Monday, November 24, 2025

Question: The town of Gunnison is named after what historical figure?

Answer: Like Gunnison County and the Gunnison River, the town of Gunnison bears the name of John W. Gunnison, a U.S. Army officer and explorer tasked in 1853 with finding a railroad route through the Rocky Mountains. During the expedition, Gunnison explored much of the Western Slope and created the first written description of the imposing Black Canyon, which he called “the roughest, most hilly and most cut up” he’d ever seen.