64 



GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES. 



In the disturbance of the earth's crust that produced the moun- 

 tains the rocks of the plains were thrown into k)W, broad fokls or 

 were sharply broken where the stresses were most severe. Folds of 

 this kind may be seen by the traveler between Pueblo and Canon 

 City, but they are so slight that he can hardly recognize them with- 



Arapahoe County, Kans., and also of 

 a delegate to the Kansas Territorial 

 legislature. An editorial in the Rocky 

 Mountain News of October 6, 1859, 

 says : 



" So it goes ; one day we understand 

 that we are cut off from Kansas; the 

 next we have cut ourselves off and will 

 pay no regard to Kansas legislation 

 but have an independent government 

 of our own ; and the very next, when 

 there is a chance for a petty office un- 

 der Kansas laws, there are hundreds 

 ready to enter the lists, and before 

 their certificates of election are dry in 

 their pockets you will hear them 

 lustily advocating ' independent gov- 

 ernment ' and 'let Kansas go to the 

 dogs.' 



" Here we go, a regular triple- 

 headed government machine. South 

 of [parallel] 40 we hang on the skirts 

 of Kansas ; north of 40 on those of Ne- 

 braska. Straddling the line, we have 

 just elected a Delegate to Congress for 

 the Territory of Jefferson ; and ere 

 long we shall have in full blast a pro- 

 visional government of Rocky Moun- 

 tain growth and manufacture." 



The convention assembled on Oc- 

 tober 10 and formed a Territorial con- 

 stitution, which was ratified by the 

 people at an election held on October 

 24. The name Jefferson was retained 

 for the proposed new Territory. 



Although the leaders recognized the 

 illegality of their actions. Territorial 

 officers and a legislature, the " First 

 General Assembly," were elected. The 

 legislature began its first session in 

 Denver City November 7, 1859. The 

 Rocky Mountain News was an ardent 

 supporter of the Jefferson Territorial 

 government and in its issue published 

 after the meeting of the legislatui-e 

 made the following glowing prediction 

 of tlie future of the Territory ; 



" We hope and expect to see it 

 stand until we can boast of a million 

 people and look upon a city of a hun- 

 dred thousand souls having all the 

 comforts and luxuries of the most 

 favored. Then we will hear the 

 whistle of locomotives and the rattle 

 of trains arriving and departing on 

 their way from the Atlantic and Pa- 

 cific. * * .* The future of Jeffer- 

 son Territory, soon to be a sovereign 

 State, is glorious with promise." 



The first session of the legislature 

 was marked by the enactment of many 

 general laws and special acts, and the 

 members seemed to have been imbued 

 with the idea that they were building 

 a great mountain commonwealth, but 

 in the following year interest in the 

 Territorial government of Jefferson be- 

 gan to wane, as the people realized 

 that their efforts were likely to be 

 fruitless. Not entirely disheartened, 

 Gov. Steele issued a proclamation for 

 the annual election of officers in the 

 autumn of I860, as provided in the 

 constitution, but in this proclamation 

 he warned all candidates that they 

 would be expected to sers^e without 

 compensation. This warning was 

 given because of the growing belief 

 that the local Territorial government 

 would not be recognized by Congress 

 and that all acts of its legislature 

 would be declared invalid. 



The second general assembly con- 

 vened in Denver City on November 12, 

 1860, but on account of opposition by 

 the city to the continuation of the 

 legislative farce, it adjourned on No- 

 vember 27 to Golden. The principal 

 inducement for this action, according 

 to the News, was that "board is 

 offered at $6 a week — wood and lights 

 and hall rent free." The members, 

 however, lost interest in its proceed- 

 ings, and after 40 days playing at 



