Set of 3 Billheads and Vouchers Signed by Otto Mears

About this Item

Small set of three billhead receipts and accompanying vouchers. Each voucher is signed by Otto Mears and the billheads are stamped in purple by the Rio Grande Southern Railroad. Set includes billheads from the Hendrie & Bolthoff Manufacturing Company (1892) , Daniels & Fisher (1892) , and the Kibler Stove Company (1893). Each billhead features steel engravings. Billheads and vouchers are creased and have minor edgewear and pinholes. Two are attached with a metal pin, but the Kibler Stove Company billhead and its voucher are missing the pin. The Hendrie & Bolthoff voucher has a two-inch tear. Overall, good condition. Otto Mears (1840-1931) was a railroad builder and entrepreneur who is known as the "Pathfinder of the San Juans" for his role in the development of southwestern Colorado. Born in Russia and orphaned at a young age, Mears was passed from relative to relative, eventually ending up in San Francisco during the California Gold Rush. Mears later joined the 1st California Infantry Regiment during the Civil War and served under Kit Carson in his campaign against the Navajo. After his stint in the army, Mears became a merchant, settling in Colorado, farming wheat, and building toll roads. He developed ties with the Ute and worked as a negotiator in the 1873 treaty that ceded reservation lands and opened the San Juan Mountains for mining. As settlements and mining camps in the region increased, so too did Mears toll road network, which he then transitioned into a lengthy career constructing railroads. To bridge a gap in the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad, he built the narrow-gauge Rio Grande Southern Railroad between Durango and Ridgway over Lizard Head Pass. Completed in 1890, the railroad was an instant success, but the Silver Panic of 1893 caused a massive decline in traffic and Mears lost control of the railroad he had incorporated. These billheads come from that brief boom time and represent a fascinating part of Colorado mining and railroad history. ; Steel engraving; Signed by Associated.

Seller Inventory # 025091

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Set of 3 Billheads and Vouchers Signed by Otto Mears
• Binding: Ephemera
• Condition: Good