History :
Jefferson County has a history rich in people, events and progress. Take some of the early residents, for example. Many helped put the "wild" in the wild, wild west. Details about Buffalo Bill, members of the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang and Alferd Packer, Colorado's alleged cannibal, can be found below. Additionally, the feverish new commerce that prompted the formation of the county, as well as details on the early government, are described here.

From Lawless to Governed: The Early Years

Ingrained into the very fabric of the county is its much more noble beginnings. Taking the name of the third U.S. president Thomas Jefferson, the county was formally organized in 1861 by the Colorado Territorial Legislature.

The need for an organized local government began in the late 1850s when droves of gold-seeking settlers came West. In 1858, when gold was discovered in the Rocky Mountains, there were fewer than 200 settlers in the area. An influx of nearly 35,000 people arrived two years later, lured by the glitter of gold.

On Those Who Took Office
- The first provisional governor of Jefferson Territory was Robert W. Steele, who lived at Mount Vernon.
- Eli Carter, the county's first recorder, began recording everything from marriage contracts to mining claims in January 1860.
- William Gilpin, first governor of the Colorado Territory, called an election for December 1861.
- Elected officials who took office in January 1862 were Theodore P. Boyd, Thomas C. Bergen, and David K. Wall, county commissioners; J.C. Remington, sheriff; George H. Richardson, clerk and recorder; John M. Ferrell, treasurer; J.R. Ward, assessor; Edward L. Berthoud, surveyor; S.W. Lincoln, coroner; William T. Muir, probate judge; J.B. Wolff, attorney; and George West, school superintendent.
- County offices were located in Loveland Hall until 1877 when the first Jefferson County Courthouse was built.