With regard to the District of Louisiana, this organic act, which went into effect on October 1, 1804, detailed the authority of the governor and judges of the Indiana Territory to provide temporary civil jurisdiction over the expansive region.

In 1806, the territorial legislature created the District of Arkansas from lands ceded by the Osage Nation.

On March 11, 1805, President Thomas Jefferson appointed Gen. James Wilkinson as the first governor of the Territory of Louisiana.

[6] Wilkinson concurrently held the position of Senior Officer of the United States Army.

[citation needed] On June 4, 1812, the Twelfth U.S. Congress enacted legislation which renamed Louisiana Territory as Missouri Territory, in order to avoid confusion with the recently admitted State of Louisiana.