Orleans Territory

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The United States after the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 (the Orleans Territory outlined in bold light blue)

The Orleans Territory was a historic territory of the United States that existed between 1804 and 1812. It was the first part to be detached from the Louisiana Purchase , an area the United States bought from France in 1803 . All of the Louisiana Purchase south of the 33rd parallel became Orleans Territory and the remainder became the District of Louisiana . (The District of Louisiana was later renamed the Louisiana Territory . Some time later, the Orleans Territory became the State of Louisiana and the Louisiana Territory was renamed the Missouri Territory .) The Orleans Territory was renamed the Organic on October 1, 1804 Act of March 26, 1804. On April 30, 1812, Louisiana became the 18th state to join the union.

On April 10, 1805, the territorial parliament created twelve counties (starting from the southeastern corner west and north): Orleans County, LaFourche County, German Coast, Acadia County, Iberville County, Attakapas County, Pointe Coupée County, Opelousas County, Rapides County , Concordia County, Natchitoches County, and Ouachita County. At that time, the Florida Parishes on the east bank of the Mississippi were not part of the Orleans Territory, but rather part of west Florida , and were not annexed by the United States until 1810. The western border with Spanish Texas was not fully established until the Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819. A strip of land, better known as the Sabine Free State , east of the Sabine River served as a neutral buffer area from 1807 to 1819.

Leaders and MPs

William CC Claiborne was the first and only governor of the Orleans Territory. He later became the first governor of the state of Louisiana.

There were two territorial ministers, James Brown (1804-1807) and Thomas B. Robertson (1807-1811). Daniel Clark was the first territorial delegate to the United States Congress in December 1806 .

See also

Web links