Editing Weld County, Colorado (section)

==History==
[[File:Weld County Courthouse from Lincoln Park.jpg|thumb|left|[[Weld County Courthouse]] from Lincoln Park.]]

On May 30, 1854, the [[Kansas–Nebraska Act]] created the [[Nebraska Territory]] and the [[Kansas Territory]], divided by the [[40th parallel north|Parallel 40° North]] ([[Baseline Road (Colorado)|Baseline Road]] or [[County Line Road (Adams-Weld)|County Line Road]] or [[Weld County Road 2]] in the future Weld County). Present-day Weld County, Colorado, lay in the southwestern portion of the [[Nebraska Territory]], bordering the [[Kansas Territory]].

In July 1858, gold was discovered along the [[South Platte River]] in [[Arapahoe County, Kansas Territory]]. This discovery precipitated the [[Pike's Peak Gold Rush]]. Many residents of the mining region felt disconnected from the remote territorial governments of [[Territory of Kansas|Kansas]] and [[Territory of Nebraska|Nebraska]], so they voted to form their own [[Territory of Jefferson]] on October 24, 1859. The following month, the Jefferson Territorial Legislature organized 12 counties for the new territory, including [[St. Vrain County, Jefferson Territory|St. Vrain County]]. St. Vrain County was named in honor of [[Ceran de Hault de Lassus de St. Vrain]], the [[France|French]] trader who established the first [[trading post]] on the upper [[South Platte River]]. St. Vrain County encompassed much of what is today Weld County.

The Jefferson Territory never received federal sanction, but on February 28, 1861, [[U.S. President]] [[James Buchanan]] signed an act organizing the [[Territory of Colorado]].<ref name=ColoradoTerritory>{{cite web|url=http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/territory.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041025191401/http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/territory.pdf |archive-date=October 25, 2004 |url-status=live|title=An Act to provide a temporary Government for the Territory of Colorado|publisher=[[Thirty-sixth United States Congress]]|date=February 28, 1861|access-date=November 26, 2007}}</ref>  On November 1, 1861, the [[Colorado General Assembly]] organized 17 counties, including Weld County, for the new Colorado Territory. Weld County was named for [[Lewis Ledyard Weld]], a lawyer and territorial secretary. He died while serving in the Union Army during the Civil War.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=9735 |title=Weld County, Colorado County Information |publisher=ePodunk |access-date=November 5, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140711184841/http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=9735 |archive-date=July 11, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  Until February 9, 1887, Weld County's boundaries included the area now comprising Weld County, [[Washington County, Colorado|Washington County]], [[Logan County, Colorado|Logan County]], [[Morgan County, Colorado|Morgan County]], [[Yuma County, Colorado|Yuma County]], [[Phillips County, Colorado|Phillips County]], and [[Sedgwick County, Colorado|Sedgwick County]].

Weld County was thrust into the media spotlight on the evening of November 1, 1955, when [[United Airlines Flight 629]], a [[Douglas DC-6]]B airliner flying from [[Denver]] to [[Portland, Oregon]], exploded in midair and crashed, killing all 44 persons on board the plane and scattering bodies, wreckage and debris over a six-square-mile area of the county. The subsequent investigation of the accident revealed that Denver resident [[John Gilbert Graham]] had secretly placed a time bomb composed of 25 sticks of [[dynamite]] in a suitcase belonging to his mother, who was a passenger on the airplane. Graham was tried and convicted of the crime, and executed in 1957.

