Town Postmark Dates Seen Size • Color • Value COLORADO Black) ...... 4,000 DENVER CITY/K.T.(sans serif letters)(Aug. 16, 1860; AS UNORGANIZED TERRITORY (First Period) tombstone 29x25,NOR,YMDD;Black) ...... 800 This cover was carried on the first U.S. mail out of Denver. 1821 - 1854 DENVER CITY/K.T.(65)(serif letters)(E)(Sept. 6, 1860; tombstone 27-29x23-25;PAID;Black) ...... 600 In 1803 the United States bought present day eastern and (L)(Nov. 7,1860) ...... 600 central Colorado as part of the Louisiana Purchase. During Note: At least five varieties of this marking are known on the next 20 years American army officers Zebulon M. Pike and stamped covers. Stephen H. Long explored much of the region. The first per- HAMILTON/K.T.(134)(E)(Jan. 11, 1861;C-25.5;PAID manent American settlement was Bent’s Fort, completed in [box],3,6;Black) ...... 500 1833 near the present day La Junta (just across the Arkansas (L) See ...... -- River from what was then Mexican territory). The fort, built by Note: This post office was established July 26, 1860 so it is traders Charles and William Bent and Ceran St. Vrain was probable that any examples of this marking dated between used as a fur trade base by and other famous fron- January 29 and July 25 were used in 1861 and are therefore tiersmen. Bent’s Fort also participated in the overland com- from either Unorganized Territory or Colorado Territory. merce to Santa Fe and was a depot for military expeditions Mountain City K.T.(189)(E)(Dec. 20, 1860;Ms;Paid 3[ms]; before and during the Mexican War. Outbound mail was en- Black) ...... 325 trusted to overland parties, civilian or military, traveling back to (L)(Dec. 23, 1860;Ms;Paid 3[ms];Black) ...... 300 Missouri. AS UNORGANIZED TERRITORY (Second Period) “Encampment of Army of the West near Bent’s Fort Arkansas river July 31, 1846” dateline on letter of Lt. Wm. N. Grier. This January 29, 1861 - February 27, 1861 letter was carried up the Santa Fe Trail where it entered the U.S. mail with FORT LEAVENWORTH/Mo postmark Colorado post offices established in Kansas Territory and of Aug. 31 ...... -- operating during the one month interim between the date of Kansas statehood (when the western portion of Kansas Entensive American settlement in Colorado, with its resul- Territory was cut off from the area that became the state of tant commencement of U.S. postal operations, had its begin- Kansas) and the date that Colorado Territory was established ning with the Pikes Peak gold rush of 1858-59. Up to that time were: Arapahoe, Canon City, Colorado City, Denver City, Fort the Pikes Peak region of the great Rockies was entirely un- Wise, Golden City, Golden Gate, Hamilton, Huntsville, Mis- inhabited save for Indians, a few trappers and traders. There souri City, Mountain City, Mount Vernon, Nevada, Oro City, were no towns and thus no post offices. The area now com- Pueblo, Spanish Bar and Tarryall. prising the state of Colorado was included in the territories of Kansas, Nebraska, Utah and New Mexico. Colorado Territory HAMILTON/K.T.(134)(Feb. 7, 1861;25.5;PAID[box]; had the same boundaries as the state does today. Black) ...... 500 Mountain City K.T.(189)(Feb. 23, 1861;Ms;Paid 3[ms]; The major part of the gold mining activity was confined to Black) ...... 350 that portion located in the extreme western section of the Ter- ritory of Kansas which accounts for the fact that the postal AS NEBRASKA TERRITORY markings of early Colorado camps up to the time that the Ter- ritory of Colorado was formed show the “K.T.”(Kansas Terr.) in (northeast corner) the town marking. May 30, 1854 - February 27, 1861 An unofficial “Jefferson Territory’’ was established locally in October 1859, but it was never recognized by Congress. Colorado post offices established in and operating under No postal markings of Jefferson Territory are known, although jurisdiction of Nebraska Territory: Auroria (1858), Boulder covers are known addressed to Jefferson Territory. (1859), Colona (1860), Fort Lupton (Jan. 1861), Julesburgh (1860) and Saint Vrain (1859). AS KANSAS TERRITORY Boulder N.T.(24)(Oct. 3, 1860;Ms;Black) ...... 750 May 30, 1854 - January 28, 1861 AS UTAH TERRITORY Colorado post offices established in and operating under the jurisdiction of Kansas Territory were: Arapahoe (1860), (western portion) Auraria (Jan 1859), Canon City (1860), Colorado City (1860), Coraville (March 1859), Denver City (Feb. 11, 1860), Fort September 9, 1850 - February 27, 1861 Wise (1860), Golden City (1860), Hamilton (1860), Huntsville (1860), Jefferson (1860),Missouri City (1860), Montana City Colorado post offices established in and operating under (1859), Mountain City (1860), Mount Vernon (1860), Nevada jurisdiction of Utah Territory: Breckinridge (January 18, 1860). (Jan 1860), Pueblo (1860), Spanish Bar (1860) and Tarryall (1860) No stampless covers known ...... --

