Mining operators in the San Juan Mountains area of Colorado formed the San Juan District Mining Association (SJDMA) in 1903, as a direct result of a Western Federation of Miners proposal to the Telluride Mining Association for the eight-hour day, which had been approved in a referendum by 72 percent of Colorado voters.

[6] The SJDMA refused to consider any reduction in hours or increase in wages, helping to provoke a bitter strike.

[7] The highest point in Ouray County is Mount Sneffels, at 14,150 feet above sea level.

Other prominent features in Ouray County include Log Hill Mesa and Pleasant Valley.

Between 1944 and 2004, it transformed into a Republican stronghold, with Lyndon B. Johnson being the only Democrat to win the county in his 1964 landslide, with Republicans frequently getting 50-60% of the vote, even reaching more than 70% in Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan's 49-state landslides in 1972 and 1984.

However, starting with Barack Obama's victory in 2008, Ouray County has transformed into a Democratic powerhouse, with Joe Biden winning it by almost 20 points in 2020.

For statistical purposes, the U.S. Census Bureau has defined three of these as census-designated places (CDP).

The home rule municipalities are the city of Ouray and town of Ridgway, also the most populous settlements in the county.

Along with Loghill, Portland and Colona serve as census-designated places within Ouray County.

The other unincorporated communities within the county are Camp Bird, Dallas, Thistledown, and Eldredge.

Colona, Eldredge, and Dallas are located in the northern reaches of the county along U.S. Highway 550, though Eldredge and Dallas are located within the valleys of the San Juan Mountains while Colona is in the short stretch of the Uncompahgre Valley within Ouray County.

The historic towns of Sneffels and Ironton are located further west from Camp Bird and south of Ouray, respectively.