Ouray
Ouray was a prominent leader of the Uncompahgre Utes in central Colorado, notable for his role in navigating the complex dynamics between his people and the U.S. government during a tumultuous period in the 19th century. Born to a union of Ute and Apache heritage, he spent part of his youth near Taos, New Mexico, where he learned Spanish and adapted to various cultural influences. As a chief, Ouray was a signatory to treaties that ceded Ute lands to the United States, particularly the significant 1868 treaty. His leadership was marked by both support and resentment from his fellow Utes, as he garnered special treatment from the U.S. government, including a salary and land.
Despite facing opposition, Ouray worked to maintain peace and stability for his people, notably intervening during a violent uprising in 1879 that threatened the safety of both Utes and white settlers. His diplomatic efforts were crucial in negotiating the terms that led to his band’s eventual removal to Utah after his death in 1880. Ouray's legacy reflects the struggles and adaptations of Native American leaders during a time of profound change and conflict, as he sought to secure the best possible outcomes for his people amid the encroachment of settlers and the shifting political landscape.
Subject Terms
Ouray
- Born: c. 1820
- Birthplace: Northern Mexico, in present-day southern Colorado
- Died: August 24, 1880
- Place of death: Ignacio, Colorado
Tribal affiliation: Ute
Significance: Ouray led central Colorado (Uncompaghre) Utes from the mid-1860’s to 1880, convincing them to conciliate rather than fight with encroaching whites
Ouray was the son of a Ute-Apache union. His band ranged the mountains of central Colorado and hunted buffalo on the Plains east of the Rockies. Ouray spent his youth near Taos, New Mexico, as a shepherd; there he learned the Spanish language and culture, possibly as an Indian captive. He then rejoined his mother’s Ute band, where he gained prominence as a warrior and hunter, and was useful as an interpreter.
Ouray was a minor signatory on the 1863 treaty ceding parts of southern Colorado to the United States, but was a leading chief of the Uncompaghre (central Colorado) Utes by the time an 1868 treaty was signed. In the 1870’s, other Utes began to resent his influence, the preferential treatment he obtained from the U.S. government, and his autocratic and often tyrannical leadership. He successfully thwarted more than one plot by subchiefs, including his own brother-in-law, to kill him.
In 1873 Ouray cooperated in obtaining the necessary signatures to ratify a new agreement ceding more lands, for which he was given special concessions as well as a $1,000 annual salary, a home, and a 400-acre ranch at a new agency. Here, Ouray appeared to adopt the whites’ lifestyle, wearing broadcloth suits, riding in a carriage, and living in a cabin with standard American furniture. Despite continued antagonism by some northern Colorado Utes who accused Ouray of betraying his people for a salary, he could not be dislodged from his band leadership or the U.S. government’s insistence on using him as head chief for all Utes.
In 1879, Utes of northern Colorado attacked and besieged U.S. troops in what they believed was a defense of their reservation. They killed their unpopular agent and massacred agency workers. Ouray was instrumental in halting the attack and aiding the government in freeing white women who were taken prisoner. Whites used this incident to expel the Utes from Colorado. The Northern Utes were removed to Utah, and the U.S. government renegotiated the 1873 agreement with the Uncompaghre and Southern Utes. A three-fourths tribal ratification was required, and it was believed that only Ouray could obtain these signatures. After obtaining his own band’s signatures, he traveled to the Southern Utes’ agency at Ignacio, Colorado, to obtain the remainder. On the way he became sick, and he died on August 24, 1880. A negotiator bribed the Utes for the remaining signatures, and in 1881 Ouray’s band was ultimately removed to Utah. Ouray had recognized the inevitability of the loss of Indian land to incoming whites, gaining as much as possible through peaceful means while he could and keeping his people relatively free of disastrous warfare.