The State(s) of Jefferson

Flag of the (3rd) State of Washington - Siskiyou County
Flag of the (3rd) State of Washington - Siskiyou County
"I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing...". Thomas Jefferson.

Washington is the only state in the United States which is named for a President. This was not for lack of trying, mind you.

There have been no less than three attempts in our nation's history to establish a "State of Jefferson"..each in different regions...each a failure.

The (1st) State of Jefferson

In April of 1859, a convention was held at Wootton's Hall in Auraria, a small mining settlement in the Kansas Territory--what is now a neighborhood of Denver, CO. On August 1st of that same year, thirty-seven district representatives gathered and drafted a constitution for the provisional "State of Jefferson" in honor of Thomas Jefferson, of course. This constitution was soundly rejected in a popular referendum on September 24, 1859.

Nonplussed, the district representatives gathered less than two weeks later on October 3, 1859 to draft another provisional constitution. This constitution, however, was for the Territory of Jefferson. While the Territory of Jefferson faired better than did the "State of Jefferson", it was never officially recognized by the U.S. government.

The unofficial, or extralegal Territory of Jefferson included all of what is now Colorado, as well as 70% more area. The southern border was what is now the Colorado border, but the northern border extended 138.1 miles further (than the present-day Colorado border), the eastern border 2.7 miles further, and the western border nearly 50 miles further. Unfortunately, just two years after its unofficial establishment, the official establishment of the Territory of Colorado an 1862 Act of Congress, ceased the existence of the Territory of Jefferson entirely.

The (2nd) State of Jefferson

In 1915, a bill was introduced to the Texas legislature seeking to establish the northern third of Texas, more commonly referred to as the Texas Panhandle, as the "State of Jefferson". This attempt had added legitimacy, as the Act of Admission of Texas into the Union allows the state to divide itself. This desire to create a separate state was fueled in large part from the disappointed Western Texans. They were peev because so few state institutions had been established in west Texas. Sadly, for Jefferson at least, less than six state senators supported the bill, and it suffered the same fate as did the first attempt at the "State of Jefferson".

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The (3rd) State of Jefferson

The third attempt at the establishment of the "State of Jefferson" came far much closer to realization than its two predecessors. It was also, perhaps fittingly given its namesake, much more rebellious.

In October of 1941, Mayor Gilbert Gable of Port Orford, Oregon proposed that several southern Oregon counties should join with a few northern California counties to form the "State of Jefferson". The people from both of these regions shared a common bond in that their respective state legislatures were rather indifferent to these areas of their states. To drive their point home, and to garner national media attention, a "citizen's committee", brandishing rifles stopped traffic on US Route 99 south of Yreka, CA. They handed to the motorists a "Proclamation of Independence". The proclamation stated that the "State of Jefferson" was in “patriotic rebellion against the States of California and Oregon”. It went on to promise that the affected areas would continue to secede, every Thursday, until further notice!

This final push for the State of Jefferson came to a rather sudden halt with the death of its most ardent supporter, Port Orford Mayor Gable on December 2, 1941. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor just five days later was the final nail in the coffin for the would-be secessionists. Ironically, the "State of Jefferson" was one of just a few places in the continental U.S. that was bombed by the Japanese in World War II.

The (Perpetual) State of Jefferson

However, die-hard Jeffersonians need not fret. Traveling through the area even today, one can still occasionally glimpse the occasional sign marking the borders of the "State of Jefferson, the 49th State". A southern Oregon PBS radio station is identifies itself as Jefferson Public Radio and at least two websites exist that are dedicated to the "State of Jefferson" Moreover, rumor has it that a handful of Oregon and Californian residents still carry on their three score old secession efforts every Thursday, rain or shine.

See also:

The State of Franklin

Sources

M Travis Rose, Brandon Rose

Michael Rose - M Travis Rose is a UNIX/Linux Administrator by day and an undercover writer by night.

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