Charles H. Beaubien
Encyclopedia
Charles H. Beaubien also known as Alexis Beaubien, Carlos Beaubien and Charles Trotier, was a Canadian-born American fur trader who was one of two investors who owned 2700000 acres (10,926.5 km²) of northeastern New Mexico
and southeastern Colorado
in the Beaubien-Miranda as well as the Sangre de Cristo land grant
s.
. His birth name was Alexis Beaubien (Sieur de Beaubien is a title, his birth surname is most likely Trotier).
He studied for the priesthood, and was tonsure
d in 1820. When he dropped out of the priesthood he changed his name to "Charles" in 1820 and moved to the United States (probably at St. Louis, Missouri
where he worked in the fur business with the Chouteau
family). There are numerous stories about how he moved west. It is believed he was licensed by William Clark to enter Indian Territory in 1823.
From another New Mexico History we have that Charles Hipolyte Trotier, Sieur de Beaubien, left the Dominion of Canada for the United States during the War of 1812, and came to New Mexico in 1823, in company with a number of French Canadians who were making investigations in New Mexico.
Beaubien went beyond the Territory controlled by the United States and moved into territory controlled by Mexico
and eventually settled at Taos, New Mexico
where he applied to become a citizen of Mexico (changing his name to Carlos).
In 1827 he married Maria Paula Lobato in Taos in a ceremony conducted by Antonio José Martínez
who would later become his nemesis. He started a business in Taos.
imposed a tax on non-native residents in New Mexico and Beaubien's businesses were regularly raided.
Beaubien, hoping to open businesses away from direct Mexican control, enlisted Guadalupe Miranda
, the secretary of the government, to petition for a grant of 1700000 acres (6,879.7 km²) on the eastern side of the Sangre de Cristo
mountains. Armijo approved the grant on January 4, 1841 with the provision that the land be settled within two years.
Settlement was delayed by incursions from Americans from Texas
. In 1843 Beaubien and Miranda signed away one fourth of their grant to Charles Bent
in exchange for help in establishing ranches along the Ponil, Vermejo, Cimarron and Rayado rivers.
along the Costilla, Culebra, and Trincheras Rivers in southern Colorado. Since he already had one grant, the new grant went to his 13-year-old son Narciso and a Taos business associate Stephen Louis Lee.
Armijo approved the grant on January 12, 1844.
Settlement was delayed by the Mexican-American War in 1846 changed the political landscape. When Stephen W. Kearney set up government in Santa Fe, New Mexico
in 1846 and established Charles Bent
as governor. Beaubien was named one of the judges on the Supreme Court. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
that ended war affirmed the legality of Beaubien's grant.
Beaubien agreed to sell his land but the payment was not received.
when the Taos Revolt
erupted in January 1847. In the revolt, Beaubien's son Narciso (freshly arriving from school in Cape Girardeau, Missouri
) and his partner Stephen Louis Lee, and Governor Bent were killed.
After Sterling Price
put down the rebellion, Beaubien was to be the judge to overseeing the trial of his son's murderers prompting Father Martinez to accuse him of "endeavoring to kill all the people of Taos."
Beaubien turned to his son-in-laws Lucien Maxwell
and Jesus Abreu to develop the land grant.
In 1851 he semi-retired from public service.
In 1863 he sold the Colorado land grant to Colorado Governor William Gilpin
for approximately four cents an acre ($41,000).
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
and southeastern Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
in the Beaubien-Miranda as well as the Sangre de Cristo land grant
Land grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate – land or its privileges – made by a government or other authority as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service...
s.
Early life
Beaubein was born in Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Nicolet, QuebecNicolet, Quebec
Nicolet, Quebec is the county seat of Nicolet-Yamaska Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 7,827...
. His birth name was Alexis Beaubien (Sieur de Beaubien is a title, his birth surname is most likely Trotier).
He studied for the priesthood, and was tonsure
Tonsure
Tonsure is the traditional practice of Christian churches of cutting or shaving the hair from the scalp of clerics, monastics, and, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, all baptized members...
d in 1820. When he dropped out of the priesthood he changed his name to "Charles" in 1820 and moved to the United States (probably at St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
where he worked in the fur business with the Chouteau
Chouteau
Chouteau was the name of a highly successful French fur-trading family based in St. Louis, Missouri, members of which established posts in the Midwest and Western United States...
family). There are numerous stories about how he moved west. It is believed he was licensed by William Clark to enter Indian Territory in 1823.
From another New Mexico History we have that Charles Hipolyte Trotier, Sieur de Beaubien, left the Dominion of Canada for the United States during the War of 1812, and came to New Mexico in 1823, in company with a number of French Canadians who were making investigations in New Mexico.
Beaubien went beyond the Territory controlled by the United States and moved into territory controlled by Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and eventually settled at Taos, New Mexico
Taos, New Mexico
Taos is a town in Taos County in the north-central region of New Mexico, incorporated in 1934. As of the 2000 census, its population was 4,700. Other nearby communities include Ranchos de Taos, Cañon, Taos Canyon, Ranchitos, and El Prado. The town is close to Taos Pueblo, the Native American...
where he applied to become a citizen of Mexico (changing his name to Carlos).
