History of Nevada
Nevada became the 36th state on October
31, 1864, after telegraphing the Constitution of Nevada to the Congress days before the November 8 presidential election
(the largest and costliest transmission ever by telegraph). Statehood was
rushed to help ensure three electoral votes for Abraham
Lincoln's reelection and add to the Republican congressional
majorities. Nevada became the
second of two states added to the Union during the Civil War (the first being
West Virginia) and became known as the “Battle Born State” as a result of when
it achieved statehood.
Prior to European
contact, Native Americans of the Paiute, Shoshone, and Washoe tribes inhabited the land comprising the
modern state. The first Europeans to explore the region originated from Spain.
They gave the region the name of Nevada (snowy) due to the snow which
covered the mountains at winter. The area formed part of the Viceroyalty of New
Spain, becoming part of Mexico when that country gained independence in 1821.
The United States acquired the territory in 1848 following its victory in the Mexican-American War,
and the area was eventually incorporated as part of Utah Territory in 1850. The discovery of silver
at the Comstock Lode in 1859
led to a population boom that became an impetus to the creation of Nevada Territory out of western Utah Territory in
1861
Nevada's harsh but rich environment
shaped its history and culture. Before 1858 small Mormon settlements along the
Utah border sustained their communities through faith, but the secular western
section stumbled along until the great silver strikes beginning in 1858 created
boom towns and fabulous fortunes. After the beginning of the 20th century,
profits declined while Progressive reformers sought to curb rampaging
capitalism and its attendant miseries. They imagined a civilized Nevada of
universities, lofty idealism, and social reform. But an economic bust during
the 1910s and disillusionment from failures at social reform and a population
decline of nearly one-fourth meant that by 1920 Nevada had degenerated into a
"beautiful desert of buried hopes.” The boom returned when big time
gambling arrived in 1931, and with good transportation (especially to
California metropolitan areas), the nation's easiest divorce laws, and a speculative
get-rich-quick spirit, Nevada had a boom-and-bust economy that was mostly boom
until the worldwide financial crisis of 2008 revealed extravagant speculation
in housing and casinos on an epic scale.
Nevada is largely desert and semiarid,
much of it located within the Great Basin. Areas
south of the Great Basin are located within the Mojave Desert, while Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada
lie on the western edge. Nevada is also home to the Hoover Dam, which was the single
largest public works project in the history of the United States, and Lake
Mead, the largest reservoir in the country.
Quick Facts About Nevada
Date of Statehood: October 31, 1864
Capital: Carson City
Population: 2,770,551 (2010)
Size: 7th largest state, 110,572 square miles
87% is federal or tribal land
17 counties, 27 recognized tribes
Nickname(s): Battle-Born State; Sagebrush State; Silver State
Motto: All for Our Country
Tree: Single-Leaf Piñon and Bristlecone Pine
Flower: Sagebrush
Bird: Mountain Bluebird
Temperatures: High:118F
Low: -50 F
Interesting
Facts: Fourth most seismically active state in the
U.S.
400,000 acres burn annually – Third highest
in the U.S.
12
of the world’s largest hotels are in Las Vegas
Nevada's 27 Recognized Tribes
- Duckwater Shoshone Tribe of the Duckwater Reservation, Nevada
- Ely Shoshone Tribe of Nevada
- Las Vegas Tribe of Paiute Indians of the Las Vegas Indian Colony, Nevada
- Lovelock Paiute Tribe of the Lovelock Indian Colony, Nevada
- Moapa Band of Paiute Indians of the Moapa River Indian Reservation, Nevada
- Paiute-Shoshone Tribe of the Fallon Reservation and Colony, Nevada
- Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe of the Pyramid Lake Reservation, Nevada
- Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, Nevada
- Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation, Nevada
- Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians of Nevada
Four constituent bands:
- Battle Mountain Band
- Elko Band
- South Fork Band
- Wells Band
- Summit Lake Paiute Tribe of Nevada
- Walker River Paiute Tribe of the Walker River Reservation, Nevada
- Winnemucca Indian Colony of Nevada
- Yerington Paiute Tribe of the Yerington Colony & Campbell Ranch, Nevada
- Yomba Shoshone Tribe of the Yomba Reservation, Nevada
Several states:
- Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, Nevada and Utah
- Fort Mojave Indian Tribe of Arizona, California & Nevada
- Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribes of the Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation, Nevada and Oregon
- Washoe Tribe of Nevada & California
- Carson Colony
- Dresslerville Colony
- Woodfords Community
- Stewart Community
- Washoe Ranches