Editing Ouray County, Colorado (section)

==History==
Ouray County was formed out of [[San Juan County, Colorado|San Juan County]] on January 18, 1877, making Ouray County the first county designated by the newly formed [[Colorado General Assembly]]. It was named for [[Ouray (Ute leader)|Chief Ouray]], a distinguished leader of the [[Ute tribe]], as was the municipality of [[Ouray, Colorado|Ouray]], which was designated its county seat on March 8, 1877. On February 19, 1881, [[Dolores County, Colorado|Dolores County]] was formed out of parts of Ouray County.

On February 27, 1883, Ouray County was split into [[San Miguel County, Colorado|San Miguel County]] and what is currently Ouray County. The portion that became San Miguel County almost retained the name Ouray County when the Colorado General Assembly initially renamed today's Ouray County as [[Uncompahgre County, Colorado|Uncompahgre County]],<ref name=CountyHistoryCO>{{cite web | url = http://cogenweb.com/coplaces/county-div.html | title = Colorado County History | publisher = COGenWeb Project | year = 2007 | access-date = January 30, 2007}}</ref> but four days later, on March 2, 1883, the General Assembly changed its mind and reverted the name of Uncompahgre County back to Ouray County.<ref name=CountyEvolutionCO>{{cite web | url = http://www.stanwyck.com/cogenweb/cocounties.html | title = Colorado County Evolution | publisher = Don Stanwyck | year = 2003 | access-date = January 30, 2007 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070205102713/http://www.stanwyck.com/cogenweb/cocounties.html | archive-date = February 5, 2007 }}</ref>

[[Image:Ouray County CO Court House 1881 2006 01 13.jpg|thumb|right|Ouray County Courthouse]]
The [[Ouray County Courthouse]] was constructed in Ouray in 1888 and is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].

Mining operators in the [[San Juan Mountains]] area of Colorado formed the [[Mine Owners' Association|San Juan District Mining Association]] (SJDMA) in 1903, as a direct result of a [[Western Federation of Miners]] proposal to the Telluride Mining Association for the [[eight-hour day]], which [[Colorado Labor Wars#The eight-hour day becomes an issue|had been approved in a referendum]] by 72 percent of Colorado voters.<ref>Roughneck&mdash;The Life and Times of Big Bill Haywood, Peter Carlson, 1983, page 65.</ref> The new association consolidated the power of 36 mining properties in [[San Miguel County, Colorado|San Miguel]], Ouray, and [[San Juan County, Colorado|San Juan]] counties.<ref>The Corpse On Boomerang Road, Telluride's War On Labor 1899-1908, MaryJoy Martin, 2004, page 201.</ref> The SJDMA refused to consider any reduction in hours or increase in wages, helping to provoke a bitter [[Strike action|strike]].