The forgotten — and shameful — history of Silverton

Columns, Opinion

By Carolyn Snowbarger on April 9, 2025

Mining entrepreneurs founded the town of Silverton in 1874. With the discovery of silver, gold and zinc, it was a boomtown with prospectors, suppliers and builders arriving daily for adventure, riches and fresh starts. Silverton’s population peaked in 1900 with 2,342 residents.

Main, News...

Ouray’s new top cop promises integrity, accountability and transparency

By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com

April 9, 2025

For more than a year, Ouray’s search for a police officer proved fruitless, yielding only the same copy-and-paste monthly update to the City Council — the police department was still seeking a full-ti...

Main, News...

Detained Ouray mother in limbo

After two months in an immigration detention center, a woman with a work permit faces an uncertain future even after criminal charges against her were dropped

By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com

April 9, 2025

AURORA — Before this, she had never been away from her daughter for more than a week. Aurora Yadira Mireles Terrazas has spent the past two months struggling to stomach meals or get any real sleep in ...

Main, News...

City buys property for police, housing

By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com

April 9, 2025

The Ouray City Council signed off Monday night on the purchase of a two-story building across the street from City Hall, with the intent of converting it into a police station and temporary employee h...

News

Design options unveiled for hot springs bathhouse

By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com

April 9, 2025

An architect unveiled Monday night three potential concepts for the design of the exterior of a new bathhouse at the Ouray Hot Springs Pool, giving the public a glimpse of what the entrance to the poo...

News

Land swap planned for Idarado houses property

Mining claim would be donated to county, traded to Forest Service

By Deb Hurley Brobst Special to the Plaindealer Deb Hurley-Brobst is a longtime, award-winning journalist. She can be reached at deb.hurley.brobst@gmail.com.

April 9, 2025

Some might call Pat Willits a matchmaker. Willits, the Trust for Land Restoration executive director, has come up with a plan to get Ouray County the property under two of the four historic Idarado ho...

News

Plaindealer wins 11 awards in four-state journalism contest

By Plaindealer Staff Report Plaindealer@ouraynews.com

April 9, 2025

The Ouray County Plaindealer earned 11 awards last weekend from the regional, four-state Society of Professional Journalists' Top of the Rockies competition for the newspaper's work in 2024. The conte...

Columns, Opinion...

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Ouray deserves better than fake public votes, shredding documents

By Erin McIntyre

April 9, 2025

Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching. I've been thinking about that quote from C.S. Lewis a lot lately, because I'm concerned about secret activities in the city of Ouray t...

Calendar & Events

CALENDAR & EVENTS THURSDAY, APRIL 10

CALENDAR & EVENTS

FRIDAY, APRIL 11

April 9, 2025

THURSDAY APRIL 10 FILM: "Reel Rock 19" climbing film. 7:30 p.m. The Sherbino, 604 Clinton St. Ridgway. $15 advance tickets at sherbino.org, $20 day of show. TAIZÉ: Taizé Service, 6 p.m. at St. John’s ...

Main, News...

RALLY FOR THE REPUBLIC

April 2, 2025

Main, News...

Pushback grows over road plowing

Landowners seeking wintertime motorized access increasingly encountering opposition

By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com

April 2, 2025

Outrage over wintertime wheeled access on public county roads is resurging as Ouray County residents scorn new requests from private landowners to plow public roads and argue the county’s snow-protect...

Main, News...

County mulls stipend for planning commission

By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com

April 2, 2025

Ouray County commissioners are debating whether to offer planning commissioners a stipend after about a month of struggling to recruit replacements for four openings on the commission. Four planning c...

Remote-triggered avalanche in San Juan Mountains

First responders receive first COVID-19 vaccines