A cikin 1874, Majalisar ta maye gurbin gwamnatin yankin da kwamiti na mambobi uku da aka nada na kwamitocin birni. A cikin shekara ta 1950, wasu 'yan majalisa sun ba da shawarar motsa babban birnin zuwa yamma, amma Shugaba Ulysses S. Grant ya ki yin la'akari da irin wannan shawarar. Majalisa ta zartar da Dokar Organic na 1871, wanda ya soke takardun mallaka na biranen Washington da Georgetown, kuma ya kirkiro sabuwar gwamnatin yanki don dukan Gundumar Columbia. Shugaba Grant ya nada Alexander Robey Shepherd a matsayin gwamna a 1873. Shepherd ya ba da izinin manyan ayyukan da suka sabunta Washington, amma daga bisani ya rushe gwamnatin gundumar.
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