entennial Ranch, a blendof historic preservationand rustic elegance, opensits entire spread to the

public the weekend of June 27-28. Afundraiser for the Ouray CountyHistorical Society, Open Ranch Daysincludes self-guided tours and a cow-boy-style lunch.

Located in northern Ouray Countyjust off Highway 550, the 400-acre,working cattle ranch dates back to1879. The current owner has meticu-lously restored each ranch buildingon the property to reflect historicdetails and functions. The tour takesguests through those structures aswell as the rancher’s timber framehome, which has been featured inArchitectural Digest.

In September of 2011, OCHS host-ed a tour of the ranch that drew visi-tors from throughout the state andbeyond. This year’s event will fea-ture summer blooms instead of fallfoliage and will offer some newattractions.

The family-oriented event runs 11a.m. – 4 p.m. both Saturday andSunday. Admission is $20 for adultsand free for everyone 19 and under.The price includes an outdoor lunchof chili, biscuits and hot dogs.Transportation around the ranch willbe provided for non-walkers. Allproceeds benefit the OCHS.

Each guest will receive a detailedguide book, which describes the his-toric functions and construction ofbuildings along the tour route.Members of the Historical Societywill be stationed throughout toanswer questions.

Centennial Ranch meanders alonga rugged half-mile stretch of theUncompaghre River canyon. Visitorsmay catch a glimpse of two goldeneagles that nest on the sandstone cliffabove the river. The entire propertyis a donated conservation easement,which preserves the ranch land inperpetuity. Besides protectingwildlife habitats, the easementensures that Centennial Ranch willnever be developed and will alwaysremain a working cattle ranch.

The tour begins at the rancher’sresidence, the Dashwood House,where guests can relax on benchesnear the riverbank or wander amongearly summer perennials. Most of theDashwood’s spacious rooms areincluded in the tour. Constructed ofsalvaged timbers and cedar board-and-batten siding, the house is

detailed with medieval-style, hand-forged iron work. Sturdy English andWelsh furnishings share the post-and-beam interior with western imple-ments.

Guests will proceed to the linecabin, the traditional shelter for cow-boys working fence lines along the farreaches of large ranches. Thick walls,

made from standing dead spruce, astone fireplace and antique stove cre-ate a cozy, year-round refuge from theelements.

From there, it’s a short walk to thecalving shed, the original cabin thathoused the first homesteaders andtheir nine children. An experiencedrancher will be on site to describe the

calving process and the equipmentused for complicated deliveries.

The tour ends at the massive barn,also a timber frame structure madefrom recycled wood and intricate yetfunctional iron work. Besides drafthorse stalls, the barn features a tackroom, grain room, and displays ofranching memorabilia. Just outsidethe wagon bay, the cook crew willprepare chili and biscuits in Dutchovens and roast hot dogs over firepits.

This scenic expanse of rocky bluffs,pastures and cottonwood trees maylook vaguely familiar even to first-time visitors. The ranch has been thebackdrop for many major companies’advertisements. Cabela’s, Marlboro,Urban Outfitters and Abercrombieand Fitch are among the companiesthat have shot ads at Centennial.

The entrance to Centennial Ranchis on the east side of Highway 550,14.5 miles south of Montrose andabout 12 miles north of Ridgway. Formore information, call the OurayCounty Historical Society at (970)325-4576.

The Ouray County HistoricalSociety (OCHS) thanks the OurayCounty Plaindealer for theirassistance in printing and distrib-uting our newsletter.

