Colorado: Its Resources, Parks, and Prospects as a New Field for Emigration; With an Account of the Trenchera and Costilla Estates, in the San Luis Park
London: Sampson, Low, Son, and Marston, 1869. 4to (10.75 x 8.5 inches). 217 pages. Oval bust portrait albumen photograph of William Gilpin, Governor of Colorado, mounted as frontispiece (mount foxed). Large folding map: "Map of the Trenchara and Costilla Estates forming the Sangre de Christo Grant Situate in San Luis Valley Colorado Territory," 25.5 x 20 inches sheet (some light toning along folds, one tiny hole, and a short tear along one fold, generally fine). Original green blind-paneled cloth, gilt-lettered on front cover. Rebacked to match, some foxing at beginning and end, not affecting text. Item #406280
First trade edition, published after the exceedingly scarce privately printed edition (see below). Blackmore was a visionary Englishman with a plan for developing southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. His work as an ethnologist was considerable, and his collection of American Indian material is now at the British Museum. The fine map was featured in 'Nothing is Long Ago: A Documentary History of Colorado 1776-1975': "This map shows the largest of those grants in Colorado that were later confirmed by the United States, the Sangre de Christo grant, comprising 1,000,000 acres in the San Luis Valley. The grant was made to Stephen Luis Lee and his 12-year-old nephew Narcisco Beaubien in 1843. Narcisco's father, Carlos Beaubien, was already half owner of an adjoining 1,700,000 acres, later called the Maxwell Grant. Carlos came into possession of the Sangre de Christo grant after his son and brother-in-law were killed in the Taos revolt of 1847." This important map is not in Wheat or Phillips.
The book was published in various forms, with varying numbers of photographs and paginations. It was first published in a very rare privately printed edition. The later trade edition, published as here by Sampson Low, is usually found with five or fewer photographs. Adams Herd 272; Graff 318; Howes C-607; Margolis & Sandweiss, To Delight the Eye 2; Sabin 14735; Wilcox, p.5; Wynar 2025.
Price: $1,250.00