Colorado Territory

The Territory of Colorado was an organized area of the United States that existed from February 28, 1861, until August 1, 1876. During this time, it was not yet a state but was governed directly by the U.S. government. It became a territory just as the American Civil War was beginning, after many people discovered gold in the area, leading to a rush of new settlers.

Even though the war made it hard for the territory to grow, things improved after the war ended. Mining became bigger and more organized, which helped the economy. Building railroads also played an important role in making life better and the economy stronger for the people living there.

When the territory turned five years old, it was officially made the 38th state of the United States. The land that was part of the Colorado Territory looks almost the same as the state of Colorado today.

Territorial aspirations

The area that would become Colorado faced delays in becoming a territory because of disagreements over slavery. The start of the Civil War changed this, as some senators left, allowing new territories to be created. On February 28, 1861, Colorado Territory was officially formed from lands that were part of Kansas, Nebraska, Utah, and New Mexico territories.

Abraham Lincoln chose William Gilpin from Missouri to be the first governor. He arrived in Denver City in May 1861. The Colorado General Assembly began meeting in September 1861 and set up 17 counties for the new territory.

Civil War

When the American Civil War began in 1861, there were small fights between people who supported the Confederacy and those who supported the Union in Colorado. Governor Gilpin formed the 1st Colorado Infantry and asked Denver businesses to help supply the soldiers, hoping the government would pay. When the government did not pay, people wanted new leaders.

Later, John P. Slough led soldiers to New Mexico Territory where they fought in battles at Apache Canyon, Glorieta Pass, and Peralta. In March 1862, John Evans became the new governor of Colorado and helped settle some of the debts from before.

During this time, there were sad and difficult events involving conflicts between different groups of people. The war ended, and new soldiers came from the east with better tools to protect settlements.

Attempts at statehood

Many efforts were made to make the Colorado Territory a state, starting in the 1850s before it was even formed. These attempts failed for many reasons until finally, in 1876, Colorado became a state.

In 1865, the United States Congress approved a law to let the territory become a state, but President Andrew Johnson refused to sign it. Later, in 1870, President Grant supported making Colorado a state, but Congress did not take action.

Demographics

When the Colorado Territory first started, most of the people were men—about 95% of the residents were male. By 1870, this number dropped to about 62%. The population didn’t grow much during this time because of the war and problems in the mining industry. The number of people in 1870 was almost the same as it was in 1860.

Some activities that were not appropriate for families happened in the area, causing tension among the citizens. For example, the town of Georgetown had several places that were not family-friendly in 1873.

Infrastructure

Before railroads were built, people in Colorado used wagons to move goods and messages. These wagon services started irregularly but became regular by 1861, operating several days a week. The economy of Colorado grew about three times bigger from 1865 to 1871.

Telegraph

The first telegraph line in the territory started building in 1861 and finished from Denver to Julesburg, Colorado in October 1863. By 1865, another telegraph line went from Denver through Fort Collins, Colorado all the way to Salt Lake City, Utah.

Railroads

The boom in mining changed things, and towns near Central City planned a railroad called the Colorado Central in 1861 to help the mining industry. Construction finally began in 1865, using Golden as the main center.

In 1867, John Evans and D. H. Moffat raised money to build the Denver Pacific Railroad north from Denver to Cheyenne. The line finished in June 1870, giving Denver a big economic advantage.

Also in 1867, the Union Pacific Railroad extended its tracks west to Julesburg, Colorado. It connected with the Central Pacific Railroad at Promontory Summit, Utah on May 10, 1869, creating the First transcontinental railroad. The Kansas Pacific arrived two months later, making a second cross-country line.

In 1871, William Jackson Palmer started the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, linking Denver to Pueblo and further. He also founded Colorado Springs that same year.

Banks

Only private banking existed in Colorado Territory until 1865, when the First National Bank opened in Denver. Jerome B. Chaffee and David Moffat were leaders at the bank.

Mining

Oil was first found and taken from the area in 1861. People began making kerosene, a type of fuel, in Florence, Colorado.

By 1862, people had taken out enough gold to be worth about $30 million at the time. But mining was harder and less rewarding than many people thought, and many miners went away looking for other work. To try to help the mining business, leaders built a special building called a mint in Denver to make money coins. The United States Congress approved this plan on April 21, 1862, and the Denver Mint was built.

After the Civil War ended, new machines called stamp mills and smelters were used more often to help process the minerals. Even so, these machines were not very good, and many businesses closed. Some people made money by collecting leftover bits of minerals that others had already looked through.

By 1868, a place called Central City became very important for mining gold. In the late 1860s, people also found silver and iron in different parts of Colorado, and coal was mined near Denver.

Legislation

The territorial legislature met almost every year. The mountain towns were usually in charge of making most of the laws. Only a few towns, like Black Hawk, Denver, Central City, and Georgetown, had special rules.

Gambling was a common activity and sometimes led to fights. In 1865, the legislature made gambling legal.

Territorial capitals

Three cities in Colorado served as the capital of the Colorado Territory at different times.

Denver City was the capital from when the territory was created on February 28, 1861, until July 7, 1862. Then, Colorado City was the capital from July 7 to August 14, 1862. After that, Golden City was the capital from August 14, 1862, until December 9, 1867. Finally, Denver was the capital again from December 9, 1867 until Colorado became a state on August 1, 1876.