Artifact of the Week 20250307 - Maxwell Land Grant

The land that makes up Philmont Scout Ranch was once part of one the largest single Mexican Land Grants in History. Two men, a French-Canadian Trapper who became a successful merchant in Taos and later a naturalized Mexican Citizen, partnered with a Mexican teacher who went on to become a Secretary for the Governor of the region known as New Mexico, were granted nearly 2 million acres of property in Northeastern New Mexico and Southern Colorado. It was called the Beaubien-Miranda Land Grant. Following the Taos Revolt in 1847, when Carlos Beaubien’s oldest son was killed, Beaubien’s son-in-law, Lucien Maxwell, stepped in to help manage and later own what became, more famously, The Maxwell Land Grant. This week, we’ll learn about the history of the Maxwell Land Grant, about the settlement at Rayado, and about the man Lucien Maxwell. Make sure you look for some of the artifacts related to this story that are on display at the museum. You can also check out our virtual tour of Rayado by following this link. https://www.philmontscoutranch.org/mu...