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County Formation Chronology

1859 - The area that became Colorado was part of Kansas Territory, Nebraska Territory, Utah Territory, and New Mexico Territory. Discovery of gold brought more and more people. A movement began to establish a separate territory. The name of the provisional territory was Jefferson Territory.

1860 - U.S. Congress approves the Territory of Colorado.

1861 - The Territory of Colorado becomes official. The area of present-day Cheyenne County is mostly in Huerfano County with the westernmost portion in the Cheyenne and Arapahoe Reserve.

1868 - The Cheyenne and Arapahoe Reserve is dissolved. Area merged with El Paso and Pueblo counties. El Paso and Pueblo counties extend to the Kansas line.

1870 - Greenwood County formed with the town of Kit Carson as the county seat.
See: 1870 CENSUS Online Greenwood County - mostly Kit Carson area.
See: A town history of Kit Carson.

1874 - Greenwood County becomes only county in Colorado to be completely abolished. The area divided into Bent and Elbert counties.

1876 - Colorado becomes a state.

1889 - The counties of Cheyenne, Kiowa, Kit Carson, Lincoln, Otero and Prowers formed from portions of Elbert and Bent counties.