The Territory of Jefferson was an extralegal and unrecognized

United States territory In the United States, a territory is any extent of region under the sovereign jurisdiction of the federal government of the United States, including all waters (around islands or continental tracts). The United States asserts sovereign rights for ...

that existed from October 24, 1859 until the

creation Creation may refer to: Religion *''Creatio ex nihilo'', the concept that matter was created by God out of nothing * Creation myth, a religious story of the origin of the world and how people first came to inhabit it * Creationism, the belief tha ...

of the

Colorado Territory The Territory of Colorado was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 28, 1861, until August 1, 1876, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Colorado. The territory was organized in the ...

on February 28, 1861. The Jefferson Territory, named for Founding Father and United States president

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...

, included land officially part of the Kansas Territory, the

Nebraska Territory The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Nebraska. The Nebrask ...

, the New Mexico Territory, the

Utah Territory The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th state ...

, and the

Washington Territory The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington. It was created from the ...

, but the area was remote from the governments of those five territories. The government of the Jefferson Territory, while democratically elected, was never legally recognized by the

United States government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a feder ...

, although it managed the territory with relatively free rein for 16 months. Many of the laws enacted by the Jefferson Territorial Legislature were reenacted and given official sanction by the new

Colorado General Assembly The Colorado General Assembly is the state legislature of the State of Colorado. It is a bicameral legislature that was created by the 1876 state constitution. Its statutes are codified in the ''Colorado Revised Statutes'' (C.R.S.). The se ...

in 1861.

Origins

On August 25, 1855, the Kansas Territory created Arapahoe County, a huge county that included the entire western portion of Kansas to the Rocky Mountains. The boundaries of Arapahoe County were defined as: beginning at the northeast corner of

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...

, running thence north to the south line of

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

and north line of

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 ...

; thence along said line to the east line of

; thence along said line between Utah and Kansas territories, to where said line strikes New Mexico; thence along the line between said New Mexico and the territory of Kansas to the place of beginning. Occupied primarily by

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enr ...

and

Arapaho The Arapaho (; french: Arapahos, ) are a Native American people historically living on the plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Lakota and Dakota. By the 1850s, Arapaho ba ...

Indians with few white settlers, the county was never organized. The leaders of the Kansas Territory were preoccupied with the violent events of

Bleeding Kansas Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas, or the Border War was a series of violent civil confrontations in Kansas Territory, and to a lesser extent in western Missouri, between 1854 and 1859. It emerged from a political and ideological debate over the ...

, so little time or attention was available to attend to the needs of the far western portion of the territory. The question of whether to admit Kansas to the union as a slave state or free state dominated discussion in the populous eastern portion of the territory and led to three failed constitutional proposals between 1855 and 1858 (the

Topeka Topeka ( ; Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central Uni ...

Lecompton Lecompton (pronounced ) is a city in Douglas County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 588. Lecompton was the ''de jure'' territorial capital of Kansas from 1855 to 1861, and the Douglas County seat f ...

and Leavenworth constitutions). The United States Congress was likewise preoccupied with threats of secession by the slave states. In July 1858, the Pike's Peak Gold Rush began with the discovery of gold at the Little Dry Creek (Englewood, Colorado), Dry Creek Diggings in Arapahoe County, Kansas Territory (now Englewood, Colorado, Englewood in Arapahoe County, Colorado). The gold rush brought 100,000 gold seekers to the area known as the Pike's Peak Country, which included Arapahoe County as well as the unorganized southwestern corner of the

and parts of the

and Utah Territory, Utah territories. Kansas, with a growing divide between the eastern commercial centers and the central agricultural populations, had concerns over how the gold rush and the influx of miners to the Rockies could shift the base of power from the northeastern side of Kansas to the mountainous region in the west of the state. Meanwhile, the miners, being from the capital of the territory, felt that the legislature was out of touch with their needs. They thought a new territory or state would have the benefit of being responsive to their economic situation and consolidate the population that was currently spread across four territories. Denver area leaders decided to pursue both a relationship with Kansas and a bid for separation by sending delegates to the Kansas Territorial Legislature and the United States Congress. On February 7, 1859 the Kansas Territorial Legislature replaced Arapahoe County with six new unorganized counties and appointed county commissioners for each. However, since the commissioners were not provided a salary, they never took office. The settlers in the region attempted to organize a county on their own and on March 28, 1859, an election was held to elect officers. A total of 774 votes were cast, including 231 from Auraria, Denver, Auraria and 144 from Denver, Colorado, Denver City. A desire for a new territorial government kept the elected officials from taking their offices, as doing so would have given recognition to the Kansas Territorial government. In the meantime, Hiram J Graham, the local delegate to Congress, had successfully introduced a bill to establish a new territory in Pike's Peak Country. Though the bill did not pass, it nevertheless encouraged settlers to establish a separate government themselves.

