Territory of Orleans

The Orleans Territory was an organized territory of the United States, which existed 1804-1812. It was the first part, which was separated from the Louisiana Purchase, an area that the United States had bought in 1803 by France. All of the Louisiana Purchase south of the 33rd parallel became the Orleans Territory and the remaining part was the District of Louisiana. ( The District of Louisiana was later renamed the Louisiana Territory. Sometime later, the Orleans Territory became the state of Louisiana and the Louisiana Territory was renamed the Missouri Territory. ) The Orleans Territory was on October 1, 1804 the Organic Act created on 26 March 1804. On April 30, 1812 Louisiana was admitted as 18th state in the Union.

On April 10, 1805, the Territorial Parliament created twelve counties ( starting from the southeastern corner to the west and north): Orleans County, Lafourche County, German Coast, Acadia County, Iberville County, Attakapas County, Pointe Coupée County, Opelousas County, Rapides County, Concordia County, Natchitoches County and Ouachita County. At this time the Florida Parishes were on the east bank of the Mississippi River not to Orleans Territory, but to West Florida, and have been annexed in 1810 by the United States. The western border with Spanish Texas was not fully established until the Adams - Onís Treaty of 1819. A strip of land, better known as the Sabine Free State, east of the Sabine River served as a neutral buffer area from 1807 to 1819.

Leaders and MPs

William CC Claiborne was the first and only governor of the Orleans Territory. He later became the first governor of the State of Louisiana.

There were two territorial Minister, James Brown (1804-1807) and Thomas B. Robertson ( 1807-1811 ). Daniel Clark was the first territorial delegate to the Congress of the United States in December 1806.

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