In 1827 he married Maria Paula Lobato in Taos in a ceremony conducted by Antonio José Martínez
Antonio José Martínez
Father Antonio José Martínez was a New Mexican priest, educator, publisher, rancher, farmer, community leader, and politician. He lived through and influenced three distinct periods of New Mexico's history: the Spanish period, the Mexican period, and the American occupation and subsequent...
who would later become his nemesis. He started a business in Taos.
Beaubien-Miranada Land Grant
In 1840 New Mexico Governor Manuel ArmijoManuel Armijo
Manuel Armijo was a New Mexican soldier and statesman who served three times as governor of New Mexico. He was instrumental in putting down the Revolt of 1837, he led the force that captured the Texan Santa Fe Expedition and he surrendered to the United States in the Mexican-American War.-Early...
imposed a tax on non-native residents in New Mexico and Beaubien's businesses were regularly raided.
Beaubien, hoping to open businesses away from direct Mexican control, enlisted Guadalupe Miranda
Guadalupe Miranda
Guadalupe Miranda was a Mexican public official who was mayor of Ciudad Juárez and recipient of the Beaubien-Miranda Land Grant.-Early life:...
, the secretary of the government, to petition for a grant of 1700000 acres (6,879.7 km²) on the eastern side of the Sangre de Cristo
Sangre de Cristo
Sangre de Cristo can refer to either:*Sangre de Cristo Mountains, in Northern New Mexico and South-Central Colorado in the United States...
mountains. Armijo approved the grant on January 4, 1841 with the provision that the land be settled within two years.
Settlement was delayed by incursions from Americans from Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. In 1843 Beaubien and Miranda signed away one fourth of their grant to Charles Bent
Charles Bent
Charles Bent was appointed as the first Governor of the newly acquired New Mexico Territory by Governor Stephen Watts Kearny in September 1846....
in exchange for help in establishing ranches along the Ponil, Vermejo, Cimarron and Rayado rivers.
Sangre de Cristo Land Grant
Later in 1843 Beaubien applied for another 1 million acres (4,046.9 km²) grant in the San Luis ValleySan Luis Valley
The San Luis Valley is an extensive alpine valley in the U.S. states of Colorado and New Mexico covering approximately and sitting at an average elevation of above sea level. The valley sits atop the Rio Grande Rift and is drained to the south by the Rio Grande River, which rises in the San Juan...
along the Costilla, Culebra, and Trincheras Rivers in southern Colorado. Since he already had one grant, the new grant went to his 13-year-old son Narciso and a Taos business associate Stephen Louis Lee.
Armijo approved the grant on January 12, 1844.
Settlement was delayed by the Mexican-American War in 1846 changed the political landscape. When Stephen W. Kearney set up government in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
in 1846 and established Charles Bent
Charles Bent
Charles Bent was appointed as the first Governor of the newly acquired New Mexico Territory by Governor Stephen Watts Kearny in September 1846....
as governor. Beaubien was named one of the judges on the Supreme Court. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is the peace treaty, largely dictated by the United States to the interim government of a militarily occupied Mexico City, that ended the Mexican-American War on February 2, 1848...
that ended war affirmed the legality of Beaubien's grant.
Beaubien agreed to sell his land but the payment was not received.
Taos Revolt
Beaubien was holding court in Tierra Amarilla, New MexicoTierra Amarilla, New Mexico
Tierra Amarilla is a small unincorporated town near the Carson National Forest in the northern part of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the county seat of Rio Arriba County.-History:...
when the Taos Revolt
Taos Revolt
The Taos Revolt was a popular insurrection in January 1847 by Mexicans and Pueblo allies against the United States' occupation of present-day northern New Mexico during the Mexican–American War. In two short campaigns, United States troops and militia crushed the rebellion of the Mexicans and...
erupted in January 1847. In the revolt, Beaubien's son Narciso (freshly arriving from school in Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Cape Girardeau is a city located in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties in Southeast Missouri in the United States. It is located approximately southeast of St. Louis and north of Memphis. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 37,941. A college town, it is the home of Southeast Missouri...
) and his partner Stephen Louis Lee, and Governor Bent were killed.
After Sterling Price
Sterling Price
Sterling Price was a lawyer, planter, and politician from the U.S. state of Missouri, who served as the 11th Governor of the state from 1853 to 1857. He also served as a United States Army brigadier general during the Mexican-American War, and a Confederate Army major general in the American Civil...
put down the rebellion, Beaubien was to be the judge to overseeing the trial of his son's murderers prompting Father Martinez to accuse him of "endeavoring to kill all the people of Taos."
Beaubien turned to his son-in-laws Lucien Maxwell
Lucien Maxwell
Lucien Bonaparte Maxwell was a rancher and entrepreneur who at one point owned more than . Along with Thomas Catron and Ted Turner, Maxwell was one of the largest private landowners in United States history....
and Jesus Abreu to develop the land grant.
In 1851 he semi-retired from public service.
In 1863 he sold the Colorado land grant to Colorado Governor William Gilpin
William Gilpin (governor)
William Gilpin was a 19th century U.S. explorer, politician, land speculator, and futurist writer about the American West. He served as military officer in the United States Army during several wars, accompanied John C. Frémont on his second expedition through the West, and was instrumental in the...
for approximately four cents an acre ($41,000).