Establishment

In April 1859, a small convention was held at Wootton's Hall in Auraria, Denver, Auraria about the need for a local government. The name Jefferson (in honor of

, the third President of the United States who had authorized the 1803 Louisiana Purchase that included much of the proposed territory) was chosen and a constitutional convention was scheduled for June 6, 1859. The conventioneers met that day, and then adjourned until August 1, 1859, when 167 representatives from 37 districts met to draft a constitution for Jefferson State. The state constitution was subsequently rejected in a popular referendum on September 24 in favor of creating a territory, primarily because the organization of the territory would be funded by Congress while the organization of a state would be self-funded. The original authors determined to hold another convention on October 3 to draft a provisional constitution for the Territory of Jefferson. The proposed Territory of Jefferson included all of the present Colorado, State of Colorado, but it was 70 percent more extensive. The territory had the same southern boundary as the present State of Colorado, the 37th parallel north, but the northern boundary was set at the 43rd parallel north, farther north than Colorado's current northern boundary, the 41st parallel north. In addition the eastern boundary was located about farther east at the 102nd meridian west, and the western boundary about farther west at the 110th meridian west.Paxson, Frederic Logan,
The Last American Frontier
', pp. 147–149, The Macmillan company, 1918 The territory was divided into eight council districts and 19 representative districts. On October 24, 1859, an election was held to approve the formation of the Provisional Government of the Territory of Jefferson and to elect officials for the territory. The formation of a provisional government was approved by a vote of 1,852 to 280 and the following officials were elected: On November 7, 1859, Governor of the Provisional Government of the Territory of Jefferson, Governor Robert Williamson Steele opened the first session of the provisional Jefferson Territorial Legislature in Denver, Colorado, Denver City with the following proclamation: During this first session, the legislature organized 12 counties. (The

would create 17 counties with somewhat similar boundaries in 1861.) The legislature adjourned on December 7, 1859. Many settlers from eastern Territory of Kansas, Kansas preferred to be governed by that territory. Those resistant to the self-government of Jefferson Territory held an election on December 8, 1859, and elected Captain R. Sopris as their representative to the Kansas Territorial Legislature. Robert Williamson Steele, Governor Steele called the second session of the provisional Jefferson Territorial Legislature to meet at Denver, Colorado, Denver City on January 23, 1860. Many disappointed gold seekers left the region in 1860. The United States Census of 1860 counted approximately 35,000 persons in the region of the Jefferson Territory. Governor Steele pointed out that many gold seekers were working claims in remote areas and estimated that the total number of people in the Jefferson Territory was 60,000. Governor Steele attempted to reach accommodation with the officials of the Kansas Territory. On August 7, 1860, Steele issued a proclamation requesting that the Provisional Government of the Jefferson Territory be merged into the Kansas Territory. Kansas officials would have no merger with what they considered to be an outlaw government, so the stalemate continued. On November 7, 1860, the 1860 United States presidential election, U.S. presidential election produced a victory for Abraham Lincoln and precipitated the secession of seven slave states and the formation of the Confederate States of America. These events eliminated any chance for federal endorsement of the Territory of Jefferson and any role in government for Governor Steele, a staunch United States, pro-Union Democratic Party (United States), Democrat and vocal opponent of Lincoln and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party. Seeking to augment the political power of the free state (United States), free states, the Republican Party (United States), Republican led U.S. Congress hurriedly admitted the portion of the Territory of Kansas east of the 25th meridian west from Washington to the United States, Union as the free state (United States), free State of Kansas on January 29, 1861. Kansas U.S. state, statehood left the western portion of the now defunct Kansas Territory, which the Jefferson Territory also claimed, officially unorganized. While the federal government refused to sanction the Jefferson Territory, it had effectively acknowledged the eastern border of the region.

