Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-12-19

dating the war of the revolution. In
this connection it should be mentioned,
that the various legal contests touching
the grant ended sometime since, and
that the land is now held under United
States patent, SO that purchasers may
be assured in all cases OF clear title,
with not even a remote possibility OF
contest from any source.
The grant was part of the Spanish
conquest in the new world, and, as such,
in the course of events, came under the
Mexican Republic in common with other
territory lost by the Spanish crown.
Sometime prior to the war with the
United States, Mexico granted the tract
with which we have to do, to two of it's
citzens-Carlos Beaubien and Guada-
lupe Miranda, for purposes of colonial
ton. Beaubien was Frenchman OF
hardy and adventurous spirit, who had
travelled over every foot OF the west as a
representative of the American Fur Com
pany, trading with the Indians, and Sc
curing valuable furs for song in which
he made several fortunes.
Another representative Of this same
company was Lucien B. Maxwell. nat
i've of Illinois, who had found with the
fur company congenial occupation
guide, trapper, hunter, trader, and with
al a man of shrewd business instincts.
He was close friend of Kit Carson's,
and knew slightly Beaubien and his
companion. Returning from trip to
California as guide for John G. Fremont,
Maxwell leased small tract of land
from Beaubien in the foothills of the
Taos mountains, on the Rayado river,
about eighteen miles from what is now
the town of Springer, and included in
the ranch now owned by Jesus Abreu,
and settled down to ranch life. Close by
was the home of Beaubien, and in due
time the old trapper's daughter became
the wife of Maxwell, who, upon the death
of his father in law few months later,
purchased Miranda's interest in the
grant, together with that of the few
Beauben heirs, and thus became sole
owner of the grant and the largest land
owner in America.
In due time 1T passed intact into the
possession of the present company, the
title being confirmed by congress in
1860, and government patent following
in 1879. The patent was confirmed by
the United States supreme court in
1887, and in addition to patent title.
warranty deeds are given in all cases of
purchase by the owners.
The Colorado portion OF the grant
contains 258.422 acres, and consists of
valuable coal, mineral timber and agri-
cultural land. For the farming land an
abundant water supply for purposes of
irrigation can be obtained from the
South and Middle forks of the Purga-
toire river. Three hundred bushels of
potatoes and thirty five bushels of wheat
to the acre is the average yield of this
soil, which could no doubt be increased
by modern methods of agriculture,
which are not in vogue in many parts of
Colorado. Much of the land is known
to contain valuable deposits of coal, and
there is large area of yellow pine, and
growing timber. A number of saw mills
have been erected on this rich belt, and
the city of Trinidad gets it's timber sup
ply from this source. On the mineral
lands in this section what little prospect
ing that has been done shows encourag
ing results and proves the existence of
gold, silver, copper and iron in paying
quantities. Granite and sandstone quar-
ries have been opened, and the product is
of especially fine quality, as may be seen
from an eight-story block in Denver,
and also in many of the large buildings
in Trinidad.
1t is in New Mexico, however, that the
larger portion of this immense tract lies,
and it is here that development has been
the most rapid.