This is a rare President Ulysses .S. Grant signed document, designating Mr. John Cree as Deputy Postmaster at Georgetown, Territory of Colorado on March 26, 1869, just three weeks after being sworn in to his first of two terms as the 18th President. Georgetown,C.T. at the time was the Territory\'s fastest growing Silver mining camp , and one of three largest towns in Colorado Territory. The town had just incorporated the year before, and money was flowing into the mining district. John Cree was an early pioneer miner in Clear Creek County, who had filed mine claims in 1860, the first full year after discovery. Well known and trusted as a camp founder, he was selected to handle the postal service which included the mining and express company\'s ore and bullion transfers and cash payments from the states. His job as Deputy postmaster was the actual day to day management of the Post office.Also signed by President Grant\'s Secretary of State Hamilton Fish, considered one of Grant\'s best Cabinet officers in a still recovering country, only 4 years after then-General U.S. Grant had accepted Robert E.Lee\'s surrender to end the Civil War. Document is 17 inches wide, 10 3/4 inches high, with original mailing folds as shown.I have owned this document for 25 years, purchasing it from a closed Georgetown museum collection when I was just starting my own local mining museum there in 1992. Guaranteed original as shown with it\'s envelope. I will be selling more of the John Cree papers,please check back to my other sales. This is the most historic document in the collection.Please view all the photos carefully, no returns.
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On Apr-16-17 at 16:13:31 PDT, seller added the following information:
In answer to some questions, General U.S.Grant loved to visit Colorado and traveled to Georgetown three times. In 1868 he came as part of his first Presidential campaign. This political postmaster appointment document may have been a reward for John Cree\'s friendship and support, since it was signed less than a month after Grant was sworn in as president. In 1873 he arrived for a visit again and was due to walk on a \"Silver bricks\" sidewalk for his entrance to the Barton House Hotel, but he got there a day early and it was not in place yet. He came again in 1875 and got his silver brick walk, along with an escort of all four Fire Companies, three Governors, the Denver, Central City and Georgetown mayors, and 2000 other guests for the biggest party Georgetown had ever seen.
