Peketon County was a
county of the
United States Territory of Kansas that existed from February 7, 1859 to January 29, 1861, when Kansas joined the Union as a state.
History
In July 1858, gold was discovered along the
South Platte River in
Arapahoe County Arapahoe County may refer to:
*Arapahoe County, Colorado
*Arapahoe County, Kansas Territory
Arapahoe County was a county of Kansas Territory in the United States that existed from August 25, 1855, until Kansas's admission into the Union on January ...
of the
Territory of Kansas (now in the
State of Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...
). This discovery precipitating the
Pike's Peak Gold Rush. To promote the development of this western region, the
Kansas Territorial Legislature
The Kansas Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. It is a bicameral assembly, composed of the lower Kansas House of Representatives, with 125 state representatives, and the upper Kansas Senate, with 40 state senator ...
created Peketon County to the east of Arapahoe County and the
Territory of New Mexico on February 2, 1859, but Peketon County was never organized.
Following the
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
election victories in 1860, the
United States Congress admitted
Kansas to the
Union.
The Kansas Act of Admission excluded the portion of the Kansas Territory west of the
25th meridian west from Washington
The 25th meridian of longitude west from Washington is a line of longitude approximately 102.05 degrees west of the Prime Meridian of Greenwich. In the United States of America, the meridian 25 degrees west of the Washington Meridian defines th ...
from the new state, and Peketon County and the rest of this region reverted to unorganized territory.
On February 28, 1861, the
Territory of Colorado was organized to govern this unorganized territory and adjacent areas of the
Territory of New Mexico, the
Territory of Utah, and the
Territory of Nebraska.
The new
Colorado General Assembly organized 17 counties on November 1, 1861.
See also
*
Historic Colorado counties
*
History of Colorado
*
History of Kansas
The U.S. state of Kansas, located on the eastern edge of the Great Plains, was the home of nomadic Native American tribes who hunted the vast herds of bison (often called "buffalo"). In around 1450 AD, the Wichita People founded the great city ...
*
Pike's Peak Gold Rush
*
Territory of Colorado
*
Territory of Jefferson
*
Territory of Kansas
References
External links
Colorado County Evolution by Don StanwyckKansas State Historical Society websiteColorado State Historical Society website
{{coord missing, Colorado
Former counties of the United States
1859 establishments in Kansas Territory
Populated places established in 1859
Populated places disestablished in 1861