The development of the Landes de Gascogne was one of the great economic projects of 19th-century France. Before the Second Empire laws that allowed the systematic afforestation and drainage of this vast marshy area of the Southwest, private entrepreneurs had already attempted, as early as the July Monarchy, to exploit this territory. The Compagnie d'Exploitation et Colonisation des Landes de Bordeaux is an early and remarkable example of these pioneering initiatives. This Founder's Share of 5,000 francs, numbered 179 of the 2nd Series, bears the signature of Jules Mareschal and was issued in Paris on 16 June 1834. Founder's shares granted their holders special rights over the company's future profits in exchange for the initial risks assumed by the founders. The term "Colonisation" reflects the spirit of the time: the Landes, insalubrious marshland, were then considered a territory to be "colonized" and reclaimed, just like distant lands. This document is a precious testimony to the entrepreneurial spirit of the July Monarchy and the economic history of the Bordeaux and Landes region well before its radical transformation under Napoleon III.