Even though Spanish explorers claimed the Nevada
territory for Spain, no actual colonization took place until the 1800s. At the time,
many Native American tribes roamed the land, living in peace, hunting and taking
care of their land. Among them the Paiute, Goshute, Shoshone and Washo tribes are
the most notable.
Trappers and traders, including Jedediah Smith
and Peter Skene Ogden, entered the Nevada area in the 1820s. In 1843-1845, John
C. Fremont and Kit Carson explored the Great Basin and Sierra Nevada. During the
Mexican-American War (1846-1848), both America and Mexico fought for control of
Texas. When that war ended, (by agreement) the fast-growing U. S. took possession
of Texas, and what is now California, Utah, most of Arizona, smaller parts of New
Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming, and of course, Nevada. The first permanent settlement
was a Mormon trading post near present-day Genoa.
Some non-Mormons came to Carson Valley. They
did not want to be part of the Utah Territory that was ruled by a Mormon leader.
Without Congressional approval they established their own territorial government.
In 1859, ore was discovered near what is now Virginia City and thousands came in
search of gold and silver. With sufficient population in 1861, Congress could now
create the Nevada Territory. By law, Nevada Territory did not have a large enough
population to become a U.S. State, however, the territory's eastern boundary was
enlarged in 1862, - and only 3 years later - it became the 36th state, with Carson
City the capital.
During the late 1860s, several miners settled
the northwestern counties of Nevada. The following decade, mines closed as the value
of silver dropped. Thousands of miners left Nevada looking for work, others turned
to ranching. The 1880s brought even harder years on the economy. Unusually cold
winters killed much of the livestock and mines near Virginia City stopped producing
gold and silver.
During the early 1900s, new mines near Tonopah
discovered silver. Gold was found in Goldfield and copper near Ruth and Mountain
City. These discoveries provided new jobs and strengthened Nevada's economy. Railroad
expansion opened new markets and the Newlands Irrigation Project made farming possible
through irrigation.
At the end of World War I, Nevada and the small
towns of Las Vegas and Reno permitted (and promoted) gambling, prostitution, and
the sale of alcoholic beverages. When the Hoover Dam project began in 1931, it brought
thousands of workers to the state, and that spike in jobs and money brought more
growth to those questionable industries, illegal in all other states.
The driest state in the nation, with an average
annual rainfall of only about 7 in., much of Nevada is uninhabited, sagebrush-covered
desert. The wettest part of the state receives about 40 in. of precipitation per
year, while the driest spot has less than 4 in. per year.
Nevada was made famous by the discovery of
the Comstock Lode, the richest known U.S. silver deposit, in 1859, and its mines
have produced large quantities of gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, mercury, barite,
and tungsten. Oil was discovered in 1954. Gold now far exceeds all other minerals
in value of production.
In 1931, the state created two industries,
divorce and gambling. For many years, Reno and Las Vegas were the "divorce capitals
of the nation." More liberal divorce laws in many states have ended this distinction,
but Nevada is still the gambling capital of the U.S. and a leading entertainment
center. State gambling taxes account for 34.1% of general fund tax revenues. Although
Nevada leads the nation in per capita gambling revenue, it ranks only tenth in total
gambling revenue.
In 1950, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
selected sparsely populated Nevada as a test site for nuclear weapons. That decision,
and some improving mining operations, brought in additional revenues.
The state's leading agricultural industry is
cattle and calves. Agricultural crops consist mainly of hay, alfalfa seed, barley,
wheat, and potatoes.
Nevada manufactures gaming equipment; lawn
and garden irrigation devices; titanium products; seismic and machinery monitoring
devices; and specialty printing.
Nevada Famous People
-
Andre Agassi (1970 - ) Champion tennis player; born in Las Vegas.
- Ben Alexander (1911 - 1969) Actor who played Officer Frank
Smith in the television series Dragnet; born in Goldfield.
-
James E. Casey (1888 - 1983) Founder of United Parcel Service (UPS); born
in Candelaria.
- Walter Van Tilburg Clark(1909-1971) Author; grew up in Reno.
-
Jack Kramer (1921 - )Tennis player; born in Las Vegas.
- Greg
LeMond (1961 - ) World Champion bicyclist that also won the Tour de France;
raised in Washoe Valley.
-
Patricia Ryan Nixon (1912 - 1993) Wife of former President Richard Nixon,
born in Ely.
- Edna Purviance
(1895 - 1958) Actress made famous in silent movies with Charlie Chaplin such as
The Kid; born in Paradise Valley.
-
Sarah Hopkins Winnemucca (1844 - 1891) Author, Paiute interpreter and peacemaker.
-
Jack Wilson (1856 - 1932) Paiute Indian prophet; born in Esmeralda County.