2011-12-29_PERMIT FILE - C1981012A (6)

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etc.) evident on the historic survey plats. Five sites have been previously recorded within about one mile tit' the project area: 5LA 1 101 (Allen Mine), SLA 1105 (chapel). 5LA5930 i historic habitation and water control 1eature). 5I.A 10828.2 (a segment of State Highway 12). and 5LA 12804 (a historic trash scatter). Cultural resource investigations in the region have yielded surface diagnostic artifacts and excavated cultural materials consistent with the regional cultural history. Evidence provided by chronometric diagnostic art i flacts and radiocarbon analyses indicate regional occupation during the Palcoindian. Archaic. and Late Prehistoric Eras. An oven iew of the prehistory of the region is provided in the Colorado Council of Professional Archaeologists' publication entitled "Colorado Prehistory: A Context for the Arkansas River Basin" (Zier and Kalasz 1999). The project area is located within the Beaubien and Miranda Land Grant (also known its the Maxwell Land (:rant). Its sizc of 1.7 million acres made it the largest land grant in U.S. history. It encompasses a large tract of` land in New Mexico and the southern portion of [.as Animas County, Colorado. The Grant was originally issued to Charles Beaubien and Guadaloupc Miranda in 1841. Prior to the issuance of the Grant, the land was the territory (it' Apache. Ute. and Comanche Indians. The Governor of New Mexico, Manuel Armijo approved the Grant in the hopes that new settlers would utilize the area*s resources and drive out the Indians (Legends of America 2003). Charles Lucien B. Maxwell. tN ho was married to one of Bcaubicn*s daughters, was a trapper and guide. He is known for leading, Colonel John C. Fremont to California in 1846. Maxwell bought out Miranda and licaubieWs interest in the Grant by 1865 (Legends of America 2003). After this time. it cane under English (1870) and Dutch control (1885) (Keleher 1942:168). Due to homesteaders, the Colorado portion of the Grant was especially fought over. On August 25, 1888, there was a violent incident at Stonewall. Colorado, in which several people were killed. The Maxwell Land Grant Company continued to sue homesteaders. In 1895. the US Supreme Court settled the Russell v. Maxwell Land Grant Company dispute, rejecting the homesteaders claims in favor of the company (Russell v. Maxwell Land Grant Co., 158 11. S. 253). John Rockefeller eventually bought out the Colorado portion of the Grant in I W I through Colorado Fuel and Iron (Sangres.com 2009). In 1862. 12 families moved north from New Mexico to settle the Purgatoire River Valley. west of "Trinidad. Perhaps because of the troubles from the land grant. the area did not support much agriculture. even though it was believed to be well suited for cattle and sheep ranching and logging. An overview of the history of the rcglon can be found in "Colorado I listory: A Context for Historical Archaeology" (C `hurch ct al. 2007) as well as the "Colorado Southern Frontier Historic Context " (Carter and Mchls 1984).