Fremont County was a
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
of the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
Territory of Kansas
The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the free state of Kansas.
...
that existed for two years from February 7, 1859, to January 29, 1861.
History
In July 1858, gold was discovered along the
South Platte River
The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River. Flowing through the U.S. states of Colorado and Nebraska, it is itself a major river of the American Midwest and the American Southwest/ Mountain West. It ...
in
Arapahoe County of
Kansas Territory (now in
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, 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 wes ...
), precipitating the
Pike's Peak Gold Rush
The Pike's Peak Gold Rush (later known as the Colorado Gold Rush) was the boom in gold prospecting and mining in the Pike's Peak Country of western Kansas Territory and southwestern Nebraska Territory of the United States that began in July 1858 ...
. To provide local government for the gold mining region, the
Territorial Legislature split Arapahoe County into six counties on February 7, 1859: a much smaller
Arapahoe County,
Broderick County,
El Paso County, Fremont County,
Montana County, and
Oro County. Fremont County was named in honor of soldier, explorer, and politician
John Charles Frémont
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
. None of these six counties were ever organized. Many residents of the mining region felt disconnected from the territorial government, and they formed their own
Territory of Jefferson
The Territory of Jefferson was an extralegal and unrecognized United States territory that existed from October 24, 1859 until the creation of the Colorado Territory on February 28, 1861. The Jefferson Territory, named for Founding Father and Un ...
on October 24, 1859.
Following the
Republican Party election victories in 1860, the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
admitted
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...
to the United States, Union.
The Kansas Act of Admission excluded the portion of the Kansas Territory west of the 25th meridian west from Washington from the new state, and Fremont County and the rest of this region reverted to unorganized territory.
On February 28, 1861, the Colorado Territory was organized to govern this unorganized territory and adjacent areas of the New Mexico Territory, New Mexico, Utah Territory, Utah, and Nebraska Territory, Nebraska Territories.
The new Colorado General Assembly organized 17 counties on November 1, 1861, including a new Fremont County, Colorado, Fremont County.
See also
*Fremont County, Colorado
*List of counties in Colorado#Former counties, Historic Colorado counties
*History of Colorado
*History of Kansas
*
Pike's Peak Gold Rush
The Pike's Peak Gold Rush (later known as the Colorado Gold Rush) was the boom in gold prospecting and mining in the Pike's Peak Country of western Kansas Territory and southwestern Nebraska Territory of the United States that began in July 1858 ...
*Territory of Colorado
*
Territory of Jefferson
The Territory of Jefferson was an extralegal and unrecognized United States territory that existed from October 24, 1859 until the creation of the Colorado Territory on February 28, 1861. The Jefferson Territory, named for Founding Father and Un ...
*
Territory of Kansas
The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the free state of Kansas.
...
References
External links
Colorado County Evolution by Don StanwyckKansas State Historical Society websiteColorado State Historical Society website
{{coord missing, Colorado
Fremont County, Colorado
Former counties of the United States
1859 establishments in Kansas Territory
Populated places established in 1859
Populated places disestablished in 1861