Montana County, Kansas Territory
Encyclopedia
Montana County was a county of the United States
Territory of Kansas that existed for two years from 1859-02-07, to 1861-01-29.
in Arapahoe County
of the Territory of Kansas (now in the State of Colorado). This discovery precipitating the Pike's Peak Gold Rush. To provide local government for the gold mining region, the Kansas Territorial Legislature split Arapahoe County into six counties on 1859-02-07: a much smaller Arapahoe County
, Broderick County
, El Paso County
, Fremont County
, Montana County, and Oro County
. Montana County was named for the Spanish language
name for the Front Range
. Montana County included the fledgling gold camps of Denver City
, Golden City
, and Central City
. 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 on 1859-10-24.
Following the Republican Party
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
from the new state, and Montana County and the rest of this region reverted to unorganized territory.
On 1861-02-28, 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 1861-11-01.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Territory of Kansas that existed for two years from 1859-02-07, to 1861-01-29.
History
In July 1858, gold was discovered along the South Platte RiverSouth Platte River
The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River and itself a major river of the American Midwest and the American Southwest/Mountain West, located in the U.S. states of Colorado and Nebraska...
in Arapahoe County
Arapahoe County, Kansas Territory
Arapahoe County was a county of the United States Territory of Kansas that existed from 1855-08-25, to 1861-01-29.-History:On 1855-08-25, the Kansas Territorial Legislature created Arapahoe County to govern the western portion of the Territory of Kansas...
of the Territory of Kansas (now in the State of Colorado). This discovery precipitating the Pike's Peak Gold Rush. To provide local government for the gold mining region, the Kansas Territorial Legislature split Arapahoe County into six counties on 1859-02-07: a much smaller Arapahoe County
Arapahoe County, Kansas Territory
Arapahoe County was a county of the United States Territory of Kansas that existed from 1855-08-25, to 1861-01-29.-History:On 1855-08-25, the Kansas Territorial Legislature created Arapahoe County to govern the western portion of the Territory of Kansas...
, Broderick County
Broderick County, Kansas Territory
Broderick County was a county of the United States Territory of Kansas that existed for two years from February 7, 1859 to January 29, 1861.-History:...
, El Paso County
El Paso County, Kansas Territory
El Paso County was a county of the United States Territory of Kansas that existed for two years from 1859-02-07, to 1861-01-29.-History:In July 1858, gold was discovered along the South Platte River in Arapahoe County of the Territory of Kansas . This discovery precipitating the Pike's Peak Gold Rush...
, Fremont County
Fremont County, Kansas Territory
Fremont County was a county of the United States Territory of Kansas that existed for two years from 1859-02-07, to 1861-01-29.-History:In July 1858, gold was discovered along the South Platte River in Arapahoe County of the Territory of Kansas . This discovery precipitating the Pike's Peak Gold Rush...
, Montana County, and Oro County
Oro County, Kansas Territory
Oro County was a county of the United States Territory of Kansas that existed for two years from 1859-02-07, to 1861-01-29.-History:In July 1858, gold was discovered along the South Platte River in Arapahoe County of the Territory of Kansas . This discovery precipitating the Pike's Peak Gold Rush...
. Montana County was named for the Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
name for the Front Range
Front Range
The Front Range is a mountain range of the Southern Rocky Mountains of North America located in the north-central portion of the U.S. State of Colorado and southeastern portion of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It is the first mountain range encountered moving west along the 40th parallel north across...
. Montana County included the fledgling gold camps of Denver City
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, Golden City
Golden, Colorado
The City of Golden is a home rule municipality that is the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Golden lies along Clear Creek at the edge of the foothills of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Founded during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush on 16 June 1859, the mining camp was...
, and Central City
Central City, Colorado
Central City is a home rule municipality in Clear Creek and Gilpin counties in the U.S. state of Colorado, and the county seat of Gilpin County. The city population was 515 in the 2000 United States Census...
. 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 on 1859-10-24.
Following the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
election victories in 1860
United States presidential election, 1860
The United States presidential election of 1860 was a quadrennial election, held on November 6, 1860, for the office of President of the United States and the immediate impetus for the outbreak of the American Civil War. The nation had been divided throughout the 1850s on questions surrounding the...
, the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
admitted Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
to the Union
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Kansas Act of Admission excluded the portion of the Kansas Territory west of the 25th meridian west from Washington
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...
from the new state, and Montana County and the rest of this region reverted to unorganized territory.
On 1861-02-28, 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
Colorado General Assembly
The Colorado General Assembly is the state legislature of the State of Colorado.-Constitutional definition:The Colorado Constitution establishes a system of government based on the separation of powers doctrine with power divided among three "departments": executive, legislative and judicial...
organized 17 counties on 1861-11-01.
See also
- Historic Colorado counties
- History of ColoradoHistory of ColoradoThe human history of Colorado extends back more than 13,000 years. The region that is today the state of Colorado was first inhabited by Native Americans...
- History of KansasHistory of KansasThe history of Kansas, argued historian Carl L. Becker a century ago, reflects American ideals. He wrote: "The Kansas spirit is the American spirit double distilled. It is a new grafted product of American individualism, American idealism, American intolerance. Kansas is America in...
- Pike's Peak Gold Rush
- Territory of Colorado
- Territory of Jefferson
- Territory of Kansas
External links
- Colorado County Evolution by Don Stanwyck
- Kansas State Historical Society website
- Colorado State Historical Society website