"Arapahoe County was one of the original 17 Colorado
counties created by the new Colorado Territory on
November 1, 1861. Arapahoe County originally
stretched from the line of present-day Sheridan
Boulevard 160 miles (258 kilometers) east to the
Kansas state border, and from the line of
present-day County Line Road 30 miles (48
kilometers) north to the Parallel 40° North (168th
Avenue). Denver City served as the Arapahoe County
Seat until 1902.
In
1901, the Colorado General Assembly voted to split
Arapahoe County into three parts: a new consolidated
City and County of Denver, a new Adams County, and
the remainder of the Arapahoe County to be renamed
South Arapahoe County. A ruling by the Colorado
Supreme Court, subsequent legislation, and a
referendum delayed the reorganization until November
15, 1902. Governor James Bradley Orman designated
Littleton as the temporary South Arapahoe County
Seat. On April 11, 1903, the name of South Arapahoe
County was changed back to Arapahoe County. On
November 8, 1904, Arapahoe County voters chose
Littleton over Englewood by a vote of 1310 to 829 to
be the permanent county seat." --Wikipedia

