Pah-Ute County, Arizona Territory facts for kids
Pah-Ute County was a special part of Arizona Territory that existed for a short time, from 1865 to 1871. It was located in the northwest corner of Arizona. Most of this area was later given to Nevada, and the rest became part of Mohave County.
Today, much of what was Pah-Ute County is now Clark County, Nevada, which is where the famous city of Las Vegas is located! Because most of its land was transferred away, Pah-Ute County is often called Arizona's "Lost County." The name "Pah-Ute" is an old way to spell Southern Paiute, which is the name of a Native American tribe.
How Pah-Ute County Began
Pah-Ute County was officially created on December 22, 1865. This happened because the 2nd Arizona Territorial Legislature passed a law. A man named Octavius Decatur Gass helped make this law happen.
The county was formed from the northern part of Mohave County. It was created to help the many farmers who were moving to the area along the Colorado River. They needed a local government closer to them.
At first, the main town, or "county seat," for Pah-Ute County was Callville. But on October 1, 1867, the county seat was moved to another community called St. Thomas. Both Callville and St. Thomas are now underwater at the bottom of Lake Mead!
The first borders of the county included all parts of Arizona Territory north of the Roaring Rapids on the Colorado River and west of 113° 20” west longitude.
Why the Borders Changed
Something big happened on May 5, 1866. The United States Congress passed a law that moved parts of Pah-Ute and Mohave counties to the state of Nevada. This included all the land west of the Colorado River and west of 114 degrees west longitude. This change became official on January 18, 1867.
Arizona Territory was not happy about this! They sent many protests to Congress and tried for several years to get their land back. However, they were not able to reverse the change. Even after the land was transferred, Pah-Ute County still had people representing it in the Arizona Territorial Legislature until 1868.
The End of Pah-Ute County
Pah-Ute County officially stopped existing on February 18, 1871. The 6th Arizona Territorial Legislature canceled the law that had created the county. The remaining part of Pah-Ute County was then returned and merged back into Mohave County.