MISSION STATEMENT: TheOuray County Historical Society(OCHS) is dedicated to preserve,protect, procure, exhibit, andinterpret whatever relates to thenatural, social, and cultural histo-ry of Ouray County and the adja-cent San Juan Mountain Regionof Colorado.Summer 2015

PULLOUTSECTION

Centennial Ranch Tour ShowcasesColorado’s Ranching Heritage

Smith familyranch: a 100-year legacy

C

SPECIAL HISTORY EDITION

hen James Nelson Smithand Charlotte Eldridgearrived in theUncompahgre Valley in a

covered wagon, the Utes still roamedthe Western Slope, Montrose was notyet founded, and miners swarmed theSan Juans around the new communi-ties of Ouray and Silverton. The cou-ple chose a site for their homesteadabout two miles south of the LosPinos Agency (present day Colona).The Smiths built a tiny log cabin witha dirt roof on the fertile banks of theUncompahgre River surrounded bysandstone and shale cliffs. ChiefShavano raised a small garden on thenorth part of the Smith’s ranch.

After the Utes were removed toEastern Utah, the Smiths purchasedother homesteads adding fields to

W

ZZ See LEGACY pg 3

n 2013 OCHS moved the museumarchives over to our new research cen-ter on Main Street. This opened up anumber of rooms for exhibit areas. For

example, we now have a small room dedicatedto the life of Otto Mears, the “Pathfinder of theSan Juans,” and a new area for rotating exhibitswhich currently features Tom Hillhouse’s“Ouray Postal History” exhibit. Through thegenerosity of Sandra Boles, owner of NorthMoon Gallery, we now have five additionallarge, lighted display cases in the museum. Twoof these are now filled with new displays on top-ics including the old townsite of Dallas north ofRidgway and an expanded display on OurayBands. In addition to these new display areaswe also now have an expanded storage area fortextiles including Victorian clothes, our largecollection of historic wedding dresses andlinens.Wonderful donations have continued to come

into the museum during the past year. Theseinclude historic photos, Victorian clothing,books on southwestern Colorado, militaryitems, crank phones used in Ouray, an industri-al sewing machine used for over 40 years in GusMechler’s shoe repair shop in Ouray, a steel

phone used in the Camp Bird mine, a collectionof dozens of keys to areas in the Camp Bird Milldating to the early 1900s, historic typewritersincluding one with two complete sets of keys,one upper case and one lower case, a large ven-tilated cigar case, high resolution scans of 19thcentury area mining maps published by EmilFischer and samples of high-grade silver orefrom the new Revenue Mine.A particularly interesting donation was a cane

that belonged to The Reverend J. J. Gibbons.Father Gibbons came to Ouray in 1888 and com-mented that the parish he ministered to was thesize of Ireland. He wrote a book about his expe-riences traveling on horseback, and sometimeswalking, between Silverton, Ouray, Telluride,Rico, etc. A reprint of that book, In the San Juan– Sketches, is for sale in the museum bookstore.Barbara and Jack Rairden have donated a 37” x

42” x 6” three-dimensional relief map of OurayCounty that is displayed in the Ranch. TheOuray Woman’s Club provided OCHS with agrant to cover most of the cost of constructing aPlexiglas cover for the relief map.A few years ago we built a small barn on the

museum grounds to house the Marie Scottwagon and other ranching items. The two cab-ins outside the museum have been on the muse-um’s security system for years but not the newbarn. Last fall Steve and Marty Sears donated$500 to add the barn to our security system.In September 2013 John Fielder gave a two-day

photo workshop. It was so successful that thesixteen participants agreed to have their bestphotos from the workshop displayed last year inone of our new exhibit rooms. These photoswere for sale and enough were sold to morethan pay for the cost of the exhibit.Once again I invite our members to visit the

museum. We are continually adding new exhib-it items and descriptive signs giving the historyof displayed items.

2 HISTORIAN Ouray County Historical Society’s Newsletter SUMMER 2015

By Don PaulsonOCHS Curator

OCHS Curator’s Report

I

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MOUNTAIN

TREASURESFiber ArtAuction

Whether you’re looking for a holiday gift, aspecial remembrance of our beautiful OurayCounty mountains, or just a great way to sup-port our terrific historical society, you won’twant to miss this year’s “Mountain Treasures –Fiber Art Auction.” Since January, 21 fiber artists in Ouray and

