The first land grants
in Colorado were given by Spain and Mexico. When the United States acquired the area in 1848, it agreed to recognize these claims. The claims were processed by the U.S. Surveyor General
from 1855 to 1890. Some claims processed in the New Mexico office before 1862 relate to land that is now in Colorado.
The Family History Library has microfilm copies of the following records from the Bureau of Land Management
, New Mexico State Office, Federal Building, Box 27115, Santa Fe, NM 87502-0115: Telephone: 505-438-7450
The following publications may help you locate early records:
Beers, Henry Putney. Spanish and Mexican Records of the American Southwest: A Bibliographic Guide to Archive and Manuscript Sources. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1979. (FHL book 973 A3bh.)
Van Ness, John R. and Christine Van Ness. Spanish and Mexican Land Grants in New Mexico and Colorado. Manhattan, Kans.: AG Press, 1981. (FHL book 978 R2s.)
Federal
and State
Records
When the United States acquired Colorado, most of the land was unclaimed and became part of the public domain
. The federal government transferred land to private ownership through land offices
in a process called land entry. The first general land office in Colorado was established in 1863 near Denver. Most of the land office records are at the National Archives—Rocky Mountain Region (Denver). Land entry cases are at the National Archives. Patents
and copies of tract books
and township plats
are at:
Bureau of Land Management
Colorado State Office
2850 Youngfield St.
Lakewood, CO 80215
Telephone: 303-239-3600
Fax: 303-239-3933
County Records
After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions have been recorded in county offices. The Family History Library has not microfilmed deeds
or other property records that are available in each county. You may obtain copies by writing to the county clerk at the county courthouse.
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