Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-12-05
THE LAS ANIMAS
LAND GRANT,
The Supreme Court Has Rejected
ALI of the Additional
Claims.
TITLE OF SETTLERS CLEAR.
Several Of the Richest Counties and Cities
in Colorado Involved-Th Grant
Had Been Made to Two
Western Pioneers

The United States supreme court has
rendered an opinion in the case of the
Las Animas Land Grant company versus
the United States, an appeal from the
decision of the court of private land
claims, which refused to take jurisdlc-
tion in the case on the ground that the
grant had been disposed of by congress
prior to the enactment of the law Great
ing the court of private land claims. The
supreme court opinion affirmed that YER
dict. The claim covers about 1000, 600
acres of land in southeastern Colorado.
The grant was made to two pioneers of
the west named Vigil and st. Vrain.
The Las Animas grant is bounded on
the north by the valley of the Arkansas,
on the west it is bounded by the dividing
range, and its southern boundary follows
the Sangre de Cristo mountains. The
eastern boundary extends down the Pur-
gatory. river to its confluence with the
Arkansas. 1t includes the principal
portions of the counties of Pueblo, Ote-
ro. Bent, Las Animas and Huerfano.
The list of towns embraces Trinidad,
Las Animas, La Junta, Rocky Ford,
Walsenburg, La Veta and scores of
smaller communities. The area covers
more than 1900, 600 acres and the actual
value of the tract is almost beyond the
power of figures to express.
The Las Animas grant, also known as
the Vigil and st. Vrain grant from the
names of the two persons to whom it was
made, was issued over the signature of
the last governor of New Mexico, pre-
vious to the ceSsion of the territory to
the Union. The name of the governor
was Armijo. New Mexico at that time
extended to the Arkansas river, and the
grant, made on account of favors extend
ed by Colonel st. Vrain and others,
whose names do not appear in the origi-
nal instrument, was one of the largest
ever issued to private citizens under the
Mexican regime. 1t included nearly all
the area east of the mountains, south of
the Arkansas and north of the present
line of New Mexico.
In 1860 congress passed an act dispos-
ing of number of grants which had
been made by Mexican authority. The
Las Animas grant was so large that the
committee advocated a concession of
90 square leagues to the two principal
claimants, embracing an area@of abent
100, 900 acres The act was passed pro-
viding for the disposition of the area to
persons to whom deeds or promises had
been made by the original claimants.
Under this act Colonel Craig got nearly
70, 900 acres and little was left of the
100, 900 for others. The vast area out
side of the selection made for the 100, ,00C
acres was thrown open to settlement as
government land. Complicated legal
questions arose, and after the court of
land claims was instituted, it was argued
that the court had Jurisdiction over
the Las Animas grant and that the act
of congress had left loopholes fatal to
the claims of settlers. The action of
the supreme court removes all clouds on
titles within the grant boundaries.
There were four cases on the land court
docket for the grant. One was by Thomas
j. Allen, ct al; second by George w.
Thompson, ct al; the third by the Las
Animas Land Grant company and the
fourth by Louise J. Purdy ct al. In the
first two cases named the area of the
grant was claimed to be 80 square miles
or 4, ,O96, ,345. 7s acres; and in the last two
3,64O, ,465.21 acres.