The Territory of Iowa was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1838,^[1] until December 28, 1846, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Iowa. The remainder of the territory would have no organized territorial government until the Minnesota Territory was organized on March 3, 1849.

Quick Facts Territory of Iowa, Capital ...

Territory of Iowa
Organized incorporated territory of the United States
1838–1846
Territorial seal
The territory that did not become the state of Iowa in 1846 became unorganized territory. The government for this area would become organized as part of the Minnesota Territory in 1849.
Capital	Burlington (1838–1841) Iowa City (1841–1849)
Government
• Type	Organized incorporated territory
Governor
• 1838–1841	Robert Lucas
• 1841–1845	John Chambers
• 1845–1849	James Clarke
Legislature	Iowa Legislative Assembly
History
• Organized from Wisconsin Territory	July 4, 1838
• Statehood of Iowa	December 28, 1846
Preceded by Succeeded by Wisconsin Territory Iowa

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Most of the area in the territory was originally part of the Louisiana Purchase and was a part of the Missouri Territory. When Missouri became a state in 1821, this area (along with the Dakotas) effectively became unorganized territory. The area was closed to white settlers until the 1830s, after the Black Hawk War ended. It was attached to the Michigan Territory on June 28, 1834. At an extra session of the Sixth Legislative Assembly of Michigan held in September, 1834, the Iowa District was divided into two counties by running a line due west from the lower end of Rock Island in the Mississippi River. The territory north of this line (which started just south of the present-day Davenport) was named Dubuque County, and all south of it was Des Moines County. When Michigan became a state in 1836 the area became the Iowa District of western Wisconsin Territory—the region west of the Mississippi River.

The original boundaries of the territory, as established in 1838, included Minnesota and parts of the Dakotas, covering about 194,000 square miles (500,000 km²) of land.

Burlington was the provisional capital; Iowa City was designated as the official territorial capital in 1841.^[2] Fort Snelling was located on the western side of the Mississippi placing it within the Territory until statehood.

When Iowa became a state on December 28, 1846, no provision was made for official organization of the remainder of the territory.^[3] Morgan L. Martin, the Wisconsin territorial delegate to congress, pushed through a bill to organize a territory of Minnesota which would encompass this land. While the bill passed in the house, it did not pass the senate. In the following session a bill by Stephen A. Douglas was introduced in the senate but also did not pass. The situation was resolved when Minnesota Territory was organized on March 3, 1849, the day before the close of congress.^[4]

In the 1840 United States census, 18 counties in the Iowa Territory reported the following population counts:^[5]

The executive powers of the Territory were vested in a Governor, a Secretary (who in case of the death, removal, resignation, or absence from the Territory of the Governor had gubernatorial powers and would perform gubernatorial duties), a Treasurer and an Auditor.

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History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century/3/Directory

• Historic regions of the United States
• History of Iowa
• Territorial evolution of the United States