In northeastern Weld County, [[Minuteman (missile)|Minuteman III]] missile silo "N-8",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://asuwlink.uwyo.edu/~jimkirk/warren-mm.html |title=Warren AFB Minuteman Missile Site Coordinates |publisher=Asuwlink.uwyo.edu |access-date=November 5, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625055815/http://asuwlink.uwyo.edu/~jimkirk/warren-mm.html |archive-date=June 25, 2014 }}</ref> one of the many unmanned silos there, was the target of symbolic vandalism by Catholic peace activists in 2002.<ref>[http://www.boulderweekly.com/archive/080703/coverstory.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070707211958/http://www.boulderweekly.com/archive/080703/coverstory.html|date=July 7, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927032912/http://www.greeleytrib.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Site=GR&Date=20030402&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=304020001&Ref=AR&template=printart]}}</ref>

Weld County also holds the distinction of having more confirmed [[tornado]] sightings than any other U.S. county from 1950 to 2011, with 252 confirmed reports.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.ustornadoes.com/2012/05/22/map-u-s-tornadoes-by-county-1950-2011/|title=Map: U.S. Tornadoes by County, 1950-2011 - U.S. Tornadoes|date=May 22, 2012|work=U.S. Tornadoes|access-date=June 29, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref>

On March 6, 2019, the county declared itself to be a [[Second Amendment sanctuary]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kdvr.com/2019/03/06/resolution-declares-weld-county-to-be-a-second-amendment-sanctuary/|title=Resolution declares Weld County to be a 'Second Amendment sanctuary'|date=March 6, 2019|website=FOX31 Denver|language=en|access-date=January 4, 2020}}</ref>

===Secession proposals===
In 2013, conservative Weld County commissioners began a campaign to secede from the State of Colorado to create a new state; a state ballot measure regarding the issue was put on the November 2013 ballot. The legality of this initiative has been questioned by local attorneys.<ref>{{cite news|last=Romano|first=Analisa|title=Greeley Attorneys Question Legality Of Weld Commissioners Advocating For 51st State|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/09/greeley-attorneys-questio_n_4071461.html|access-date=October 11, 2013|newspaper=The Greeley Tribune (via Huffington Post)|date=October 9, 2013}}</ref> On November 5, 2013, 6 out of 11 Colorado counties voted no for secession, including Elbert, Lincoln, Logan, Moffat, Sedgwick, and Weld counties voted no, while Cheyenne, Kit Carson, Phillips, Washington, and Yuma counties voted yes.  "Weld County voters said this is an option we shouldn't pursue and we won't pursue it," said Weld County Commissioner Sean Conway, "But we will continue to look at the problems of the urban and rural divide in this state."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_24461077/11-counties-weigh-secession-from-colorado-formation-51st |title=51st state question answered "no" in 6 of 11 counties contemplating secession |last=Whaley |first=Monte |date=November 5, 2013 |website=www.denverpost.com |publisher=[[The Denver Post]] |access-date=March 6, 2014}}</ref>

[[File:Weld County Wyoming Logo.png|thumb|right|The logo of Weld County, WY.]]
In 2021, a group known as "Weld County, WY" organized a petition to place a measure on the November 2021 ballot for the county to secede from Colorado to join [[Wyoming]], due to a clash between the conservative politics of Weld County and the liberal government of Colorado.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gstalter |first=Morgan |date=January 29, 2021 |title=Group in Colorado county seeks secession from state to join Wyoming |language=en |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/536440-colorado-countys-residents-asking-to-secede-from-state-join-wyoming |access-date=January 29, 2021}}</ref> [[Mark Gordon (politician)|Mark Gordon]], the Governor of Wyoming, said when asked about the topic, "We would love that."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Reynolds |first=Nick |date=February 2, 2021 |title=Gordon on Weld County secession: 'We would love that' |language=en |work=Casper Star-Tribune |url=https://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/gordon-on-weld-county-secession-we-would-love-that/article_c6cc0003-2c69-5224-97b9-bedff4c3edb4.html |access-date=February 2, 2021}}</ref> In response to Gordon's comment, Colorado Governor [[Jared Polis]] said, "Hands off Weld County."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Holdman |first=Raetta |date=February 4, 2021 |title=Gov. Jared Polis Tells Wyoming Governor 'Hands Off Weld County' |language=en-US |url=https://denver.cbslocal.com/2021/02/04/weld-county-secede-colorado-join-wyoming-governor-jared-polis-hands-off-mark-gordon/ |access-date=February 6, 2021}}</ref>