Listed record inventories
Selected holdings and indexes for Ouray County, checked against the repository descriptions linked below. Date spans may contain gaps; an index is not a complete set of original records.
Deeds and land
- Assessor Assessor’s Land Book · 2013 archival inventory1919-1931
- Clerk & Recorder Deed of Trust · 2013 archival inventory1877-1887
- Clerk & Recorder Mining Deeds · 2013 archival inventory1877-1893
- Clerk & Recorder Quit Claim Deeds · 2013 archival inventory1876-1887
- Clerk & Recorder Release of Deeds of Trust · 2013 archival inventory1878-1890
- County Clerk Deeds · 2013 archival inventory1887-1887
- Surveyor Field Notes · 2013 archival inventory1877-1884
Census records
County government
- Clerk & Recorder Abstract of Votes · 2013 archival inventory1880-1920; 1918-1962; 1938-1960
- Clerk & Recorder Bonds · 2013 archival inventory1887-1891
- Clerk & Recorder Filed Instruments · 2013 archival inventory1871-1890; 1877-1899; 1877-1920; 1877-1939
- Clerk & Recorder Filings · 2013 archival inventory1878-1959
- Clerk & Recorder Historical Financial Records · 2013 archival inventory1877-1887
- Clerk & Recorder Insurance Policies · 2013 archival inventory1907-1946
- Clerk & Recorder Location Certificates · 2013 archival inventory1878-1893
- Clerk & Recorder Mining Photo · 2013 archival inventory1897
- Clerk & Recorder Monthly Reports · 2013 archival inventory1925-1937
- Clerk & Recorder Reg Cty & Precinct Officers · 2013 archival inventory1891-1919
- Clerk & Recorder Register of Electors · 2013 archival inventory1891-1919
- Clerk & Recorder Revenue Statement · 2013 archival inventory1888
- County Clerk Misc Filings · 2013 archival inventory1877-1893
- Treasurer Semi-Annual Statement · 2013 archival inventory1894-1916
- Treasurer Treasurer’s Report · 2013 archival inventory1941-1956
Marriages, births and deaths
Court records
- Sheriff’s Office Monthly Statements · 2013 archival inventory1935-1955
- County Court Civil & Criminal Cases · 2013 archival inventory1877-1890; 1890-1908; 1909-1915; 1915-1933
- County Court Judge’s Monthly Report · 2013 archival inventory1906-1936
- District Court Civil Cases · 2013 archival inventory1877-1891; 1891-1935
- District Court Criminal Cases · 2013 archival inventory1877-1953
Wills and estates
Naturalization records
See the repository's descriptions and search options
Repository access note: Selected county and court series from the Colorado State Archives 2013 Finding Aids Quick Index. Only unambiguous dated rows marked Open in that historical index are included. That label does not certify current access. Confirm custody and restrictions with the Archives. Spans summarize separate storage units and may contain gaps.
Sources: the catalogs and repository descriptions linked on the entries above. Selected inventories do not establish complete coverage of every record type or online access to original documents. Read the repository access note for source dates and limitations.
Where to find the records
- Ouray County official website
Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the county clerk and recorder and the district court, and any online record search the county offers.
- The county clerk and recorder
Deeds and other land records, and marriage licenses.
- The district court
Probate (wills and estates) in every county but Denver, which has its own probate court, plus divorces and civil cases.
- The Colorado State Archives
In Denver: county and court records, territorial records and indexes.
- Colorado State Archivesfree
The state archives in Denver, with county, court and territorial records and indexes to many of them.
- FamilySearch Catalogfree
Search by place for "Colorado, Ouray" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.
Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.
Boundaries and parent counties
Formed from: San Juan County
Check the parent county for earlier records: San Juan County
Later formed partly from Ouray County: Dolores County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1877, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.
Research tip
A 1907 law set up statewide registration of births and deaths in Colorado; the state's own records begin with deaths in 1900 and births in 1910. Before 1861 the area was part of Kansas, Nebraska, Utah and New Mexico territories, so an early settler's records can be in any of them.