|
|
Four
Corners Area History and Culture:
Ute Indian Chief Ouray
 by
Linda Wommack
Linda's
web site
By 1861, the gamble for gold brought prospectors, surveyors
and hoards of miners to the Colorado high country. On the west
side of the Continental Divide, the San Juan mountains were most
inviting to gold seekers. The government ordered prospectors to
stay away from the San Juan country, but to no avail.
The San Juan country was Ute Indian country. With the onslaught
of the miners, the Ute Indians began a war... a war with words
against the United States government. An Uncompahgre Ute Chief,
Ouray, led this movement to seek peace with the white men. Chief
Ouray, the Ute name meaning "Arrow", had dealt with the white
men for years. He sought peace and land for his people.
Ouray was a very unique Indian. He was raised as an Apache
(his motherÍs tribe), although his father was a Ute. His childhood
was spent near Taos, New Mexico, where he mastered the Spanish
and English languages with ease, and attended Catholic Mass regularly.
His broad education in English, Spanish, Ute and Apache, prepared
him for later life. His intellect would impress the great white
leaders of Washington D.C., as well as his own people.
In 1859, Ouray married a Tabequache Ute maiden by the name
of Chipeta. Chipeta was a Kiowa Apache adopted by the Utes as
a child. A smart woman, however, Chipeta spoke very little English,
preferring the Indian way of life. By 1860, Ouray, not yet thirty
years of age, became chief of the Ute Indians, including the Uncompahgre
band. The respect he had gained among the Utes, due to his character
and ability to lead, proved to be a power in dealing with the
white man. Ouray saw the increasing mass of gold prospectors heading
over the Continental Divide into Ute territory, and knew the White
Man would soon take over their land.
"We do not want to sell a foot of our land that is the opinion
of our people. The whites can go and take the land and come out
again. We do not want them to build houses here." --- Ouray
A keen, observant man, Ouray understood the extreme differences
between the Indian and white man. Learning the politics of the
white man and knowing the traditions of the Ute Indian, Ouray
knew the Utes might win the battle, but never the war. As chief
of the Ute Mountain Tribune, Ouray chose the diplomatic approach,
rather than a war with the white man.
On March 2, 1868, he struck a deal with his friend, Kit
Carson, a Government Indian agent. The Kit Carson Treaty gave
some six million acres of land to the Utes. In return Ouray and
his people were guaranteed that "no one would pass over the remaining
Ute land." An exception added to the agreement was that roads
and railways would be authorized on the Ute land. So much for
the agreement.
"The Utes Must Go", was the headline in Harpers Weekly, October
30, 1879.
Ouray found himself explaining to his people why they must
leave their land. By 1880 the Ute Mountain Indians were moved
to reservations by the United States government. Gold had been
discovered in Ute territory and the government pushed the Indians
aside, once again.
The Ute Mountain Indian reservation stretched from the
Four Corners area, east to Pagosa Springs; approximately one hundred
ten miles. From the New Mexico border north, the distance was
roughly twenty miles; a mere slip of the original land. The Ute
Mountain Casino occupies part of the land, near present day Cortez.
The Utes for their part, had dealt in good faith. Now they were
confined to a reservation.
In the summer of 1880, Ouray and his wife, Chipeta, journeyed
to the Southern Ute agency at Ignacio. Their intent was to negotiate
once again with the white man. Ouray completed the journey, but
not the mission. Suffering from what the doctors called Brights
Disease, Ouray arrived at Ignacio, a very sick man. Chief Ouray
died on August 24, 1880. The Denver Tribune obituary read:
"In the death of Ouray, one of the historical characters passes
away. He has figured quite prominently. Ouray is in many respects...
a remarkable Indian... pure instincts and keen perception. A friend
to the white man and protector to the Indians."
Today, Ouray, Chief of the Ute Mountain Indians, is immortalized
by a southern Colorado town, a mountain, parks, and memorial gardens.
In death, Ouray found the peace he sought to achieve in life.
Copyright © 2000 Linda
Wommack. All rights reserved
Previous
History page
Main History Page
|
|
|
