LAND DEEDS FROM COLORADO TERRITORY COAL BOOM
A collection of eight warranty and quit claim deeds dating from the mid-1800s tracking the transfer of lands in Weld County, Colorado Territory during the coal boom. The “black gold” was discovered near the town of Erie in Weld County in 1866, attracting miners from the eastern United States, Mexico, Europe, and even Japan who flocked to the region and quickly established a town on the front range of the Rockies.
At the vanguard of this boom was Ira Austin (1801-93), who was born in New York and initially moved to Illinois to become a sheep rancher. He joined the California Gold Rush and made his fortune, which he used to finance his explorations for gold in Colorado. In 1866, he purchased 1400 acres of land near Erie and discovered a large coal vein. He and his son Schuyler opened their first official coal mine in 1876.
This small collection includes a series of documents that record Austin’s efforts to quickly buy up land in the region. They Include:
A quit claim deed dated June 13, 1867 between William Sites of Gilpin County and Ira Austin for $300 for the purchase of a 160-acre parcel of land in Weld County.
A quit claim deed dated June 13, 1867 between Matthias Simons of Gilpin County and Ira Austin for $300 for the purchase of a 160-acre parcel of land in Weld County.
A quit claim deed dated June 13, 1867 between Eugene Wilder of Gilpin County and Ira Austin for $300 for the purchase of a 160-acre parcel of land in Weld County.
A warranty deed dated June 18, 1867 between Lucinda Austin (his wife) and Schuyler Austin (his son) to Ira Austin for the purchase of 160 acres in Weld County for $300.
It appears Austin was not interested in mining in the long term, and hopeful to cash in on his discovery. This collection includes a single page handwritten agreement dated July 20, 1867 and signed by Ira Austin, confirming he received $12,500 of the $50,000 he was owed for land in Weld County to be sold on his behalf by the Colorado Coal Company. The collection also includes a quit claim deed dated June 1, 1872 between David H. Moffat Jr., Trustee of the Denver Land Association, Arapaho County, and the Colorado Coal Company, which paid Moffat $6,633.27 for land described in the deed.
In addition to the property transactions of Austin, this collection includes two documents concerning land purchased by Henry Briggs, who was born in New York in 1828 and owned and operated Erie’s first commercial coal mine, the Briggs Mine. They include a quit claim deed dated January 28, 1868 between John Hadley, James Kissell, Morton Thornberg, and Ruphus Chambers for 640 acres of property in Weld County purchased by Henry Briggs for $4,000, and a warranty deed from Thomas J. Jacobs to Henry Briggs dated May 1, 1868 concerning the sale of property in Weld County for $500.
The deeds are folded in half horizontally and thirds vertically with official stamps, seals, and signatures. They are all a bit soiled and toned, but otherwise in very good condition. Item #73235
Price: $350.00