Colusa County was established in 1850 as one of the original 27 counties created by the first state legislature. It once encompassed all of what is now Glenn County and a portion of Tehama County. In 1891, the counties of Glenn and Colusa were split. Records prior to 1891 are still maintained in Colusa County, and those pertaining to Glenn County after the split can be found at the Glenn County recorder's office.

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Colusa is centrally located approximately 70 miles north of Sacramento. Interstate 5 offers a north/south route through the county.

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Colusa County’s economy is based on agriculture and agricultural-related businesses.  Our country roads are lined with various waterways, natural and man-made, where you’ll find an abundance of wildlife.

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Colusa County’s Mission is to provide responsive, quality governmental services in a fiscally responsible manner, while striving to preserve our agricultural heritage, promoting economic development, and supporting the interests of our communities.

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Colusa County is vested by the State Legislature with the powers necessary to provide for the health and welfare of the people within our borders.  Colusa County is the front-line provider of many government services, including Public Safety, Agriculture, Human Services, Government Services, and Infrastructure. [Source: ColusaCounty.org]

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History

Colusa County is one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Parts of the county's territory were given to Tehama County in 1856 and to Glenn County in 1891.

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The county was named after the 1844 Rancho Colus Mexican land grant to John Bidwell. The name of the county in the original state legislative act of 1850 was spelled Colusi, and often in newspapers was spelled Colusa.The word is derived from the name of a Patwin village known as Ko'-roo or Korusi located on the west side of the Sacramento River on the site of the present-day city of Colusa The name was established as Colusa by 1855.  [Source: Wikipedia]

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Early History

Present-day Colusa County was originally home to the Patwin band of the Wintun people, whose territory included areas along the Sacramento River as well as lands extending west towards Lake County, bounded in the north by the sources of Stony Creek near Stonyford and in the south by Putah Creek.

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Linguistically, the Patwin people in the Colusa County area spoke two dialects of the Southern Wintuan language. River Patwin was spoken in villages along the Sacramento River, including at Korusi, site of the present city of Colusa. Hill Patwin was spoken in the plains and foothills to the west.  [Source: Wikipedia]