Editing Nebraska Territory (section)

==Boundaries==
[[File:Survey monument JF00-072 from W 2.JPG|thumb|[[Site No. JF00-072]]: The Nebraska–Kansas state line at the intersection of Nebraska counties Thayer and Jefferson and Kansas counties Washington and Republic]]
[[File:Territory of Nebraska (Illustration).png|thumb|Map of the territory of Nebraska and seal of the Nebraska Territory]]
The Nebraska Territory's original boundaries (as specified by its [[organized territory|Organic Act]]) included much of the original [[Louisiana Purchase]]; the territory's boundaries were:
* Southern: [[40th parallel north|40°&nbsp;N]] (the current [[Kansas]]–Nebraska border);
* Western: the [[Continental Divide]] between the Pacific and the Atlantic/Arctic Oceans;
* Northern: [[49th parallel north|49°&nbsp;N]] (the U.S.–[[British North America]] border);
* Eastern: the [[White Earth River (North Dakota)|White Earth]] and [[Missouri River|Missouri]] rivers.

===Subsequent territory creation===
Upon creation, the territory encompassed most of the northern [[Great Plains]], much of the upper Missouri River basin and the eastern portions of the northern [[Rocky Mountains]]. The Nebraska Territory gradually reduced in size as new territories were created in the 1860s.

The [[Colorado Territory]] was formed February 28, 1861 from portions of the territory south of 41°&nbsp;N and west of 102°03′&nbsp;W (25°&nbsp;W of Washington, D.C.) (an area that includes present-day [[Fort Collins, Colorado|Fort Collins]], [[Greeley, Colorado|Greeley]] and the portions of [[Boulder, Colorado|Boulder]] north of [[Baseline Road (Colorado)|Baseline Road]], in addition to portions of [[Kansas Territory]], [[New Mexico Territory]], and [[Utah Territory]]).

March 2, 1861, saw the creation of the [[Dakota Territory]]. It was made of all of the portions of Nebraska Territory north of 43°&nbsp;N (the present-day Nebraska–[[South Dakota]] border), along with the portion of present-day Nebraska between 43°&nbsp;N and the [[Keya Paha River|Keya Paha]] and [[Niobrara River|Niobrara]] rivers (this land would be returned to Nebraska in 1882). The act creating the Dakota Territory also included provisions granting Nebraska small portions of Utah Territory and [[Washington Territory]]—present-day southwestern [[Wyoming]] bounded by 41°&nbsp;N, 110°03′&nbsp;W (33°&nbsp;W of Washington, D.C.), 43°&nbsp;N, and the Continental Divide. These portions had not been part of the Louisiana Purchase; rather, they had been part of [[Oregon Country]] and became part of the United States in 1846.

On March 3, 1863, the [[Idaho Territory]] was formed of all the territory west of 104°03′&nbsp;W (27°&nbsp;W of Washington, D.C.).