The Uncompahgre Chapter, NSDAR, was chartered on November 1, 1909, just a few years after Montrose, Colorado, was founded in 1882. These DAR ladies were instrumental in acquiring the land where Chief Ouray and Chipeta had settled, later donating the land to History Colorado where the historic Ute Museum was established. On October 18, 1956, the previous DAR chapter was disbanded.
In 1993, a group of ladies decided to charter a new DAR chapter in this region. Because they could not use the same chapter name, and as they were drawing members from the entire Uncompahgre Valley, they asked for (and were granted) the same name, by just adding the word “Valley”; and what a great valley it is, encompassing the Uncompahgre Plateau, the Uncompahgre River, and Uncompahgre Peak in the nearby San Juan Mountains.
The Uncompahgre Ute Indians left their legacy in the name “Uncompahgre” pronounced Un-com-PAH-gray, and means “Where Water Makes Rock Red.”