Colorado County Resources

This entry was originally written by Birdie Monk Holsclaw and Marsha Hoffman Rising CG, FUGA, FASG in Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources.

This article is part of the Colorado Family History Research series.

History of Colorado

Colorado Vital Records

Census Records for Colorado

Background Sources for Colorado

Colorado Maps

Colorado Land Records

Colorado Probate Records

Colorado Court Records

Colorado Tax Records

Colorado Cemetery Records

Colorado Church Records

Colorado Military Records

Colorado Periodicals, Newspapers, and Manuscript Collections

Colorado Archives, Libraries, and Societies

Colorado County Resources

Map of Colorado

The WPA published a number of county inventories for Colorado. These have been reprinted and placed on microfiche by the Colorado Genealogical Society. The unpublished manuscripts for these have been deposited at the Colorado State Archives. A survey was not, however, completed for every county. With the exceptions listed in the chart below, it is presumed that county records exist from the date of county formation, but this has not been verified for all counties. The individual researcher will need to check the specific county of interest. Many of Colorado's early county records have been deposited at the Colorado State Archives. Unless otherwise noted, in the chart below, marriage records are located at the clerk and recorder's office in the county seat along with land records. Other vital records created before state recording began (see Vital Records) are located in the various County Vital Records offices. A list of telephone numbers is available at www.cdphe.state.co.us/hs/vroffices.htm.

Court records are found in county and district courts, with probate records in the district courts (unless moved to the Colorado State Archives).

Map	County	County Address	Date Formed	Parent County(ies)	Birth	Marriage	Death	Land	Probate	Court
G3	Adams	450 S 4th Ave, Brighton 80601	1901	Arapahoe	1902-06	1902	1902-08	1902	1902	1902
	Part of Denver County; annexed, 1909
E7	Alamosa	P.O. Box 178, Alamosa 81101	1913	Costilla/Conejos		1913	1913*	1913	1913	1913
	*At Lorton and Miracle Mortuaries in Alamosa
G3	Arapahoe	5334 S Prince St, Littletonn 80166	1861	original	1872-1902*	1860-1903*	1887-1902*	1861	1902**	1902**
	*At Colorado Department of Health, Vital Records Section
	**Most records for Denver prior to 1902 have been deposited in the Colorado State Archives. Early land records, surveys, post offices, and territorial government papers are extant for Arapahoe County, and some are located in both the Colorado and Kansas historical societies. however, typical county records such as probate or county court minutes do not exist for the early territorial period of the county before state formation.