Montrose Counties have been creating smallquilted and hand-woven pieces that will beauctioned for the benefit of OCHS this sum-mer. The auction is a change from our tradi-tional twelve years of making a “raffle quilt.”Remember the beautiful Victorian Crazy Quiltsin 2003, or the “Times and Seasons in OurayCounty” quilt in 2006, or the intricateCathedral Window quilt in 2013? Thesethemes and methods have been repeated invarious pieces available for sale and auctionthis summer. Items include wall hangings,table runners, place mats, pillows and even apicnic throw. Beginning with the Vintage Quilt Show on

August 18, the treasured pieces will be dis-played at the museum and photos of the itemsposted online at the OCHS website. At thattime, you have the opportunity to support theartists’ efforts and OCHS with a “Buy it Now”bid. If you’re willing to risk waiting, you canplace your bid in a live auction at the Vignetteof History Dinner, “Harvey Girls” onSeptember 20 at the Western Hotel. Look formore publicity on these “Mountain Treasures”and plan to generously support our efforts andOCHS.

SUMMER 2015 Ouray County Historical Society’s Newsletter HISTORIAN 3

OURAY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Please consider being a member of the OCHS!Help preserve the history of Ouray County

Your membership is vital so that the Society can maintain not only our historicMuseum building but our new Research Center and Archive. All member-

ship levels include Free admission to the Museum, a 10% discount on items for salein the gift shop and Museum bookstore, free admission to the OCHS Evenings ofHistory series, and receive newsletters and special announcements.

Please fill in below: (Please Print)

Name(s):

Organization (If Business Member)

Mailing Address

City, State, Zip Code

Phone Number

Email

Amount Paid ___________by (check one) Cash____Check____Credit Card____

Date: _____________________________

Silver King

Guston

Revenue

Grizzly Bear

National Belle

Yankee Girl

Camp Bird

Business Member

$30 (Individual)

$40 (Family)

$50 - $99

$100 - $249

$250 - $499

$500 - $999

$1,000 – Up

$50 - Up

Membership Levels

Please return to: OCHS , P.O. Box 151, Ouray, CO 81427 Or Phone with Credit Card info to: 970-325-4576

Kevin Chismire, PresidentTom Hillhouse, Vice-PresidentJoey Huddleston, Secretary

Storme Zanett LoweryDon Paulson, CuratorTeri BlackfordWalt Rule

Gail SaundersRobert StouferTed Zegers

Newsletter Committee~ Maria Jones~ Kate Kellogg~ Gail Saunders

LEGACY Smith Ranch

their ranch. The couple raisednine children on their farm. Theyplanted the fields with hay andraised apple and peach trees onthe higher ground. After James’death, their son Ralph continuedoperation of the lands. Hebought Hereford cattle andgrazed his herd on higherground which the family leasedfrom the National Forest Service.

The Smiths expanded theirvariety of crops to include barley,oats, wheat, and corn. The smalltown of Colona sprang up andRalph and Rose Smith participat-ed in community events.

Eventually, their son Rollenassumed the position of runningthe ranch. He married Alyce MaeSoderquist and their childrenand grandchildren worked andplayed on the ranch, helping

with the haying and milking andriding ponies in their spare time.

Ralph and Alyce Mae’s grand-children were the fifth genera-tion to call the Smith Ranchhome. In August of 1988, theSmith Brothers Ranch wasawarded a Centennial FarmCertificate from the ColoradoHistorical Society and theColorado Department ofAgriculture. This award signifiesthat a ranch or farm has beenowned by one family for over100 years.

In 1992, Rollin and Alyce soldtheir ranch to Vince and JoanKontny. The Kontnys honoredthe Smith family by naming theirranch “Centennial Ranch.” Vinceand Joan have continued the tra-dition of maintaining the ranchas a working cow/calf operation.The ranch has been preserved inperpetuity with a conservationeasement.

From pg 1

llRalph Smith with his team of horses on the old Smith Ranch.

llMap details location of Centennial Ranch, site of this year’s Open RanchDays, June 27-28, a fundraiser for the Ouray County Historical Society. Seedetails and story on page one.

kk Come see the tackroomlocated inside the barn as partof the tour of the historicCentennial Ranch during thisyear’s fundraiser for theOuray County HistoricalSociety, June 27-28. Call theOCHS at 970-325-4576 fordetails.

