Town of Ridgway benefits from late actor’s dream

RIDGWAY — Tucked beneath the rugged San Juan mountain range, beside the flowing Uncompahgre River, residents of Ridgway gathered to remember one man,  and to celebrate his generous offerings.

The family of Dennis Weaver, a longtime resident of Ridgway and well known Hollywood actor, hosted a ceremony Saturday evening in which a 60-acre park was given to the town of Ridgway. The area of land is now known as the Dennis Weaver Memorial Park.

“Dennis never liked to talk about himself,” Gerry Weaver said of her late husband. “He was humble and shy, but he let me talk about him.”

Gerry described her husband as an environmentalist, and explained that donating the land was a dream of his for as long as 18 years before his death.

After Dennis passed away a year and a half ago, Gerry and their three sons, Rick, Rob and Rusty and their families decided to make his dream of protecting the land, as well as the Uncompahgre River, come true.

“It’s obviously a very positive thing for the town of Ridgway as a whole,” Mayor Pro Tem John Clark said. “It’s a wonderful thing to be happening in the memory of Dennis.”

On Saturday evening, Gerry took to the stage beneath a huge white tent to tell her stories to the people of Ridgway, as well as convey her gratitude to those who helped make Dennis’s dream come true.

Her husband’s love for eagles quickly became the main theme of the ceremony, as the hard to miss 2,800 pound bronzed American bald eagle was often referenced.

As described by Dennis’s son Rusty, the bald eagle memorial was positioned in such a way that if one stands at the right place on the longest day of the year, they will be able to view the sun rising directly over the statue.

The giant memorial will be engraved with a poem written by Dennis titled ‘Eagle Poem.’

Concert artist Cathy Bolton, a friend of the Weaver family, put Dennis’s ‘Eagle Poem’ to music, and performed the song at the ceremony.

Town leaders expressed their appreciation to the Weaver family at Saturday’s ceremony, and vowed that Dennis’s environmental efforts would never be forgotten.

“We’re all so happy that Dennis Weaver and his posse rode into town 20 years ago and left his mark,” Pat Willits, Mayor of Ridgway said. “He’s the citizen of the planet. It’s an unbelievable gift for the town of Ridgway and the county of Ouray.”

Gerry explained that the park is now open to those who intend to preserve the land and the river, including those among the likes of “lovers, kayakers, picnickers, and fly fishers,” and excluding “polluters, looters,” and people of those sorts.

The 60-acre park is only a portion of the land being donating in the memory of Dennis. The family also intends to form a conservation-oriented, low density “green” housing development that will be known as RiverSage on the remaining 115 acres of land, which lies about 2 miles north of Ridgway.

Dennis was an actor for 55 years, known for his role in the television’s longest running series, “Gunsmoke,” as well as movies like “Touch of Evil,” “Dragnet,” and “Ten Wanted Men.”

Contact Marissa Brunner via e-mail at marissab@montrosepress.com