La Plata County commissioners have memorialized the late Jimmy R. Newton Jr., chairman of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, by designating County Road 322 in his honor.
The sign for Jimmy R. Newton Jr. Road will be unveiled in a ceremony at 2 p.m. Tuesday at County Road 322 and Colorado Highway 172. The public is invited.
In the future, the road can be referred to by either name, similar to County Road 250, which also is known as East Animas Road.
After the ceremony, refreshments will be served in the Hall of Warriors in the Leonard C. Burch Tribal Administration Building, 356 Ouray Drive in Ignacio.
Newton, the youngest-ever tribal chairman of the Southern Ute nation, died March 31, 2014. He was 37.
“The naming of the road, that is going to mean a lot to the people of La Plata County, the people of the Southern Ute Tribe and the visitors,” James M. Olguin, a member of the Tribal Council, said at a March meeting of the county commissioners.
Newton served on the Tribal Council for more than 10 years.
daler@durangoherald.com