Auraria K.T.(June 15, 1859;Ms;Black) ...... 4,000 COLORADO TERRITORY AURARIA K.T.(6)(E)(Aug. 2, 1859;SL-24x2,MDD; Black) ...... 4,000 February 28, 1861 - July 31 ,1876 (L)(Aug. 19, 1859;Paid 3[ms];Black) ...... 4,000 Colorado City K.T. (48)(Nov. 12, 1860;Ms;Black) . . . 750 POPULATION Coraville K.T.(55)(June 8, 1859;Ms;Black) . . . . . 1,000 CORAVILL,K.T.(56)(June 17, 1859;SL-27x2;Paid,3; 1860 – 34,000 1870 – 40,000

1 COLORADO Town Postmark Dates Seen Size • Color • Value Territory of Colorado created by Act of Congress February (L)(March 9, 1863;PAID[box]) ...... 100 28, 1861. Cut from Nebraska, New Mexico and Utah Territo- (1)Nevada City C.T.(198)(May 18, 1861;Ms;Black) . . .250 ries, plus a residue of Kansas Territory left as Unorganized Territory when Kansas became a state January 29, 1867. STATEHOOD PERIOD

1862-63 Post Offices: American Ranch, Bear Canyon, Bea- Effective August 1, 1876 ver Creek, Bennet Springs, Big Thompson, Black Hawk Point, Boonesville, Boulder, Breckinridge, Burlington, Canon City, Too late for stampless covers Cask Creek, Cherokee City, Clear Water, Colfax, Colorado City, Conejos, Costilla, Delaware City, Denver City, El Paso, EXPRESS MARKINGS Empire City, Fair Play, Flemming’s Ranch, , , Fort Lupton, Fort Wise, Franktown, Gold Dirt, Golden Much of the early mail from the west, especially from mining City, Golden Gate, Gold Hill, Granite Vale, Hamilton, Haynes’s camps, was carried by express companies. Express markings Ranch, Huerfano, Huntsville, Idaho, Jefferson, Junction, on stampless covers are very scarce, as government regu- Keystone Ranch, La Porte, La Castilla, Laurel, Lincoln City, lations required the use of stamped envelopes. See “Inde- Michigan House, Mill City, Missouri City, Montgomery City, pendent Mail Service Markings” in Volume II of the American Mountain City, Mount Vernon, Nevada, Oro City, Parkerville, Stampless Cover Catalog”. Pueblo, Ralston’s, Russellville, San Luis, Silver Lake, Spanish Bar, Sterling, St. Vrain, Tarryall, Trinidad, Ward District and Wood Valley.

Since Colorado Territory covers date from the period when prepayment by stamps was compulsory the ratio of stampless to stamped covers is very small. Colorado specialists typically do not pay a significant premium for an example of a marking on a stampless cover over what they would expect to pay for the same marking on a stamped cover with normal franking.

For further information, see “Colorado Territorial and Preter- ritorial Postmarks, 1859-76”, by David L. Jarrett, published by the Collectors Club of Chicago, 1976.

The numbers in brackets () after the town name refer to the types listed in this book. “(1)” preceding the town name indi- cated a post office first established in Kansas Territory.

BLACK HAWK/POINT/C.T.(17)(July 15, 1863;C-31,YMDD; PAID/3[C];Black) ...... 150 BRECKINBRIDGE/C.T.(“BRECKINRIDGE”misspelled) (32)(E)(Aug. 3, 1861;C-25;Paid 3 Ct[ms];Black) . . 750 (L)(Sept. 21 ,1861) ...... 750 (1)Canon City,C.T.(38)(E)(Dec. 18, 1862;Ms;Black) . . 300 (L)(Sept. 18, 1863) ...... 250 (1)Colorado City C.T.(49)(Aug. 18, 1861;Ms;Black) . . 450 (1)COLORADO CITY/C.T.(50)(March 1, 1863;C-26; pd 3c[ms];Black) ...... 275 (1)DENVER CITY/KAS.(66)(E)(April 1, 1861;DC-26/14; PAID,FREE;Black) ...... 450 (L)(July 5, 1861) ...... 450 (1)Same/C.T.(68)(Jan. 7, 1863;DC-26/12;Black) ...... 125 (1)Same/COL(71)(May 18, 1865;C-24;Blue) ...... 75 Fort Garland C.T.(100)(Oct. 10, 1862;Ms;Black) . . . .275 Georgeto(wn) CT(114)(Dec. 20, 1867;Ms;Paid[ms]; Black) ...... 300 GEORGETOWN/COL T.(115)(Jan. 8, 1868;C-25; Paid[ms];Black) ...... 300 Gold Dirt Col Ty(117)(Oct. 27, 1861;Ms;Black) . . . . 275 (1)GOLDEN CITY/C.T.(120)(Jan. 20, 186-;C-26;Black) .175 (1)HAMILTON/K. T.(134)(-;DC-25;PAID[box],3,6;Black) . . (E) See Kansas Territory ...... -- (L)(June 26, 1861) ...... 500 (1)HAMILTON/C.T.(135)(Sep. 29, 1861;C-25;PAID/3; Black) ...... 225 JULESBURGH/COL.T.(151)(June 19, 186-;DC-24/12; Due 6 cts[ms];Black) ...... 200 (1)MISSOURI CITY/KAS(187)(E)(May 18, 1861;C-25; PAID[box];Black) ...... 650 (L)(June 30, 1862) ...... 550 (1)Mountain City C.T.(190)(June 24, 1861;Ms;Black) . .150 MOUNTAIN CITY/C.T.(191)(E)(--,1861; DC-26/15; FREE;Black) ...... 100 2 COLORADO Town Postmark Dates Seen Size • Color • Value Town Postmark Dates Seen Size • Color • Value

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