The Utes were the first Indigenous tribe to hunt and summer in the area eventually known as Grand County. The Spanish conquistadores called the Utes the “People of the Shining Mountains” because the alpenglow phenomenon makes the peaks appear to be shining.

In 1833, Chief Ouray was born in culturally diverse Taos, New Mexico. He spoke many languages which helped him negotiate with white settlers and the U..S Government on behalf of his Ute tribe of the Umcompahgre band in Western Colorado. Because of his leadership skill and genuine desire for peace, the federal government designated Ouray “Chief of All Utes.”

Chief Ouray and his wife, Chipeta, traveled to Washington, D.C. to negotiate for the welfare of their nation multiple times. Over the years, they met with presidents Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and Rutherford B. Hayes.

In 1868, Ouray agreed that the land west of the 107 degrees longitude would be a Ute reservation “for all time.” The Northern Utes never agreed to this treaty because their favored Middle Park summer hunting ground and the Hot Sulphur Springs healing waters would be open to white settlement.

Tensions and violent incidents on both sides ensued, especially when white settlers fenced off their newly acquired land. By 1882, the Uncompahgre Utes were driven from their ancestral Colorado land and forced onto a Utah reservation.

Chief Ouray died on August 24, 1880 from kidney and heart disease. He and Chipeta were deeply disappointed with many broken promises and treaties. Chipeta continued her leadership of her people on the Utah reservation. She died on August 9, 1924.

In Grand County, the first YMCA youth camp on the Colorado River has named Camp Chief Ouray. Today, the property is the community of Ouray Ranch off U.S. Highway 34 near Granby. The town of Ouray honors the Ute Chief as does Mount Ouray in Chaffee County.