Oro County, Kansas Territory facts for kids

Oro County was a special kind of county that existed for a short time in the Territory of Kansas. It was created on February 7, 1859, and stopped being a county on January 29, 1861. This happened when Kansas became a state in the United States.

History of Oro County

In July 1858, people found gold near the South Platte River. This area was part of Arapahoe County in the Territory of Kansas. Today, this land is in the State of Colorado. Finding gold started something called the Pike's Peak Gold Rush. Many people rushed to the area hoping to find gold.

Creating New Counties

Because so many people moved there, the government needed a way to manage the gold mining region. So, on February 7, 1859, the Kansas Territorial Legislature decided to divide Arapahoe County. They created six new counties from it. These counties were a smaller Arapahoe County, Broderick County, El Paso County, Fremont County, Montana County, and Oro County.

Oro County got its name from the Spanish language word for "gold." This is interesting because the county itself was actually east of where most of the gold was found. None of these six new counties ever really got organized. This means they didn't have a working local government with officials and rules.

Forming Their Own Government

Many people living in the gold mining area felt that the Kansas government was too far away. They felt disconnected and wanted their own government. So, on October 24, 1859, they decided to form their own area called the Territory of Jefferson.

Kansas Becomes a State

After the 1860 United States presidential election, the United States Congress decided to make Kansas a state. When Kansas joined the Union, a special law was passed. This law said that the western part of the Kansas Territory would not be part of the new state. This included Oro County and the areas around it. These lands became "unorganized territory" again. This means they didn't have a formal government structure.

Colorado Territory is Formed

Later, on February 28, 1861, the Territory of Colorado was created. This new territory was made to govern the unorganized lands that used to be part of Kansas. It also included parts of the Territory of New Mexico, the Territory of Utah, and the Territory of Nebraska. On November 1, 1861, the new government of Colorado organized 17 counties within its borders.