What we know
Joseph F. Gile's ranch: the Spring Valley stage station of the 1860s and the post office in 1877. John Irion's fort of the 1860s is put 'about a mile south of Giles Ranch' (Scott's trail map, Sec. 34); not placed.
Where it was
Center of the NE1/4, Sec. 27, T10S R66W: 'Gile's claim in NE 1/4 of sec 27' (1866 survey notes, as transcribed in the Larkspur binder) and the post office site report signed by J. F. Gile, Feb. 28, 1877 ('North-East quarter of Section No. 27'). Good to about a quarter mile.
Placed from a written description, such as a land section, a distance from a landmark or an old survey note.
Sources
Sources are named in the text above. Numbers such as S-0080 refer to our source list. Most newspaper quotations were read in the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. Long quotations from recent books are shortened here.