Beschreibung:

1p, 4.75 x 7.75", Fort Sumner, NM, 1 June 1884, signed Peter Maxwell. Note to Browne and Manzanares in Las Vegas (NM) regarding an offer for wool by Friedman & Bros. Maxwell tells his representatives that he is not up-to-date on the wool market, so if they think that is a good price, they can deliver the wool to them, and confirms the amount of wool they should have on hand. Second item is a Map of the Beaubien and Mirand or Maxwell Grant in Colorado and New Mexico, Patented May 19th, 1879....Compiled from the Original Plats in the Surveyor General's office at Santa Fe, New Mexico and from private Surveys by the Maxwell Land Grant Company, 1889. 20 x 23.5", hand-colored outlines, Maxwell grant in pink. Two areas have been noted within the grant, noted as Raton Coal & Coke Co. mines. Small area colored in yellow to south. The Maxwell Grant was the largest ever held. Originally two grants to Charles Beaubien and Guadaloupe Miranda from the Mexican government in 1841, through marriage (Lucien Maxwell to Luz Beaubien) and misfortune (primarily the deaths of descendants), as well as purchase, the grants came into the hands of Maxwell by 1857. Lucien was known as a cruel and ambitious man. He and Luz had four daughters and a son, Peter. The elder Maxwell thought his son worthless and shiftless, although his own spending was more than extravagant. In 1870 he purchased Fort Sumner from the U.S. government for $5000, and converted the officer's quarters to a 20-room mansion. Many of the workers who settled around the old fort were Mexican-American and Indian laborers, loyal to Maxwell. Others became friends of the Maxwell family, including cattlemen Charles Goodnight and John Chisum. Lucien turned over the ranching business to Peter shortly after the family's move to Fort Sumner, which Peter seems to have managed adequately, possibly by leaving most decisions to his financial representatives, such as Browne and Manzanares. Although the Maxwells had ties to nearly everyone of influence in the territory, it was one of its representatives from the other side of the law that made Fort Sumner a recognizable name. Born in New York City, William Bonney left the East after the death of his father and landed with his mother in Silver City, NMT in 1873. Four years later he appeared in Lincoln County, which was in a state of war between camps of merchants and cattlemen (see lot ). He began working for John Tunstall, the "interloper" in the county. Tunstall's murder set Billy on a path of revenge, and "the Kid" was on his way to becoming a legend. After ambushing the sheriff and his deputy, believed to have killed Tunstall, "the Kid" spent more than 2 years on the run from justice. Apparently, part of that time was spent in the settlement around Fort Sumner, where he and Peter Maxwell became friends, although some maintain that Peter's sister, Paulita, was his real "object of interest." Billy was captured, tried and convicted of murder in 1881, and returned to Lincoln County for execution. The rural jail could not hold him, however, and, after shooting his guard and a second who heard the shots and tried to come to the rescue, "the Kid" escaped. Pat Garrett had just been elected sheriff of Lincoln County a few months earlier. Rather than chase Billy, he apparently took a "wait and see" attitude. Sure enough, rumors reached him that "the Kid" was hiding around Fort Sumner. Garrett decided it might be time to visit his friend Peter Maxwell (the gamblers all crossed paths eventually), and see if he knew the whereabouts of Billy. With two deputies, Garrett approached the Fort by night. In his account, published a year later, Garrett described his encounter with and subsequent shooting of Billy in Maxwell's bedroom in some detail. Provenance: The Thomas Minckler Collection of Western Americana Condition: Map was well-used, "working" map, with taped repairs, areas of soiling. Has more historic than decorative value, but printed area in reasonable condit