The article presents the historiographical experience in determining of the reference point of the age of Kemerovo (1918–1932 — Scheglovsk): the first mentioning of a proto-urban settlements, assigning (or approval) settlement with the status of the city. The social order (periodically renewed discussion in the local media) to resolve the problem was indicated. Attention was paid to widely adopted in historiography methodological principles to determine the time and place of the foundation of the city as the locality and the existing ambiguous research conclusions on this issue for some cities of Western Siberia. Identification is made of the main factors and characteristics of the process of urbanization in the early 20^th century on the territory of the Verhotomsk parish of the Kuznetsk district in the Tomsk province through the analysis of natural resource, socio-economic and administrative-territorial prerequisites of the town formation. Particular attention is paid to the jurisprudence of the regional successive authorities during the revolutionary events and the Civil War, aimed at the legalization of the urban settlement status of the township which arose on the allotment land of the Ust-Iskitim village (Scheglovskaya). Attracting both published and archival sources allowed the author to verify the existing point of view, to offer his own approach to solve the problem and come to a conclusion about the validity of the views of the origin of the city of Kemerovo in 1918.