St. Vrain County
The St. Vrain County was a county of the out of the US law Jefferson Territory , which consisted of 28 November 1859 to 28 February. 1861
history
In July 1858, gold was discovered along the South Platte River in the Arapahoe County , Kansas Territory . This discovery sparked the Pikes Peak gold rush . Many residents of the mining area felt separate from the distant territorial governments of Kansas and Nebraska , so they voted on October 24, 1859 to form their own Jefferson Territory. In the following months, the Jefferson Territory General Assembly voted to organize 12 counties: Arrappahoe County , Cheyenne County , El Paso County , Fountain County , Heele County , Jackson County , Jefferson County , Mountain County , North County , Park County , Saratoga County and St. Vrain County. St. Vrain County was named in honor of Ceran de Hault de Lassus de St. Vrain , the French merchant who established the first trading post above the South Platte River. The county encompassed much of what is now Weld County , Colorado.
The Jefferson Territory never received state support. On February 28, 1861, United States President James Buchanan signed a bill that organized the Colorado Territory . On November 1, 1861, the Colorado General Assembly organized 17 counties, including Weld County, for the new Colorado Territory.
Elections and elected officials
The first official to serve in St. Vrain County was Corydon P. Hall, who was appointed presiding judge of St. Vrain County by Governor Robert W. Steele in December 1859 . He held the post until the first election on January 2, 1860.
Individual evidence
- ↑ An Act Defining the Boundaries of Counties and for other purposes . In: Provisional Laws and Joint Resolutions of the General Assembly of Jefferson Territory . General Assembly of the Territory of Jefferson. November 28, 1859. Retrieved August 27, 2009.
- ^ An Act to provide a temporary Government for the Territory of Colorado ( PDF ; 18 kB) 36th US Congress. February 28, 1861. Retrieved November 26, 2007.