Ridgway in Ouray County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
True Grit Landmark #4 & #5
Undertaker & Chen Lee's Place
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 18, 2025
1. True Grit Landmark #4 & #5 Marker
This was the mortuary, labeled R. Ryan Embalmer on the window, where Mattie identified her father's body. The stone building west of the Sherbino at 620 Clinton St. was Chen Lee's general store/living quarters, where Cogburn boarded. There Mattie meets Cogburn's “father” Chen Lee and “nephew” General Sterling Price, a tomcat named for a Confederate Civil War hero.
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 4 & 5.)
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° 9.152′ N, 107° 45.415′ W. Marker is in Ridgway, Colorado, in Ouray County. It is on Clinton Street just west of North Lena Street, on
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: True Grit Landmark #3 (within shouting distance of this marker); True Grit Landmark #6 (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); True Grit Landmark #7 (about 300 feet away); True Grit Landmark #2 (about 500 feet away); True Grit Landmark #1 (about 500 feet away); History of Ridgway / Gateway to the San Juans (about 600 feet away); True Grit Jail Wagon (about 700 feet away); Ridgway Railroad Museum (about 700 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. True Grit
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 18, 2025
2. True Grit Landmark #4 & #5 Marker
The marker is mounted on the column on the left side of the façade.
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:… on Clinton Street, you’ll immediately recognize the old Bank Building, 523 Clinton Street, as the exterior of “R Ryan – Embalmer,” the undertaker where Mattie views her father’s body. When Cogburn takes Mattie back to his place for a meal, you’ll see they pass the Bank Building and continue up Clinton Street,(Submitted on August 27, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)across Cora Street and past the Sherbino Theater. Next door but one to the theatre, is “Chen Lee’s” store, behind which Cogburn has his make-do digs.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 18, 20253. True Grit Landmark #4 — R. Ryan Embalmer (Bank Building)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 18, 2025
4. True Grit Landmark #5 — Chen Lee’s Place (Chiropractor)
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 73 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 27, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
