Ridgway in Ouray County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
True Grit Landmark #2
Gallows
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 18, 2025
1. True Grit Landmark #2 Marker
After finding the mortuary closed with the undertaker gone to the triple hanging, Mattie joins the enthusiastic crowd to watch. The gallows was erected just west of this sign. Although he was not listed in the credits, Jay Silverheels, who played Tonto in the 1949-1957 Lone Ranger TV series, was the middle one of the three condemned men.
Ridgway Sites:
1 Railroad Depot 2 Gallows 3 Livery Stable 4/5 Undertaker & Chen Lee's Place
6 Courthouse Facade 7 True Grit Cafe 8/9 Saloon & Grocery, Jail Wagon
Ouray Sites:
10 Ouray County Courthouse 11 Outlaw Restaurant
Order sites appear in movie: 8, 1, 2, 4, 6, 10, 9, 5, 3
Erected by Jenny Cheek, Larry Harley, Weaver Family Foundation, Ouray County Ranch History Museum & Ridgway Chamber of Commerce. (Marker Number 2.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment. A significant historical year for this entry is 1969.
Location. 38° 9.108′ N, 107° 45.33′ W. Marker is in Ridgway, Colorado, in Ouray County. It can be reached from North Railroad Street just north of Sherman Street (State Highway 62),
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in the Western Slope. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: History of Ridgway / Gateway to the San Juans (within shouting distance of this marker); True Grit Landmark #1 (within shouting distance of this marker); True Grit Jail Wagon (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); True Grit Landmark #7 (about 300 feet away); True Grit Landmark #6 (about 300 feet away); True Grit Landmark #3 (about 300 feet away); Ridgway Depot Outbuilding (about 300 feet away); RGS Coach 252 Restoration (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ridgway.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 18, 2025
2. True Grit Landmark #2 Marker
Looking northwest through Hartwell Park. North Lena Street crosses in the background.
Also see . . .
1. True Grit (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: True Grit is a 1969 American Western film directed by Henry Hathaway and produced by Hal B. Wallis. Starring John Wayne as U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn, the story follows Marshal Cogburn and Texas Ranger La Boeuf (Glen Campbell) as they are hired by a young girl, Mattie Ross (Kim Darby), to apprehend the outlaw who killed her father.(Submitted on August 27, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Filming took place mainly in Ouray County, Colorado, in the vicinity of Ridgway, around the town of Montrose, and the town of Ouray. (The script maintains the novel's references to place names in Arkansas and Oklahoma, in dramatic contrast to the Colorado topography.)
2. True Grit Filming Locations (Movie-locations.com).
Excerpt: Mattie Ross is in town following the murder of her father, determined to pursue the killer herself if necessary. The station faced a pleasant grassy park, less pleasant once Mattie witnesses the hanging of three men. The green square, where the gallows were erected for the film, is Hartwell Park, still recognizable as the center of the town. On the opposite side of the park to the station, the buildings along North Lena Street stood in for the main street of Fort Smith.(Submitted on August 27, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on August 27, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 26, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 99 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 27, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
