Ouray, Utah facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ouray, Utah
Unincorporated community
Ouray, Utah Location in Utah Show map of Utah Ouray, Utah Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Utah
County	Uintah
Named for	Chief Ouray
Elevation	4,675 ft (1,425 m)
Time zone	UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP Code	84026
Area code(s)	435
GNIS feature ID	1431039

Ouray is a small, unincorporated community in Uintah County, Utah, United States. It's part of the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation. An "unincorporated community" means it's a group of homes and businesses that isn't officially a city or town with its own local government.

Where is Ouray, Utah?

Ouray is located in west-central Uintah County, Utah. It sits mainly on the north bank where the Duchesne River and Green River meet. This area is about 4,675 feet (1,425 meters) above sea level.

You can find Ouray within the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation. It's at the very end of Utah State Route 88. Ouray is about 26.5 miles (42.6 kilometers) south-southwest of Vernal, Utah.

Ouray is one of the oldest modern settlements in the Uinta Basin. It was named after Chief Ouray, a respected leader of the Uncompahgre band of the Ute Tribe. In the Ute language, the name "Ouray" means "arrow."

Ouray's Interesting History

The area where Ouray is located was first settled by Europeans in the early 1830s. A French fur trader named Antoine Robidoux set up a trading post here. This trading post was also known as Antoine Robidoux' Fort.

Even though Robidoux moved his trading post a few years later, people continued to use the settlement. It became known as Fort Kit Carson. You can still find some remains of the old buildings from this time.

Many years later, in 1881, an "Indian agency" was set up for the Uncompahgre Ute people. An Indian agency was like an office that helped manage relations between the U.S. government and Native American tribes. A post office was also opened in the area at this time. That's when the settlement officially got its current name, Ouray.

In 1886, a fort called Fort Thornburgh was built nearby. This happened after an event called the Meeker Massacre in Colorado in 1879. However, Fort Thornburgh was moved closer to Vernal less than a year later. It was eventually replaced by Fort Duchesne.

Even after the forts left, the community of Ouray continued to grow. But by the late 1920s, fewer people lived there. The post office eventually closed its doors in December 1964.

What's the Climate Like in Ouray?

Ouray has a climate that is called "cold semi-arid." This means it has short, cold winters and long, hot summers. There isn't much rain or snow throughout the year.