After the Wisconsin Glacier melted around 13,000 BC, Paleo-Indians settled the area from the south in search of big and small game as well as plants.

Around the year 1000, the area of Morris County was inhabited by the Lenape Native Americans prior to the arrival of European settlers.

From 1611 to 1614, the Dutch established the colony of New Netherland, which claimed territory between the 40th and 45th parallel north, a zone which included northern New Jersey.

In return the Dutch gave the Native Americans metal pots, knives, guns, axes, and blankets.

This prevented colonization by the Dutch of the Morris County region which was technically included in their claimed "New Netherland".

Land was purchased from the Native Americans for various things such as blankets, shirts, rum, guns, knives, pots and gunpowder.

The first European settlement in the area today known as Morris County occurred in Pompton Plains by the Dutch in 1695.

Nut crops such as oak, hickory, beech, walnut, chestnut and butternut failed some years due to late frosts in spring.

[2] The county rises in elevation and relief from east to west, with only the more developed eastern suburbs in the Passaic River valley being relatively level.

The highest point is at 1,395 feet (425 m) above sea level on a mountain south of Pine Swamp in western Jefferson Township.

[26] Around 500 million years ago, a chain of volcanic islands shaped like an arc collided with proto-North America.

[27] Around 400 million years ago, a small continent long and narrow collided with proto-North America.

Then around 350 million years ago, the African Plate collided with North America creating the folding and faulting in the Appalachians.

From Parsippany and the Boonton area the half graben goes east to the western side of Paterson, where there was another fault by the lava flows.

When the Wisconsin glacier covered Morris County, the ice sheet was about 300 metres (980 ft) deep.

Due to debris from the glacier, the lake was unable to drain through the Watchung Mountains near Short Hills.

But when the glacier melted and receded to the New York State line, the lake drained though the Little Falls area, as this was lower in elevation than Moggy Hollow.

[52] As of 2025[update], they are County Clerk Ann F. Grossi (R, Parsippany–Troy Hills, 2028),[53][54] Sheriff James M. Gannon (R, Boonton Township, 2025)[55][56] and Surrogate Heather Darling (R, Roxbury, 2029).

The Morris County Park Police was disbanded and merged into the Sheriff's Office on January 1, 2022.

[63][64] For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 7th congressional district is represented by Thomas Kean Jr. (R, Westfield).

[65] For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 11th congressional district is represented by Mikie Sherrill (D, Montclair).

Nancy Munoz (R) Mike Inganamort (R) Aura K. Dunn (R) Jay Webber (R) The Morris Automated Information Network, which supplies Internet service to area libraries, turned down $10,000 per year in federal funding, starting in 2004.

Acceptance of the grants would have required the network to install anti-porn content filters to comply with the Children's Internet Protection Act.

"[76] Dating back to the 1960s, then-Livingston Mayor William Clark had urged the township to secede from Essex County to join neighboring Morris.

Then-Montclair mayor Robert J. Russo gave a statement in 2003 about secession, "I've watched Essex County burden our people, with very little to show for it.

[80] The Bureau of Economic Analysis calculated that the county's gross domestic product was $51.2 billion in 2021, which was ranked third in the state and was a 5.0% increase from the prior year.

[84] Major industries include finance, insurance, real estate, pharmaceuticals, health services, research and development, and technology.

[85] The Florham Park–Madison–Convent Station (Morris Township) area is home to three universities: The United States Equestrian Team, the international equestrian team for the United States, was founded in 1950 at the Coates estate on Van Beuren Road in Morristown.

[108][109] The Mennen Arena in Morris Township, facilitated by The Morris County Park Commission, hosts various sporting events from ice hockey, figure skating, indoor football and outdoor rugby, to professional wrestling, MMA and Shrine Circus.

Rail stations are located in the county providing electrified train service seven days a week from: Chatham, Madison, Convent Station, Morristown, Morris Plains, Denville, and Dover on NJ Transit's Morris & Essex Lines; electrified train service seven days a week from Gillette, Millington and Stirling on the Gladstone Branch; and diesel train service (weekdays only) from Mount Arlington, Lake Hopatcong, Netcong, Mount Olive, Mountain Lakes, Boonton, Towaco (Montville) and Lincoln Park.