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The City of Ridgway is a Home Rule Municipality in Ouray County, Colorado, in the United States. The population was 713 at the 2000 census. The area is famous as the setting of the John Wayne's western movie True Grit, and others including How the West Was Won and Tribute to a Bad Man. The Uncompahgre River runs through the town, providing a source for trout fishing. The Ridgway State Park and Reservoir is just to the north of town. There is a notable wildlife presence: mountain lions, badgers, deer, elk, bears, coyotes, wild turkey, and bald eagles are indigenous to the area. Ridgway is known to have the only stop light in all of Ouray County, at the intersection of Highways 550 and 62.[citation needed]
[edit] HistoryRidgway began as a railroad town, serving the nearby mining towns of Telluride and Ouray, pronounced yu-ray. The town site sits at the northern terminus of the Rio Grande Southern Railroad where it meets with Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad running between Montrose and Ouray. Ridgway was located about 3 miles (5 km) south of the existing town of Dallas. Articles of incorporation were filed on 22 May 1890 and granted on 4 March 1891. This "Gateway to the San Juan's" position was recognized over 100 years ago when the Rio Grande Southern established Ridgway as a railhead center servicing the nearby mining towns of Ouray and Telluride. The town was named for Denver and Rio Grande railroad superintendent Robert M. Ridgway, who established the town in 1891. The Rio Grande Southern filed for abandonment on 24 April 1952 and the Denver and Rio Grande Western abandoned the line between Ridgway and Ouray on 21 March 1953. The line between Ridgway and Montrose was upgraded from narrow gauge to standard gauge and Ridgway continued to be a shipping point until the line to Montrose was abandoned in 1976 as result of a reservoir being built on the Uncompahgre River. The dam for that reservoir, the Ridgway Dam, was proposed in 1957 as part of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's Dallas Creek Project, and its original location would have inundated Ridgway. A 1975 decision to put the dam further downstream kept the town above-water, and residents coined their own nickname, "The Town that Refused to Die."[4] Land around the reservoir became the Ridgway State Park north of town limits. [edit] Geography Ridgway is located at 38°9′7″N 107°45′25″W / 38.15194°N 107.75694°W (38.151934, -107.756870)[5], at an altitude of 6985 feet. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.2 km²), all of it land. The nearby San Juan Mountain Range has 14 of the 53 fourteeners[6] (mountains over 14,000 feet). Among them, 14,150 foot (4,310 m) Mt. Sneffels is most prominent from Ridgway. The eponymous Mt. Ridgway, 13,468 feet (4,105 m) in height, is also nearby, 4.5 miles (7.2 km) west of Ouray.[7] Ridgway is located on the San Juan Skyway, cradled in the heart of the most photographed mountains in the world. The Uncompahgre River is Ridgway's main source of water and comes from Lake Como at 12,215 ft (3723m) in northern San Juan County, in the Uncompahgre National Forest in the northwestern San Juan Mountains is the headwaters of the river. It flows northwest past Ouray, Ridgway, Montrose, and Olathe and joins the Gunnison at Confluence Park in Delta. The river forms Poughkeepsie Gulch and the Uncompahgre Gorge. The major tributaries are all creeks draining the northwest San Juan Mountains. There are two dams on the Uncompahgre River, a small diversion dam in the Uncompahgre Gorge, and Ridgway Dam below the town of Ridgway which forms Ridgway Reservoir. The river is used for irrigation in the Uncompahgre Valley. Additionally, water from the Gunnison is diverted to the valley via the Gunnison Tunnel. The Uncompahgre is unnavigable except at high water. The name given to the river comes from the Ute word Uncompaghre, which loosely translates to "dirty water" or "red water spring" and is likely a reference to the many hot springs in the vicinity of Ouray. [edit] DemographicsAs of the census[8] of 2000, there were 713 people, 285 households, and 190 families residing in the town. The population density was 356.1 people per square mile (137.6/km²). There were 318 housing units at an average density of 158.8/sq mi (61.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.25% White, 1.82% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.70% from other races, and 2.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.77% of the population. There were 285 households out of which 38.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.97. In the town the population was spread out with 28.8% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 34.2% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 5.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 102.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $40,903, and the median income for a family was $45,208. Males had a median income of $31,597 versus $26,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,084. About 3.2% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.9% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over. [edit] Tourism and attractionsRidgway is 37 miles east of the ski town of Telluride, and offers a wide variety of lodging to accommodate for the luxurious lifestyle found in this region. Orvis Hot Springs is a clothing optional natural hot springs resort in Ridgway. [edit] Notable Residents
Among Ridgway's population there are an assortment of recognizable and famous people. 1) Charles W. "Charlie" Ergen (born May 1, 1953) is the co-founder and CEO of EchoStar Communications Corporation, the parent company of Dish Network. 2) Ralph Lauren (born Ralph Lifschitz on October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer and business executive. 3) William Dennis Weaver June 4, 1924 — February 24, 2006) was an Emmy Award-winning American actor, best known for his work in television, including roles as sidekick Chester Goode from 1955 to 1964 on TV's first "adult Western" Gunsmoke, as Marshal Sam McCloud on the NBC police drama McCloud, which ran from 1970 to 1977, and as the protagonist in Steven Spielberg's feature-length directorial debut, the cult TV movie Duel in 1971. He attended the University of Oklahoma, where he studied drama and also was a track star, setting records in several events. He served as a pilot in the United States Navy during the Second World War. 4) Thomas H. Friedkin--Toyota king of Texas, Hollywood stunt flyer, African-game hunter—who fiercely guarded his privacy for 30 years. 5) Danny Thompson (racer), American race car driver and businessman. 6) Jo Fultz, American painter and educator. 7) Peter Hessler(b. June 14, 1969)An American Writer and Journalist. Notable for his writings at The New Yorker and contributions to National Geographic (magazine) as well as two books. [edit] The Grammy Awards
The Grammy trophy is manufactured exclusively by Billings Artworks of Ridgway, CO. The trophies are all hand made, assembled, and plated on site. [edit] TransportationThe closest airport served by scheduled airlines is Montrose Regional Airport, located 28 miles north. [edit] Major highways
[edit] See also[edit] References
[edit] External links
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