Journal of the Senate of the General Assembly of the Territory/State of Colorado: 1859/60, generally bi-annual, Denver, var. state printers, series
continues. (The area now comprising the State of Colorado was once divided among the U.S. territories of Utah, New Mexico, Nebraska and Kansas; none of
which took much notice of their Colorado portions due to their being largely unpopulated and uncharted. In resentment against this perceived neglect,
the citizens of the territory formed several extralegal governments, the most successful of which was proclaimed by the citizens of Arapahoe County
{then much larger than its present dimensions, but roughly comprising the area surrounding modern Denver} as the “Jefferson Territory.” This extralegal
government formed a legislature that enacted some significant legislation in its one session, Nov.-Jan, 1859-60. The Colorado Senate journals run
begins with that Jefferson Territory legislative session. In 1861 Congress made Colorado an independent territory, with statehood following in 1876. The
1905 session of the General Assembly met in “Joint Session,” with the effect that there is only one “Joint Session Journal.” For ease of location
online, a copy of that 1905 “Joint Session Journal” has been filed in both the House and Senate Journal runs.) (Documents that are part of the Early
State Records Collection were digitized from a microfilm copy of titles originally held by the Colorado Secretary of State).
|