PRESIDENT’S LETTER, EARLY SUMMER 2015Welcome OCHS members and

friends of the Ouray Museum. As we prepare to enter our summer

season for 2015, I am excited to tell youabout many of our sponsored eventswhich, due to their ongoing popularity,will continue to grace the stage of oursociety. Moreover, we are bringing backexciting events of yesteryear for anencore performance.

Our early summer fundraising eventwill be a grand return to the CentennialRanch owned and operated by VinceKontny. This “Double Shoe CattleCompany” in Ouray County is a work-ing ranch and we are proud to sponsoran open ranch event on June 27th and28th in which patrons can spend a dayalong the gorgeous bottom lands along-side the meandering UncompahgreRiver. Guests will experience all aspectsof a living, working ranch. Come join inthe fun. This part of our western her-

itage is something all us greenhornsshould see…at least once in a lifetime.

The ever popular “Evenings ofHistory “ series under the directorshipof Don Paulson, will kick off its inaugu-ral performance on June 16th at theOuray Community Center. Check yournewspapers or visit our website fortimes and topics.

New exhibits and artifacts continueto find their way to our museum onnearly a daily basis. Come in and see allthe new additions. Of course we stillhave our July 4th celebration at themuseum after the parade in Ouray,guided tours ranging from theCorkscrew Railroad and Turntable tothe museum itself, walking tours ofOuray, the Quilt Show and many oth-ers.

Kevin Chismire M.D. President

OCHS

President’s MessageBy Kevin Chismire

OCHS2015

CALENDAR

4 HISTORIAN Ouray County Historical Society’s Newsletter SUMMER 2015

Museum summer hours: Monday thru Saturday

10am-4:30pm & Sunday 12pm-4:30pm.

JUNE16 Evenings of History series

begins each Tuesday @ 7pm. *See topics & dates as listed inNewsletter

21 Father’s Day – free admis-sion to Museum for Fathers.

27/28 Special Event -CentennialRanch Open House - 11am-4pmeach day. $20.00 per person. Ages19 and under free. Pay at door.Further information call 970-325-4576.

JULY4 Lemonade & Brownies at

Museum following Parade. 1950’sTheme. Come and join us!

8 Guided Tour of Ouray Museum led by Curator, DonPaulson 9am $10.00 per person($5.00 OCHS members). Call 970-325-4576 to pre-register.

11 Corkscrew Railroad Bed and Turntable Hike led by Don Paulson.$10.00 per person Call 970-325-4576 to pre-register.

18 Guided Walking Tour ofCedar Hill Cemetery led by GlendaMoore. 9am – $10.00 per person.Call 970-325-4576 to pre-register.

25 Guided Walking Tour ofHistoric Main Street in Ouray led byIrene Mattivi. 3pm – Call 970-325-4576 to pre-register.

AUGUST5 Special Event -Guided

Geology Tour of the San Juans ledby Robert Stoufer and Larry Meckel -7:30am-5pm – Call 970-325-4576 for details.

12 Guided Tour of OurayMuseum led by Curator, DonPaulson 9am $10.00 per person($5.00 OCHS members). Call 970-325-4576 to pre-register.

15 Corkscrew Railroad Bed and Turntable Hike led by Don Paulson.$10.00 per person. Call 970-325-4576 to pre-register.

18 Annual Quilt Show opens at Ouray Museum. Runsthrough September 29.

22 Guided Walking Tour of Cedar Hill Cemetery led byGlenda Moore. 9am - $10.00 perperson. Call 970-325-4576 to pre-register.

29 Guided Walking Tour of Historic Main Street in Ouray ledby Irene Mattivi. 3pm -$10.00 perperson. Call 970-325-4576 to pre-register.

