The early residents of the Ignacio area were the Ute
Indians, primarily the Weminuche band. Their traditional
territory extended west of the continental divide
to the Blue Mountains and canyon lands of southeast
Utah, and north of the San Juan River, which generally
marked their boundary with the Navajos.
Although the boundaries of the Ute Reservation have
changed with the passing of various treaties, the
Ignacio Agency for the Southern Ute Tribe was founded
in 1877 amidst a permanent population of Spanish Americans
(Hispanics), Navajos, Paiutes, Anglos and Jicarilla
Apaches living in the area. Within a few months of
the foundation of the Ignacio Agency, a greater influx
of Spanish American settlers arrived from communities
in northern New Mexico and the San Luis Valley to
the east.
In 1913, Ignacio was incorporated. At present Ignacio
remains a tri-ethnic community, composed of Southern
Utes, Hispanics and Anglos. Today the town serves
as a supply center for the surrounding reservation
and ranches and is a crossroads for the gas and oil
industry. The Southern Ute Tribal Headquarters is
located just north of the town limits and provides
administration and services to tribal members. Services
and facilities provided by the Tribe are, for the
most part, separate from those supplied by the Town
of Ignacio and are not specifically addressed in this
profile.
To access the official Town of Ignacio website,
click
here.
