Colorado County Resources

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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
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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 The unpublished manuscripts for these have been deposited at the Colorado State Archives.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.
C7 Archuleta P.O. Box 1507 Pagosa Springs 81147 1885 Conejos 1892-1907 1886 1900-07 1886 1886 1886
K7 Baca 741 Main St, Springfield 81073 1889 Las Animas 1889 1889 1889 1889
J6 Bent P.O. Box 350 las Animas 81054 1870 Indian Reserves Lands/Las Animas/Greenwood 1888 1874? 1874? 1874?
*Greenwood dissolved in 1874 to Bent and Elbert counties.
F2 Boulder P.O. Box 471, Boulder 80301 1861 original 1880-1909* 1864 1800-1903* 1864 1864 1864
Boulder was called Jackson County when it was part of the Jefferson Territory
*City Hall in Boulder. Estate files from 1862 are housed in the Colorado State Archives
E2 Broomfield 1 DesCombes Dr, Broomfield 80020 2001 Adam/Boulder/Jefferson/Weld 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001
Carbonate 1861 (renamed Lake, 1879)
E4 Chaffee P.O. Box 669 Salida 81201 1861 ( as Lake; renamed, 1879) original 1884-1907 1866 1884-1907 1879? 1879? 1879?
K4 Cheyenne P.O. Box 567, Cheyenne Wells 80810-0567 1861 Bent/Elbert 1889 1866 1893-1904 1889? 1889? 1889?
E3 Clear Creek 405 Argentine St, Georgetown 80444 1861 original 1905-07* 1864* 1902-07* 1859 1861 1861
*County Archives in Georgetown
E7 Conejos P.O. Box Conejos 81129 1861( as Guadalupe; renamed 1869) original 1877-1907 1871 1877-1907 1871 1875 1877
Some loss of records occurred by fire
F7 Costilla P.O. Box 100 San Luis 81152 1861 original 1863 1902-07* 1861 1876 1876
*Alamosa County, Lorton, and Miracle Mortuary.
H5 Crowley 110 E. Sixth St, Ordway 81063 1911 Brent/Otero 1911 1911 1911 1911
F6 Custer P.O. 150, Westcliffe 81252 1877 Fremont 1905-07 1877*1877 1902-07 1877 1877
*Some earlier in Fremont County miscellaneous file
B4 Delta 501 Palmer St Ste 227, Delta 81416 1883 Gunnison 1895-1909 1883 1885-1909 1883 1883 1883
F3 Douglas 1437 Bannock St, Denver 80202 1901 Araphoe 1872-1907 1860 1887-1907 1902 1865-1959* 1902
In 1911, Denver City and Denver County merged. Births and Deaths, 1964- present, are at Vital Statistics Room, Denver General Hospital.
*Many early Denver records have been deposited at the Colorado State Archives
B6 Dolores P.O. Box 608 Dove Creek 81324 1881 Summit 1894-1901 1879 1894-1907 1881 1881 1881
F3 Douglas 100 Third St, Castle Rock 80104 1861 original 1894-1908 1864 1894- 1863 1861? 1861?
Original county seat at Franktown
Small part of Cheyenne and Arapahoe Reservations added in 1870.
Courthouse burned in 1978 but minimal loss of records.
D3 Eagle P.O. Box 850, Eagle 81631 1883 Summit 1894-1901 1879 1894-1901 1883 1883 1883
G3 Elbert P.O. Box 597, Kiowa 80117 1874 Douglas 1894-1907 1874* 1876-96 1874 1874 1874
G4 El Paso 27 E. Vermijo Ave, Colorado Springs 80903 1861 original 1890-1906* 1861 1893-1907* 1861 1861* 1861*
E5 Fremont 615 Macon Ave Ste 102 Canon City 81212 1861 original 1884-1907 1865 1884-1907 1862 1874 1868
B3 Garfield 108 8th St, Glenwood Springs 81601 1883 Summit 1893-1909 1884 1883-89* 1883 1883 1883
*Rio Blanco County marriages 1883-89.
E22 Gilpin P.O. Box 366 Central City 80427 1861 original 1865 1861? 1861? 1861?
E2 Grand P.O. Box 264 Hot Sulphur Springs 80451 1874 Summit 1895-1908 1881 1894-1907 1874? 1874? 1874?
Greenwood 1870 ( abolished 1874; parts annexed to Elbert and Bent)
Guadalup 1861 (renamed Conejos, 1869) original
C4 Gunnison 200 E Virginia Ave, Gunnison 81230 1877 Lake 1895-1908 1877 1894-97 1877? 1877? 1877?
C6 Hinsdale P.O. Box 227 Lake City 81235 1874 Conejos 1899-1907 1876 1899-1907 1874 1876 1876
F6 Huerfano 401 Main St, Walsenburg 81089 1861 original 1875 1902-06* 1861? 1861? 1861?
D1 Jackson P.O. Box 337, Walden 80480 1909 Grand 1909 1909? 1909? 1909?
F3 Jefferson 100 Jefferson County Pkwy, Golden 80409 1861 original 1893-1906 1874-76; 1881 1893-1906 1861? 1861? 1861?
A small part was annexed to Park, 1903
J5 Kiowa P.O Box 100 Eads 81036 1889 Cheyenne/Brent 1889 1889? 1889? 1889?
K3 Kit Carson P.O Box 160 Burlington 80807 1889 Elbert 1893-1907* 1889 1892-1907* 1889? 1889? 1889?
*Courthouse basement; other deaths (1876-1907) at clerk and recorder's office.
Lake (old) 1861 (renamed Chaffee, 1879) original
E4 Lake (present) P.O. Box 964 Leadville 80461 1861 ( as Carbonate; renamed Chaffee, 1879) original 1891-1906* 1869 1881-1903* 1861? 1861? 1861?
*City Clerk, Leadville
B7 La Plata 1060 E, Second Ave, Durango 81301 1874 Conejos/Lake 1895-1918* 1880* 1895-1918 1874? 1874? 1874?
*Vital Statistics registrar, City Hall, Durango; also clerk and recorder's office 1900-12; early marriages in San Juan County clerk and recorder's office.
F1 Larimer P.O. Box 1190 Fort Collins 80522 1861 original 1902-08 1862 1902-08 1862 1862 1862
G7 Las Animas 200 E. First St, Trinidad 81082 1866 Huerfano 1893-96* 1868 1893-1904 1866? 1866? 1866?
*Also, city of Trinidad 1893-1907.
J1 Logan 315 Main St, Stering 80751 1887 Weld 1887 1866 1887 1887
B4 Mesa P.O. Box 20, 00-5010, Grand Junction 81502-5006 1883 Gunnison 1893-1909* 1883 1893-1901* 1883? 1883? 1883?
*Courthouse storage.
D6 Mineral P.O. Box 70 Creede 81130 1892 Hinsdale/Rio Grande/Saguache 1896-1909 1891 1896-1907 1893? 1893? 1893?
B1 Moffat 221 W. Victory Way Craig 81625 1911 Rouff 1911 1911? 1911? 1911?
A7 Montezuma 109 W Main St Cortez 81321 1889 La Plata 1889 1889? 1889? 1889?
B5 Montrose P.O. Box 1289 Montrose 81402 1883 Gunnison 1900-07* 1883 1883-1907* 1883? 1883? 1883?
H2 Morgan P.O. Box 596 Fort Morgan 80701 1889 Weld 1894-1908* 1889 1894-1908* 1873 1889 1889
H6 Otero P.O. Box 511 La Junta 81050 1889 Brent 1889* 1889 1887-1907 1889? 1889? 1889?
*Vital statistics registrar, La Junta.