Albuquerque evening citizen., 1907-01-28
(By George Baker Anderson)
In out West

promineCe which this paper affords II;
(By George Baker Anderson.)
In out West.
During the first half of the seven
teenth century. when the island of
Manhattan was for the most part
virgin wilderness. and before even
the far-seeing British government
considered the lands bordering upon
the now historic Hudson as worthy
of the stretching out of a hand. the
government of the Netherlands-
equally Indifferent as to what became
of the wild country TO the north, fit
only for fur-trading operations, as 1t
be!ieved-granted to one of its sub
jects a large tract of land bordering
upon that river. comforting upon him
practically sovereign rights therein.
Thus did Eillaen Van Rensselaer,, a
wealthy diamond merchant of Ans
terdam. become the first PATRON
of the Manor of Rensselaerwyck,"
a vaguely described body of land en-
bracing somewhere in the neighbor-
hood of a thousand square miles.
While the Manor of Rensselaer,
wyck was to all intents and purposes
essentially "a feudal estate. as much
so as a European barony of that day,
Van Rensselaer,, the PATRON, or lord,
never saw IL, but continued to live
in civilized luxury in his home in the
Netherlands, leaving the administra-
ton of this estate to his agents, and
many to those who became his heirs.
other manors were founded-in New
York, in Pennsylvania and in New
Jersey-but Rensselaerwyck was the
only one which endured. even
throughout the long period elapsing
between the time of the British oc-
cupation of New Amsterdam or
Manhattan. and the years Immediate
ly preceding the revolution.
From the days when the Manor of
Rensselaerwyck flourished up to the
closing years of the Mexican oc-
cupation and control of what is now
the American territory of New Mex
leo a period covering about two
centuries-further attempts at plant
ing and. with a legal status. main
tanning quas-feudal estates were
signalized. for the most part by dis
mai failure. 1t remained for Lucian
Benjamin Maxwell. a native of Kas-
kaskia. ILL.,, and one of the most
tain frontier, to found a successful
American barony. This was the fam
Gus Maxwell ranch" or Maxwell
Land Grant, as it is more common
ly known i'm these days. a body of
land, which, under the shrewd ma
nipulation of capitalists and poll
ticians. grew in one generation from
a relatively insignificant tract. locat-
al ra-tra ii zah hn nj hnr
ing upon the Red river i'm northern
New Mexico, to an estate equal in
extent to something less than three
times the area OF Rhode Island. The
original grant was limited by law to
twenty-five square leagues. but in
the documents giving judicial possess
sion the alcande described boundaries
which included over four hundred
square leagues. Within this princi-
pality were included between three
and four hundred thousand acres of
rich coal lands-the greatest unbrok-
en- body of that mineral in the Uni
ted States.
In 1923 Charles Hipolyte Beaubien,
a French Canadian, visited the prov
inee of Nueva Mejico. in company
with a number of his fellow country
might find an opportunity of invest
ing his money with better prospects
Of profit than the east afforded.
About that time Guadalupe Miranda,
of Juarez, then known as "Paso del
Norte," Mexico, received from the
generous paternal republic of Mex
leo a grant to a tract lying in the
southern part of what is now Col
~.
and Miranda entered into a partner
ship for the operation of the priv
ileges accompanying this grant, the
former finally purchasing of Miriam
ia his interest therein, holding the
entire property until 1876 In the
latter year Beaubien removed from
Taos. which had been his home for
twenty-three years, to the Cimarron-
cito, and found Maxwell located a
short distance north of the famous
Abreu ranch, where a company OF
United States regulars were station
ed for the protection of traffic over
the Santa Fe trail.
AT this time Maxwell was herding
sheep in primitive way. About one
hundred and fifty yards south of his
rude adobe hut stood a house built
by Kit Carson, and then occupied by
him. The two men, having much I'm
common-both lovers of the free, ad-
Venturous life which the mountains
offered-soon became fast friends
and remained so until death separat.
ed them. MaXwells sheep multi
piled. and as the years rolled by his
wealth increased so rapidly that, IL
spite of his prohigacy, he could no
rid himself of the burden It seemed
10 impose. He tried gambling, but
although IL Is said that he neye
stacked the cards" his poker play
ing served only to add to his accumu
lation of treasure.
At this time the whole region be
tween "El Pueblo" I'm Colorado. an,
Fernando de Taos. i'm New Mexico
was almost unbroken-certainly un
explored, excepting those portion
traversed by the few traders travel
ing between Santa Fe and the Mis-
souri, river. But every trader, ever!
majordomo, every teamster, ever,
soldier who passed over this part o
the trail knew Maxwell, and mos
OF them were known to him b!
name
Charles Beaubien died February 10
1864. and Maxwell purchased tn
grant from the heirs, becoming IL
sole proprietor. All restrictions as 4
the grazing OF sheep now being re
moved. his wealth increased at
still greater rate. He had built 70
himself a great house at Cimarron
and here he continued to entertain