The below info was found on the CO Archive site. Does anyone know if an alphabetical index was made for Lake County for the 1885 CO Census? 1885 Colorado Census The 1885 Colorado Census was a special state census done in conjunction with the federal government. As such it is different from the other federal censuses. For instance, the Soundex system does not apply to this census. Also, there is a completely separate alphabetical extraction of names which includes age, race, gender, nativity, and marital status. The alphabetical extraction is organized by county and thereunder alphabetically by first letter of last name. Of the 40 counties that were organized at the time, an alphabetical extraction was done for 20. The extractions do not refer to a sheet and a page number in the census which sometimes makes it difficult for researchers to cross reference a name. If a researcher is looking to see if a person lived in a certain county in 1885 or needs only basic information about an individual, then the 1885 alphabetical extraction is useful and can be quicker to search than the actual census.