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True Grit

Image of John Wayne and Glen Campbell

True Grit was certainly one of the most famous Westerns ever made. The film was directed by Henry Hathaway, Hollywood director famed for his work on a long string of Westerns most notably in the 1950s and '60s. He worked with the top stars of his day, including Gary Cooper, Randolph Scott, James Cagney, John Wayne, Shirley Temple, and Marilyn Monrose. True Grit's celebrity-studded cast featured Wayne, Glen Campbell, Kim Darby, Robert Duvall, and Dennis Hopper. A 2010 remake of the popular movie featured Jeff Bridges in the lead role, but the original continues to have the most devotees, in large part to John Wayne’s iconic personality.

Spectacular scenery around our charming Colorado town caught the attention of the director of the film that was released in 1969. Ouray County was the main film location with key sets in the movie located right in Ridgway. In six weeks in 1968, the film crew turned the center of this old railroad town into the 1880s-style Fort Smith, Arkansas, complete with Hanging Judge Parker’s three-man gallows. The firehouse now survives as an artist studio, and the livery stable became the post office. The jail wagon, which John Wayne brings back from the Indian Territories, now sits in the front yard of the Ouray County Ranch History Museum, the building that was originally the Old Rio Grande Southern Railroad Depot. A short walk up Clinton Street, past the Sherbino Theater, leads you to the living quarters of Rooster Cogburn.

True Grit Jail Wagon at Ouray County Ranch History Museum

True Grit Walking Tours

The Ridgway Western Heritage Society offers a one-hour True Grit Movie Walking Tour at 3 p.m. every Friday during the season (Memorial Day through Labor Day).

Details


  • Release: June 12, 1969
  • Duration: 128 Minutes
  • Distributed: Paramount
  • Genre: Western

Production Team


  • Director: Henry Hathaway
  • Producer: Hal B. Wallis
  • Written by: Marguerite Roberts
  • Based on True Grit by Charles Portis

Cast


  • John Wayne
  • Kim Darby
  • Glen Campbell
  • Robert Duvall
  • Jeff Corey
  • Dennis Hopper
  • Strother Martin
  • John Fiedler

Related Businesses

Movie Locations

Spectacular scenery around our charming Colorado town, at the foot of the San Juan Mountains, caught the attention of the director of the film True Grit, starring John Wayne as the one-eyed U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn. In 6 weeks in 1969, the film crew turned 5 blocks of the center of this old railroad town into 1880’s Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Ridgway Street Front

| Movie Locations

Be sure to visit the John Wayne themed True Grit Cafe, also on the West side of the Park. Don’t miss the actor and movie memorabilia and a sign painted for the film, which reads “Chamber’s Staple & Fancy Groceries – Fruits & vegetables”. This was an exterior wall that was preserved when the restaurant was built around it!

A short walk up Clinton Street, past the Sherbino Theater, leads you past the building where Rooster Cogburn lived with the Chinaman and his cat.

On the North side of the park, the post office now sits in place of the movie livery stable. The Paddy Wagon, used by Rooster to bring his prisoners for trial, is displayed in Heritage Park on the southwest corner of Hwy 550 and 62. 

Town Park of Ridgway

| Movie Locations

Spectacular scenery around our charming Colorado town, at the foot of the San Juan Mountains, caught the attention of the director of the film True Grit, starring John Wayne as the one-eyed U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn. In 6 weeks in 1969, the film crew turned 5 blocks of the center of this old railroad town into 1880’s Fort Smith, Arkansas. 

Hanging Judge Parker’s 3 man gallows were erected in the town’s beautiful park, where trees were planted by school children more than a hundred years ago , and the park was the location for the triple hanging scene.

On the western edge of the park, the firehouse, which was the original town hall, got an added cupola and new coat of red paint for the occasion. It now survives as an artist studio. Next door to the firehouse, the film company built a beautiful courthouse but this was just a shell: the interior courtroom scenes were filmed in the Ouray County Courthouse, in Ouray, 10 miles to the south.

