Ouray, Colorado lies in a natural amphitheatre in the upper Uncompahgre Valley in the northern portion of the San Juan Mountains at an elevation of 2,380 meters (7,800 ft.), Uncompahgre being a Ute Indian word for “hot water”. The town was incorporated in 1876 only a year after mining began in the area. Mining activity has been erratic and depends upon market conditions for gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc, the primary minerals found in the area