Counties

On November 28, 1859, the Territory of Jefferson created 12 county (United States), counties: #Arrappahoe County, Jefferson Territory, Arrappahoe County, county seat Denver City, Jefferson Territory, Denver City, evolved into Arapahoe County, Colorado Territory, Arapahoe and Douglas County, Colorado Territory, Douglas counties, Colorado Territory. #Cheyenne County, Jefferson Territory, Cheyenne County evolved into southern Laramie County, Wyoming, Laramie County, Wyoming Territory. #El Paso County, Jefferson Territory, El Paso County, county seat Colorado City, Jefferson Territory, Colorado City, evolved into El Paso County, Colorado Territory. #Fountain County, Jefferson Territory, Fountain County, county seat Pueblo, Jefferson Territory, Pueblo, evolved into Pueblo County, Colorado Territory, Pueblo, Fremont County, Colorado Territory, Fremont, and Huerfano County, Colorado Territory, Huerfano counties, Colorado Territory. #Heele County, Jefferson Territory, Heele County, county seat La Porte, Jefferson Territory, La Porte, evolved into eastern Larimer County, Colorado Territory. #Jackson County, Jefferson Territory, Jackson County, county seat Boulder City, Jefferson Territory, Boulder City, evolved into Boulder County, Colorado Territory #Jefferson County, Jefferson Territory, Jefferson County, county seat Arapahoe City, Jefferson Territory, Arapahoe City, evolved into Jefferson County, Colorado Territory #Mountain County, Jefferson Territory, Mountain County, county seat Central City, Jefferson Territory, Central City, evolved into Gilpin County, Colorado Territory, Gilpin and Clear Creek County, Colorado Territory, Clear Creek counties, Colorado Territory. #North County, Jefferson Territory, North County evolved into western Larimer County, Colorado Territory. #Park County, Jefferson Territory, Park County, county seat Tarryall City, Jefferson Territory, Tarryall City, evolved into Park County, Colorado Territory. #Saratoga County, Jefferson Territory, Saratoga County, county seat Breckinridge, Jefferson Territory, Breckinridge, evolved into Summit County, Colorado Territory. #St. Vrain's County, Jefferson Territory, St. Vrain's County, county seat Saint Vrain, Jefferson Territory, St. Vrain, evolved into Weld County, Colorado Territory.

Capitals

*Denver, Colorado, Denver City – October 24, 1859, to November 13, 1860. *Golden, Colorado, Golden City – November 13, 1860, to June 6, 1861. Most administrative affairs of the Territory of Jefferson were handled at the home of Robert Williamson Steele, Governor Steele at Mount Vernon, Colorado, Mount Vernon.

Dissolution

On February 26, 1861, Congress passed a bill organizing the Territory of Colorado. The bill was signed into law by President of the United States, U.S. President James Buchanan two days later on February 28, 1861. On May 29, 1861, William Gilpin (governor), William Gilpin, newly appointed List of Governors of Colorado#Governors of the Territory of Colorado, Governor of the Territory of Colorado, arrived in Denver City. Most citizens of the region welcomed their new government. On June 6, 1861, Governor Steele issued a proclamation declaring the Territory of Jefferson disbanded and urging all employees and residents to abide by the laws governing the United States.

References

"Gold Fever in Kansas Territory: Migration to the Pike's Peak Gold Fields, 1858–1860" by Calvin W. Gower, ''Kansas Historical Quarterly'', Spring, 1973 (Vol. 39, No. 1), pages 58 to 74
*

External links

''The New York Times'', 25 August 1859
Fiftyniners' Directory: Colorado Argonauts 1858–1859
Denver Public Library {{Coord, 40, N, 105.5, W, region:US-CO_type:adm1st_scale:3000000, format=dms, display=title 1858 in Kansas Territory 1858 in Nebraska Territory 1858 in New Mexico Territory 1858 in Utah Territory 1859 establishments in the United States 1861 disestablishments in the United States 1861 in Colorado Territory Colorado Territory, . Former regions and territories of the United States History of the American West Jefferson Territory, Kansas Territory New Mexico Territory Pre-statehood history of Colorado Pre-statehood history of Wyoming Proposed states and territories of the United States States and territories disestablished in 1861 States and territories established in 1859 Utah Territory Washington Territory