Most of us who live here know that the city and county were named for Chief Ouray. We’ve seen his photos along with his wife Chipeta. Maybe we’ve even visited the Ute Museum in Montrose or attended programs about our region’s history. There’s definitely more to Chief Ouray’s story if you look a little deeper Some of the accounts offer slightly differ ent facts, which makes it challenging for a lay historian.

Chief Ouray was born near Taos, New Mexico, in 1833 during the Leonid meteor sh...