports between 1998 and 2024: 13 flash flood, 5 heavy rain, 3 debris flow, 1 lightning. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2018 | Debris Flow | Ouray | $500,000 | Around 4 to 10 feet of mud and rock covered Colorado Highway 550 about 2 miles south of Ouray as a result of heavy rainfall. A section of the highway and cribwall that supports the highway were destroyed from the rock slides and debris flows that occurred. Highway 550 was closed for almost 24 hours until the debris was removed, and then the highway was limited to one lane for many weeks thereafter as the road was repaired. |
| July 2010 | Flash Flood | Ouray | $100,000 | Heavy rainfall caused flash flooding in the area of Dexter Creek and Skyrocket Creek north of Ouray, as well as along Cascade Creek in Ouray. In some sections of Dexter Creek, the flash flood waters were nearly 20 feet deep. A section of road was washed out and the remaining buildings from the abandoned Old Maid Mine and town, built in the late 1800s, were completely obliterated with only some foundations remaining. An enormous amount of debris flowed through and collected in sections of Dexter Creek, which is the main water source for many residents in Ouray County. In particular, log jams and boulders the size of large trucks clogged a quarter-mile section of Dexter Creek, filling the creek up to 20 feet deep from the original creek bed elevation. Skyrocket Creek flowed up to a foot deep across Highway 550 as the highway culvert was filled beyond capacity. A motel on the west side of the highway experienced flooding in the parking lot and to some lower level motel rooms. Skyrocket Creek deposited about 8000 cubic yards of debris, mostly rocks and boulders, in a catch basin just above the Uncompahgre River. About 2000 cubic yards of debris filled up a catch basin near Highway 550 just before Cascade Creek dumps into the Uncompahgre River. The Uncompahgre River gage near Ridgway measured a stage jump of nearly 2 feet that evening due to the upstream inflow from the flooding creeks. Radar storm total rainfall estimates over the mountains near Ouray ranged from 1.5 to 1.75 inches, most of which fell within 60 minutes. |
| August 2008 | Flash Flood | Ouray | $80,000 | A flash flood came down Corbett Creek leaving a debris fan several hundred yards long, 300 feet wide and five feet deep. A house on Whispering Pines Drive sustained extensive damage to the foundation and exterior, with the deck having been ripped off. Another house on Chipmunk Way had debris up to a half foot deep into the basement and garage, and a deposit of debris up to 2 feet deep on the deck and against the house. A family of hikers on the Dallas Trail became stranded when their parked car was washed away. Their car was a total loss. Another car was carried away from a driveway and dropped over a short cliff. A boulder the size of a small car fell onto nearby Highway 550. County Road 17 was washed out and another nearby private road was washed out in places. The flash flood resulted in Corbett Creek carving out a new channel. A local official said this was the worst flash flood he had seen in that area since 1991. |
| July 1999 | Flash Flood | Ouray | $50,000 | no account filed |
| July 1998 | Flash Flood | Ouray | $20,000 | no account filed |
| August 2005 | Flash Flood | Ouray | $15,000 | no account filed |
| August 2005 | Flash Flood | Ouray | $15,000 | no account filed |
| August 2003 | Flash Flood | Ouray | $15,000 | no account filed |
| July 2008 | Flash Flood | Ouray | $4,000 | Heavy rain on the mountains adjacent to the southeast part of the town of Ouray produced flash flooding on Oak Creek and Canyon Creek. The wall of water was six feet deep at the Box Canyon geothermal water plant where sediment got into the water line. Sediment carried by the water line was in inch deep at the Ouray Hot Springs. The Hot Springs had to be closed around 4 PM MDT and remained closed for the rest of that day to clean out the sediment. Six feet of South Pinecrest Road was washed out, and a culvert under that road was damaged. Debris up to a foot-and-a-half deep was deposited on other roads. |
| August 1999 | Lightning | Ouray | $1,000 | no account filed |
| August 1999 | Flash Flood | Ouray | $1,000 | no account filed |
| July 1998 | Flash Flood | Ouray | $1,000 | no account filed |
| August 2024 | Debris Flow | Ouray | - | Heavy rain from thunderstorms in Ouray caused town flooding as well as the flooding of several creeks including Oak, Cascade and Skyrocket Creek. These creeks filled with debris, rock and silt, resulting in trail closures and large boulders/rock slides and mudslides on Highway 550 at mile marker 94, 94.5 and 94.6 specifically but generally between mile markers 94 and 95 approximately 2 miles north-northwest of Ouray. Storm total rainfall ranged from 1.5 to 1.7 inches in Ouray. Daily spot forecasts were requested by emergency management for both Ridgway and Ouray for extensive cleanup efforts for several days following the debris flows. |
| August 2013 | Flash Flood | Ouray | - | Oak Creek and Canyon Creek experienced flash floods due to heavy runoff runoff from nearby mountains. Roads on the west side of Ouray were impassable due to the rising and fast moving water. |
| September 2013 | Heavy Rain | Ouray | - | A storm spotter in the town of Ouray received 0.7 inches of rain within one hour. The heavy rainfall caused minor street flooding. |
| September 2013 | Debris Flow | Ouray | - | Heavy rainfall caused mud and debris flows in Senator Gulch past Angle Creek. |
| July 2012 | Heavy Rain | Ouray | - | Heavy rainfall in excess of one inch fell during the early evening hours in Ouray. |
| July 2010 | Heavy Rain | Ouray | - | Heavy rain fell over the mountains on the east side of Ouray, resulting in minor flooding. The flood control flumes contained the heavy runoff. Radar storm total precipitation estimates over the mountains adjacent to Ouray ranged from 1.5 to 1.75 inches within a 90 minute period. The Uncompahgre River near Ridgway had a rapid stage increase of 1.2 feet due to the large inflow of water from the creeks in the Ouray area. |
| August 2006 | Heavy Rain | Ouray | - | no account filed |
| July 2006 | Hail | Ouray | - | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Heavy Rain | Ouray | - | no account filed |
| August 2003 | Flash Flood | Ouray | - | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Flash Flood | Ouray | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thistledown | 2.5 miles | 28 | |
| Portland | 4.3 miles | 26 | |
| Camp Bird | 4.5 miles | 28 | |
| Sneffels (historical) | 5.3 miles | 28 | |
| Ironton | 6.2 miles | 28 | |
| Guston (historical) | 7.4 miles | 28 | |
| Ridgway | 10.2 miles | 16 | |
| Dallas | 11.7 miles | 21 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Ouray | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1759444 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 204753. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.