Historical Account "State Hood " Submitted by: Christine Goff COGenExchange - http://www.genexchange.org/co/ The first bill for Colorado's statehood was introduced in Congress in 1864, but it died when Colorado voters rejected the proposed state constitution. Subsequent efforts at statehood were lost in the fight between President Andrew Johnson and Republicans in the U.S. Congress over how the defeated Southern states should be treated after the Civil War. Johnson vetoed statehood, partly because the territory's population was too small. Congress did approve a Colorado statehood bill on March 3, 1875. A state convention at Denver adopted a proposed state constitution on March 14, 1876, and on July 1 the voters approved it by a three-to-one margin. Colorado became the 38th state to join the Union on August 1, 1876, and John L. Routt, the last territorial governor, was elected the first governor of the state of Colorado Source: The Birth of Colorado: A Civil War Perspective and Rocky Mountain West: Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana, 1859-1915 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CO Counties Available for Adoption: - http://www.genexchange.org/counties.cfm?state=co Alamosa ~ Arapahoe ~ Archuleta ~ Baca ~ Bent ~ Boulder ~ Chaffee ~ Cheyenne ~ Clear Creek ~ Conejos ~ Costilla ~ Crowley ~ Custer ~ Delta ~ Denver ~ Dolores ~ Douglas ~ Eagle ~ El Paso ~ Elbert ~ Fremont ~ Garfield ~ Gilpin ~ Grand ~ Gunnison ~ Hinsdale ~ Huerfano ~ Jackson ~ Jefferson ~ Kiowa ~ Kit Carson ~ La Plata ~ Lake ~ Larimer ~ Las Animas ~ Lincoln ~ Logan ~ Mesa ~ Mineral ~ Moffatt ~ Montezuma ~ Montrose ~ Morgan ~ Otero ~ Ouray ~ Park ~ Phillips ~ Pitkin ~ Prowers ~ Rio Blanco ~ Rio Grande ~ Routt ~ Saguache ~ San Juan ~ San Miguel ~ Sedgwick ~ Summit ~ Washington ~ Weld ~ Yuma ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Joanne Abby - National Coordinator GenExchange - http://www.genexchange.org/ USGenExchange - http://www.genexchange.org/us.cfm COGenExchange - http://www.genexchange.org/co/