Ute Country

Southern Utes
The hub of Southern Ute Indian tribal life is in the community of Ignacio ("ig-na-she-o"), which sits in beautiful, rolling terrain. Bordering Colorado and New Mexico, the reservation is a 15-by-73-mile strip. The reservation opened up for homesteading in the late 1800s. Non-Indians settled most of the best farm, timber and range land, leaving only 411,000 acres for the tribe. This land has turned out to be among some of the most valuable land in La Plata County, owing to its richness in oil and gas.

Ute Mountain Utes
Occupying the northeast corner of the Four Corners, the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation offers visitors varied recreational opportunities. The Ute Mountain Casino near Towaoc (“toy-yock”) provides an exciting gaming experience, with bingo, blackjack, poker, generous slots and a popular restaurant. The Ute Mountain Tribal Park, rich in Ancestral Puebloan sites, occupies a portion of the mesa. Native American guides provide tours into the remote canyons, giving visitors a glimpse of the ruins sitting silent as they have for centuries.