Jefferson County, more commonly known as “Jeffco” was created in 1861, along with the establishment of the Colorado Territory in 1861. It was one of the 17 original Counties of Colorado territory. The county was named after Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President of the United States of America. Golden City is the county seat. Later on, it was referred to simply as Golden.
Like most Counties in Colorado at that time, the economy was based on mining, farming, and ranching. This provided a steady flow income for the county’s first residents.
Mostly inhabited by Native Americans, almost all of them have been relocated later on in reserves. Skirmishes were frequent during the early days when pioneers came to mine gold, and the native population strove to fend them off.
The Colorado School of Mines was established in Jeffco in 1874, and from which many geologist and mining engineers were trained.
Another interesting fact is that a German immigrant Adolp Coors, along with his partner Jacob Scheuler, deiced to establish a brewery in Jeffco. That was in 1873. To this day, the Coors brewery still stands and provides local employment as well as a tourist attraction.
The current Jefferson County Sheriff is Jeff Shrader. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office can be found in Golden, Jefferson County.