American Ranch, C.T., Aug 1st, 1865, manuscript postmark tying 1861, 3¢ rose (few nibbed and toned perfs) on cover to Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, stamp additionally canceled by quartered cork handstamp, Very Fine and rare, the earliest recorded usage of a manuscript postmark from American Ranch. Estimate  $300 - 400. The Indian uprisings of 1864 and 1865 interrupted transportation and mail services in old Weld County. The Post Office at American Ranch was closed from December 1864 to the first of May in 1865 due to these uprisings. The stage station and the Post Office were housed in an adobe structure, as were many of the town's other buildings. Many of these buildings had walls two to three feet thick which served as effective fortresses during the Indian raids. $0 (Image)