Be sure to visit the John Wayne themed True Grit Cafe, also on the West side of the Park. Don’t miss the actor and movie memorabilia and a sign painted for the film, which reads “Chamber’s Staple & Fancy Groceries – Fruits & vegetables”. This was an exterior wall that was preserved when the restaurant was built around it!

A short walk up Clinton Street, past the Sherbino Theater, leads you past the building where Rooster Cogburn lived with the Chinaman and his cat.

On the North side of the park, the post office now sits in place of the movie livery stable. The Paddy Wagon, used by Rooster to bring his prisoners for trial, is displayed in Heritage Park on the southwest corner of Hwy 550 and 62. 

This location is adjacent to the Ridgway railroad museum, which is an excellent source of information on the world-famous narrow-gauge railroad heritage of the San Juans. The Old Rio Grande Southern Railroad depot is now a private residence located on Railroad Street across from the tennis courts. It starred as the Independence Hotel in How the West Was Won.

Mattie Ross's Ranch House

| Movie Locations

True Grit begins and ends at the family ranch of young Mattie Ross (Kim Darby), which was filmed at a historic home on Last Dollar Road above Ridgway. In the final scene, John Wayne jumps his horse over a fence and rides off into the distance. The ranch house is very run down but the scenery around it hasn’t changed much and is as gorgeous as it was then.

Please respect the boundaries of this private property but by all means, pull over and snap a few photos! To reach the Ranch, leave Ridgway going West on Hwy 62, and drive over Dallas Divide, which is one of the most photographed locations in Colorado! The left turn on Last Dollar Road (58P), approximately 11 miles from Ridgway, is clearly marked. Stay on this good gravel road for 2.5 miles from the turn off and the ranch will be on the right side of the road. In the winter, the road is not maintained beyond this point.

Katie's Meadow

| Movie Locations

Katie’s Meadow (sometimes called Debbie’s Meadow or Deb’s Meadow), with Chimney Rock in the background, is the site of one of the most memorable scenes from True Grit. This is the location of the climactic showdown between Rooster Cogburn and the outlaws, where Robert Duvall taunts John Wayne by shouting “I call that big talk for a one-eyed fat man!”. Wayne replies, “Fill your hand you son-of-a-bitch!”, takes the reins in his teeth and charges across the meadow with both guns blazing.

True Grit and John Wayne Memorabilia Served with Southwestern Comfort Food

No fan of Western movies, True Grit or John Wayne should leave town without a visit to True Grit Café. Located next to Hartwell Park, the movie set for the film’s gallows, the restaurant is a central place to grab a meal or a refreshing drink while exploring Ridgway. It’s the longest operating business in Ridgway and serves more than 6,000 country fried steaks a year. Plus, John Wayne and True Grit memorabilia fill the walls of the restaurant. Collected from a variety of sources, many were donations, some from children whose fathers had loved John Wayne but passed away and left collectibles.

Besides original movie posters and an oil painting of The Duke, the restaurant has documents showing John Wayne’s complete filmography. There’s a copy of a pen and ink drawing, showing the actor from when he was a young man in Stagecoach to one of his last roles in Rooster Cogburn. A keen eye can find quite a variety of Hollywood Western artifacts from John Wayne collectible plates to a shadowbox with a replica gun and eye patch.

True Grit, a 50-Year Tribute

True Grit: A 50-Year Tribute is a 128-page book that celebrates movie making in Southwest Colorado, the film career of John Wayne, and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the famous movie that won John Wayne his only Oscar.

Available locally at Cimarron Books (Ridgway), Between the Covers (Telluride), Maggie's Books (Montrose), Museum of the Mountain West (Montrose) and the Ouray Bookshop (Ouray). Or buy it at the Ridgway Old West Fest 2020 in September!

You may also purchase mail order from the Ouray Country Ranch History Museum (ocrhm.org) by clicking on their Books and Events page and scroll to the bottom.