Free walking tours Fridays & during Railroad Days
Visit Ridgway during fall colors and festivities!
Visit Ridgway during fall colors and festivities!
Visit Ridgway during fall colors and festivities!
There are free True Grit walking tours at 12pm and 2pm on Railroad Days, Saturday, Sept 21.
Please arrive at the Gazebo in Hartwell Park 15 minutes early.
Festival partners include the Ouray County Ranch History Museum and the Ridgway Railroad Museum, both who are planning events for the same weekend. The Railroad Museum will be offering r
There are free True Grit walking tours at 12pm and 2pm on Railroad Days, Saturday, Sept 21.
Please arrive at the Gazebo in Hartwell Park 15 minutes early.
Festival partners include the Ouray County Ranch History Museum and the Ridgway Railroad Museum, both who are planning events for the same weekend. The Railroad Museum will be offering rides on the Galloping Goose and special tours of railroad cars.
Custom guided tours are available in the summer at at $10 per adult. To schedule, email
Ridgway’s film history is conveyed by the downtown tour showing where True Grit was filmed, and the seven plaques that commemorate the nine filming sites. (Two plaques in Ouray—at the courthouse and The Outlaw—are not on the tour.)
In 2022, this tour was recognized nationally when it was named readers' choice for best historical town tour by True West magazine.
Most tours are now free, but attendees may make donations, if they wish, to help us cover advertising costs.
TRUE GRIT AUDIO WALKING TOUR
If the time of our guided tours is not convenient, the True Grit audio tour is now available for $11.99. The audio file can be downloaded to your phone or other portable device. Ideally two people may listen to the recording, sharing a set of earbuds, as they stroll between the downtown filming locations. Take our walking tour at your own convenience. Click here to purchase: https://gesso.fm/collections/true-grit-walking-tour
Ponies in the Park project
Visit Ridgway during fall colors and festivities!
Visit Ridgway during fall colors and festivities!
Public outdoor art events such as “Cows on Parade” have been successfully held all over the world for decades to the delight of millions of people. Other examples include “Pronghorn Pride” (Rawlins, Wyo.), “Frogs on the Rocks” (Bainbridge Island, Wash.), “What a Hoot” (Coxsacken, Ky.), and “Horses in the City” (Shawnee, Okla.).
“Ponies i
Public outdoor art events such as “Cows on Parade” have been successfully held all over the world for decades to the delight of millions of people. Other examples include “Pronghorn Pride” (Rawlins, Wyo.), “Frogs on the Rocks” (Bainbridge Island, Wash.), “What a Hoot” (Coxsacken, Ky.), and “Horses in the City” (Shawnee, Okla.).
“Ponies in the Park” will be one of Ouray County’s signature events for the 2026 celebration of Colorado’s Sequicentennial, our 150th anniversary of statehood. The event will be available for viewing 24-7 for the entire summer of 2026.
How it works
Blank white fiberglass molds of a local animal are manufactured and shipped to the host location. Our Colorado-150 Local Organizing Committee has chosen horses as the best theme for Ouray County. Local artists will creatively paint and decorate the horses for display in public places for the summer. Horses will be auctioned off for a Ouray County charity(s) related to Colorado-150 themes in the fall. A portion of the proceeds will be awarded to the artist.
Venues
Hartwell Park is the primary location with satellite locations along Sherman St., Clinton St., the fairgrounds, library, and Ranch History Museum. In addition, some “strays” could be displayed at Fellin Park near the Ouray city pool to promote the event and encourage people to stop in Ridgway.
Associated events
We anticipate having opening and closing receptions plus an on-line auction coupled with a live auction at the conclusion of the event. There will likely be a “People’s Choice” award.
Budget
Each life-size horse costs $1,500 and we would need to have at least 15 animals for a worthy event. A budget of $30,000 is necessary to cover associated costs such as shipping, and advertising. We will need to secure funds by July, 2025 through contributions raised through grants, businesses, organizations, and individuals (via local collection jars, GoFundMe and a website).
Benefits
This proposal offers the single best opportunity for Ridgway and Ouray County to capitalize on the Colorado 150—America 250 celebration with a high profile event that will be a significant tourist attraction for 2026.
People who encounter the event will linger in town longer than they otherwise would have to discover and view all the horses. They will get to know Ridgway better and many will likely eat in local restaurants and make other purchases. By partnering with the additional national publicity generated by the state tourism office for the 2026 celebrations, we will maximize the potential visitation far beyond what we could promote on our own.
This event will generate excitement by local residents for this and other Colorado 150—America 250 events. Few other undertakings could offer a better opportunity to unite Ouray County residents in a common endeavor.
Artistic themes will reflect how our geography, history and cultures have shaped today’s Colorado.
Ponies in the Park is likely to be remembered and talked about for many years to come.
Mission
Visit Ridgway during fall colors and festivities!
Mission
The Ridgway Western Heritage Society celebrates Ridgway, Colorado's film, ranching and railroad heritage, and Western arts & culture.
The Society's primary goal is to provide education about Ridgway's film history, with emphasis on the True Grit walking tour.
HISTORY
The first annual Ridgway Old West Fest in 2019 celebrated Ridgway, Colorado
The Ridgway Western Heritage Society celebrates Ridgway, Colorado's film, ranching and railroad heritage, and Western arts & culture.
The Society's primary goal is to provide education about Ridgway's film history, with emphasis on the True Grit walking tour.
HISTORY
The first annual Ridgway Old West Fest in 2019 celebrated Ridgway, Colorado's brief transformation into Fort Smith, Arkansas, for the filming of True Grit. 2019 marked the 50th anniversary of the release of True Grit, for which John Wayne won his only Academy Award. The famous director Henry Hathaway brought the True Grit cast and crew to Ridgway & Ouray County in late summer of 1968.
Our wonderful book,
True Grit: A 50-Year Tribute has been reprinted. Updated with new material and photos it is available through the Ouray County Ranch History Museum. Check the OCRHM.org for hours.
SCULPTURES WANTED: Know of a John Wayne sculpture someone is trying to find a home for? We would love to have you donate it to the Ouray County Ranch History Museum. Contact Joan Chismire, 970.316.1085, JChismire@gmail.com.