One Land, Many Hands: The Beginnings of the Sangre De Cristo Land Grant

Settlers & Families

From the very beginning, the land was granted by the Mexican government with the expectation of Mexican settlers moving there and improving the land. When Charles Beaubien started bringing families with the promise of homesteading, they began to work at making the land their homes, a place to live and raise families. They came with hope, courage, and the willingness to endure the hard work and struggle that would build futures for their families.


A homestead on the grant	A family of farmers	An early photo of a family on the grant	A family in front of their home

There was never any expectation that they or their families would be faced with leaving. With the same courage that their ancestors used to create their lives on the land, decade after decade, these settlers’ heirs stood their ground and fought for their land. They would not so easily give up what their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents had cultivated with their efforts - a home, a community, a living.