The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 40, July 1936 - April, 1937 Page: 73

Mexican Land Grants in the Arkansas Valley

dollars.41 All three of these transactions antedated the confirma-
tion of the grant.
There were a number of conveyances between the confirmation
of the Nolan grant on July 1, 1870, and the patenting of the sur-
veyed tract on March 3, 1875. On November 21, 1871, Jacob
C. Dotson deeded his undivided portion (one-sixth) to Peter K.
Dotson for the consideration of one dollar.42 Then, lest the
validity of the quitclaim deed given by the Nolan heirs in 1868
should be questioned, the said heirs on August 15, 1871, made
a "Special Warranty Deed," conveying to Annie E. Blake, Charles
Goodnight, and Peter K. Dotson "all that grant of land made to
Gervacio Nolan, late of the Valley of Taos, deceased, approved by
surveyor general of New Mexico October 8, 1861, and designated
as number 48 in the transcript of private land claims in New Mex-
ico, but being now within the limits of Colorado Territory, . . ."43
Here the original boundaries were specified again, and the con-
sideration was an additional ten thousand dollars. Three days
later Francisco Baca, the husband of Martina Nolan, conveyed
his "right, title, and interest" in said Nolan grant to the same three
parties for the consideration of fifty dollars.44 Then followed several
deeds of trust to secure promissory notes, but in each instance the
land (or interest) was redeemed by payment of the note. On
March 30, 1872, for the consideration of $130,000, all of the grant
(as conveyed by the Nolan heirs) was conveyed by warranty deed
to William P. Mellen, trustee, by Charles Goodnight and Mary
Ann Goodnight (his wife), Peter K. Dotson and Emily Dotson
(his wife), and Charles H. Blake and Annie E. Blake (his wife)."4
On April 30, 1872, all of said grant was conveyed by William P.
Mellen, trustee, to the Central Colorado Improvement Company,
for the consideration of one hundred fifty-two thousand dollars.46
4Official Records of Pueblo County, Deed Book No. 2, p. 509 (February
12, 1870), and p. 546 (February 28, 1870).
"Official Records of Pueblo County, Deed Book No. 3, p. 559 (December
18, 1871).
4aOfficial Records of Pueblo County, Deed Book No. 3, p. 521 (October
2, 1871).
"Official Records of Pueblo County, Deed Book No. 3, p. 525 (October
2, 1871).
4Official Records of Pueblo County, Deed Book No. 3, p. 722 (April
6, 1872).
"Official Records of Pueblo County, Deed Book No. 4, p. 101 (August
6, 1872).