NEVADA

Nevada was one of the last areas of the United States to be explored because with it's vast, dry deserts it was not thought to be worth anything. However, when gold and silver were discovered in the rich earth miners flocked to the area, cities were built, and the state flourished.

Explorers moving westward didn't reach Nevada until 1826 when Nevada was still a part of Mexico. Until then the land was largely ignored by Mexico and Spain, the owners before Mexico. In 1846 the United States went to war with Mexico to take over Nevada and other southwestern land. The United States won the Mexican War in 1848. The first town in Nevada, Genoa, was built up in 1851 around a trading post that was developed as a stop over for gold miners on their way to California.

The first detailed reports about Nevada came from John Frémont, who, with his famous guide, Kit Carson, explored Nevada from 1843–1844. Carson City, the state capital, and the Carson River are named for Kit Carson.

In 1859 miners flocked to Nevada after gold and silver were discovered there. Virginia City was developed near what was to become one of the biggest silver mines in the world, the Comstock Lode. The town had a reputation of lawlessness as bandits robbed stagecoaches, and gamblers tried to win miners' silver and gold. The state's development throughout the rest of the century was dependent on the Comstock Lode. When the silver and gold dwindled in the mine in the 1870s a 20-year depression hit the state. An effort to revive the economy called for encouraging mining by increasing the value of silver. Nevadans supported the movement for free silver coinage during the 1890s, and the Silver Party dominated state politics over the next ten years.

Nevada was admitted to the union on October 31, 1864 and enlarged to its current size in 1866. Towns sprang up near gold and silver mines around the state, which were so plentiful that the United States government opened a mint in Carson City, which operated from 1870 to 1893. By 1880 many of the mines were cleaned out, so Nevadans began cattle ranching as a substitute.

In 1900 the economy was revived as another silver mine was discovered in Tonopah and in 1902, two gold miners were founded and the town of Goldfield was built. Also, copper mines were discovered in eastern Nevada.

During the early 1900s settlers attempting to farm in Nevada had a difficult time trying to get water to irrigate their lands. In 1902 the Newlands Reclamation Act set aside federal funds for irrigation and by 1907 the project was finished. The irrigation project allowed farmers to grow crops in Nevada's western desert which previously was sand.

During World War I Nevada's beef industry provided rations for the troops. Then the Great Depression hit the country in 1929 causing banks, farms, mines, and factories to fail. However, in 1931 Nevada's economic health began to turn around as a federal public works project supported construction of the Hoover Dam, the Davis Dam and the Southern Nevada Water Project. These projects provided jobs, water and hydroelectric power for the state. Gambling also was legalized in the state. As a result, Las Vegas and Reno became major entertainment centers in the country as casinos and hotels were built.

After World War II started in 1941 Nellis Air Force Base was built near Las Vegas and a navy air base was built at Fallon. During the war the United States started manufacturing nuclear weapons and the first nuclear tests were conducted at the Nevada Test Site, just northwest of Las Vegas, in 1951. Nuclear tests have continued over the years however, since 1963 they are conducted underground.

Revenues from casino gambling grew as Nevada allowed large businesses to own casinos. Investors such as airplane manufacturer Howard Hughes built hotels and casinos in Reno and Las Vegas. In the 1950s gaming became the state's leading industry. New federal and state regulations were imposed on the casinos when it was revealed during the 1950s and 1960s that organized crime had gradually moved into the gaming industry, using casino money to finance narcotics and other illegal activity on the east coast.

As the number of casinos grew, the populations of Las Vegas and Reno exploded between 1970 and 1994 as the census in Las Vegas tripled and Reno's population doubled. As businesses and people moved to Nevada, larger amounts of water were needed. The drought between 1988 and 1992 did not help matters. Nevada continues to examine new ways of supplying water to areas around the state.

In the 1990s the largest industries in Nevada included gambling and tourism, which together generated more than 50 percent of the state's income. Mining in Nevada produces more than 350,000 pounds of gold and 1.4 million pounds of silver each year. Computers and electrical equipment were also the leading products; beef cattle, sheep, dairy cows, and hogs were the major farm products, along with hay, grapes, and onions.

In 1995 Nevada's per capita income was $24,390 and 11.1 percent of all Nevadans lived below the federal poverty level.

NEVADA

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