Show the duke of cimarron ano ALTHOUGH titles of nobility have no place I 1 in a our democratic form of government sometimes americans by common consent confer upon some outstanding person such a title even though it Is not officially recognized tills Is tire story of such a person of lucban B maxwell the illinois and missouri farm boy and wandering trapper who became the duke of cimarron Clr narron horn born in kaskaskia Kas kaskla he i ailed riled his parents across the B mississippi Issis river into missouri while still a boy at arrow rock hock on the missouri then tile the eastern terminus of tire the santa fe trall trail the boy saw the great wagon trains depart for the new mexican capital and his imagination was fired by the tales of the riches to bo be found in the southwest thither he well went t in 10 1841 but the hoped for wealth did not come to him immediately ile he was first a trapper then a hunter then a guide for general fremont on cn ne of his expeditions to california tho the turn in his fortunes came in 1814 when he married juanita lean benu blen the HIP daughter of diaries charles dena blen a french canadian who had gone to tao in as agent with lupp miranda for the american america n fur company lit in return for services to the mexican government miranda and beaubien Beau blen were given a large grant it f land in northeastern stern new mexico but soon afterwards miranda sold his share to Renti blen who soo soon n became known as don carlos beaubien Beau blen after maxwells maxwelll Max wells marriage to juanita don carlos made the young amerlean american manager of his great ranch arid after death maxwell boright out the other heirs and changed the name of the estate to the maxwell grant it stretched along the chair ron river for a distance of 50 0 and comprised over a quarter 0 of f a wit mil lion acres on it lie he built a huge low rambling huse house and other structures here lie he lived like a feudal baron dispensing lavish hospitality to all who came that way army officers indian chiefs explorers trappers traders and settlers in his retinue of retainers were ere hundreds of white men mexicans w indians and half breeds lending tent lini his locks flocks and herds for awhile the duke of cimarron pros prospered prospera perc then his spendthrift ways began to impoverish film hut but the discovery ry of gold on his land brought a new prosperity and a new era of extra extravagant vagn tit living again agnin his fortunes begun began to decline and lie he decided to sell his estate sen iko ator chaffee Cli alTee of colorado not and wilson bought it for lewy lU wy maxwell then went to las eegao and there the dulse duke of cimarron died in 1878 1875 wit with h virtually ly nothing left of the vast mit fortune that mat bad once been bla iq IW W mn aulcia Lul cia |