Lot
61 
Auraria, K.T., Aug. 2, 1859, straightline postmark ties 1857, 3¢ dull red on cover to De Kalb Centre, Illinois, splendid original miner's letter datelined Golden City, from the Colorado Rocky Mountain gold rush, Very Fine, carried under the short-lived Willis contract to the Auraria postmaster that provided for weekly mails to and from Fort Kearney in exchange for postage only, exhibit page with 1859 magazine clipping of a watercolored woodcut titled "Pike's Peak - Our Camp On Cherry Creek" is included. Scott No. 26 Estimate $5,000 - 7,500.
A LOVELY EXAMPLE OF THE RARE AURARIA STRAIGHTLINE POSTMARK.
Auraria was the forerunner of Denver City on the opposite side of Cherry Creek in what would become Colorado Territory in 1861. The Auraria Post Office was established in January of 1859 and renamed Denver City in February 1860 although there were mail contracts in place only part of the time. The Auraria straightline postmark was used for only one month.
Among other things, the letter mentions mail service: "Lewis got one letter in Denver for me from Emily that is the second letter I have had from home since I left. Lewis the same. We shall be about 40 miles from Denver but we can git our letters every week. from there and the mail goes once a week from there so you must write for I have 5 dollars to spend for letters yet and mean to have more … the letters cost us 25 cents a piece but I can stand it a spell. It costs us to send them 10 cents so I shall send a few to you … ".
Realized: $4,500