SEPTEMBER17-20 Ouray County Railroad

Days. See http://www.ridgwayrailroadmuseum.orgfor details.

20 Special Event - Vignettes of History 2015 – “Harvey Girls”4pm-8pm . $75.00 per person.RSVP Dinner and Performance. Call 970-325-4576 to RSVP. Seating Limited.

JUNE 16

JUNE 23

JUNE 30

JULY 7

JULY 14

JULY 21

JULY 28

AUG 4

Gail Saunders, OCHS Photo Archivist and local historian, A look into the OCHS Photo archives: Mines,Mills and Miners.

L. Jackson Newell, Emeritus Professor of History,University of Utah, The Irrepressible L. L. Nunn:Pioneering from Hydropower to Educational Reform.

Andrew Gulliford, Professor of History, Fort LewisCollege, Solo in the Southwest Wilderness: Going Outand Coming Back.

Robert Stoufer, proprietor of Buckskin Booksellers inOuray, Mineral Collecting in Ouray County.

Jim Kornberg, Ridgway Physician, Frontier Medicine:The Trials and Tribulations of Doc Rowan.

Carolyne Kelly and Tom Hillhouse, former practicingattorneys, Judge Story – from Reprobate Judge toLieutenant Governor –Road to Redemption.

Ion Spor, Superintendent, TCW Hydro and Ridgway Dam,The History of the Ridgway Dam.

Don Paulson, OCHS Curator and Emeritus Professorof Chemistry, Cal State Los Angeles, The RidgwayRailroad Museum, Past Present and Future.

*The first six talks take place at 7:30 pm at theOuray Community Center and the last two take

place at 7:30 pm at the Sherbino Theater in Ridgway.

Stovicek joins OCHS for internshipa r a hStovicek isthe 2015s u m m e rintern for

the Ouray County Historical Society.Having grown up in Ouray, Sarah is veryhappy to be thrown intoanything that has to dowith Ouray history. WhenSarah thinks back to hertime at Ouray schools sheremembers loving NativeAmerican and Pioneer his-tory the most. Ouray’spast is full of stories ofmining and hardship.Sarah’s favorite part abouthistory is getting to seeand research how otherpeople lived in the sameplaces we do today, butsurvived without all of thetechnology. Sarah believesit is a fun thought experi-ment for her to imagineherself living in any periodof history other than thepresent.

This summer while Sarah is fulfillingher internship requirements with theOuray County Historical Society she isworking most days in the Archives onMain Street, and a couple days a week atthe Museum on 6th Avenue. Sarah is excit-ed to get started with her hands-on histor-ical experience here in Ouray. Studyingold photographs, helping with Tuesdaynights Evenings of History talks, and help-ing with the Open Ranch Days are just afew of the things Sarah will be doing withher time at her internship. The OurayCounty Historical Society is full of amaz-

ing men and womenwho are passionateenough about history tovolunteer their time andmoney to keep history

alive. Sarah wants to take this as an exam-ple for her future endeavors and hopes to

remember that historyholds an important posi-tion in each person’s life.

During the school yearSarah attends RegisUniversity in DenverColorado. With one year ofschool remaining, Sarah isin the midst of completinga Bachelor of Arts inHistory with a minor inReligious Studies. Sarahtakes her studies very seri-ously and is consideringgoing to graduate schoolfollowing a couple yearbreak after Regis. If Sarahattends graduate schoolshe would like to go eitherfor Archaeology orMuseum Studies. She ishoping that this summer

internship will help her make that deci-sion more easily. After Sarah graduatesfrom Regis University she is planning ondoing a couple years of volunteer servicethrough the Jesuit Volunteer Corps beforeshe makes her decision on graduateschool.

The Ouray County Historical Societyhas given Sarah an opportunity to learnand grow in a field that she loves andhopes to progress in. This summer is giv-ing Sarah the chance to look into and bet-ter understand the field of history and thehistory of Ouray County.

S

hh Ouray native SarahStovicek is pursuing aB.A. in History at RegisUniversity.

By Sarah Stovicek