Robert Williamson Steele (January 14, 1820 – February 7, 1901) was

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of the extralegal

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 ...

, which existed in the

western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the We ...

from 1859 to 1861, when it was replaced by the Territory of Colorado.

Early life

Steele was born near Chillicothe in Ross County,

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. He farmed until 1846, when he began the study of law at

Fairfield, Iowa Fairfield is a city in, and the county seat of, Jefferson County, Iowa. It has a population of 9,416 people, according to the 2020 census. The median family income is $46,138, with 10% of families below the poverty line. The city is typical ...

. In 1848 he married Susan Nevin at

Hillsboro, Ohio Hillsboro is a city in and the county seat of Highland County, Ohio, United States approximately 35 mi (56 km) west of Chillicothe, and 50 miles east of Cincinnati. The population was 6,605 at the 2010 census. History Hillsboro was p ...

, and graduated from the Law School of Cincinnati four years later. In 1855, Steele moved to Omaha, settling in Douglas County of 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 ...

. He was elected as a Democrat to the Nebraska Territorial House of Representatives to represent Douglas County in 1857. The following year, news reached Omaha of gold 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 ...

. On March 25, 1859, Steele set out for the gold fields with his wife Susan and four children in an ox-drawn

prairie schooner ''Prairie Schooner'' is a literary magazine published quarterly at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with the cooperation of UNL's English Department and the University of Nebraska Press. It is based in Lincoln, Nebraska and was first publish ...

. They arrived at Denver City in May. Steele soon moved to Central City, where he prospected for gold. He also served as president of the Consolidated Ditch Company. Steele built a log cabin on the Ute Trail midway between Denver City and Central City; he named the spot

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is on ...

in honor of

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

Territorial Governor

On September 29, 1859, Steele was nominated for

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of the proposed

. On October 24, 1859 the formation of a provisional government was approved and Steele defeated J.H. St. Matthew for Governor. Governor Steele opened the first session of the provisional territorial legislature on November 7, 1859, with a proclamation: Steele called for the next session to meet on January 23, 1860. Also in 1860, he formed the Apex and Gregory Wagon Road Company to build a toll road from Denver City to the gold fields at Gregory Gulch. It was later renamed the Denver City, Mt. Vernon, and Gregory Toll Road. When Steeles' home accidentally burned, the family rebuilt at Apex, on the toll road. Governor Steele attempted to deal with the officials of the Kansas Territory, which was still the recognized government over the region. On August 7, 1860, Steele requested the Provisional Government of the Jefferson Territory be merged into the Kansas Territory. However, Kansas officials refused to agree and the stalemate continued.

The end of the Territory of Jefferson

On November 6, 1860,

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

won the U.S. presidential election, which precipitated the secession of seven

slave states In the United States before 1865, a slave state was a state in which slavery and the internal or domestic slave trade were legal, while a free state was one in which they were not. Between 1812 and 1850, it was considered by the slave states ...

and the formation of the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

. This ended any chance for federal endorsement of the Territory of Jefferson. Furthermore, as a staunch pro-Union Democrat and vocal opponent of both Lincoln and the Republican Party, R.W. Steele also became a pariah. On January 26, 1861, the United States Congress passed a bill organizing the Territory of Colorado. It was signed into law by U.S. President James Buchanan two days later on January 28, 1861. On June 6, 1861, Governor Steele issued a proclamation disbanding the Territory of Jefferson and urging all residents to abide by the laws governing the United States.

Later years

In 1862, Steele moved to

Gilpin County, Colorado Gilpin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado, smallest in land area behind only the City and County of Broomfield. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,808. The county seat is Central City. The county was formed in 1 ...

; in 1863 he moved again, first to

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

and then to Georgetown. In 1865, he reluctantly returned to

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

. Just two years later, he returned to Georgetown. The one-time governor spent his last years in

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

, where he died on February 7, 1901, almost a month after his 81st birthday. He is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado Springs.

Legacy

Steele has been called the ''Father of Colorado'' for his tireless efforts to develop the then frontier region. His 1867 home survives and is on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

References

External links

Territorial Town
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Health Care Heritage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Steele, Robert Williamson 1820 births 1901 deaths Colorado Mining Boom Colorado Democrats People from Jefferson County, Colorado Governors of Jefferson Territory Members of the Nebraska Territorial Legislature 19th-century American politicians Nebraska Democrats Politicians from Chillicothe, Ohio Politicians from Omaha, Nebraska