Nevada History

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1825- As part of his Snake River expedition, Peter Skene Ogden became the first white man in Nevada. 1826- August – In a letter written by Jedediah Strong Smith, he reported briefly on his expedition (where he represented the fur trapping company of Smith, Jackson & Sublette), that he had departed from Salt Lake City with 14 men, heading south along the Sevier River, then west along the [now] Virgin, Colorado and Mojave rivers. He traveled through the Virgin Valley, a route that would serve as the right-of-way for the Old Spanish Trail (1829-1848) and for the Mormon road or southern route of travel to southern California. The area was settled by pioneers of the Latter-Day Saints Church, who colonized Bunkerville in 1877 and Mesquite in 1880. Smith reported being attacked by Indians along the Colorado and then suffering from thirst; they survived by using the “Cabbage Pear” hedgehog cactus. Jedediah Smith, leading an expedition down the Meadow Valley Wash to the Muddy River in search of new trapping grounds, reportedly became the first white to enter into Nevada.

1827- Jedediah Smith and his party returned from California, crossing the center of what became Nevada. Smith’s journal and map have never been found, his exact route is unknown.

1828- November 9^th – Humboldt River first discovered by Peter Skene Ogden on his fifth Snake Country expedition 1828-1829. This was Ogden’s last expedition to the Snake Country.

1829- Antonio Armijo lead a party of 60 on the Old Spanish Trail to Los Angeles. While the caravan camped about 100 miles northeast of the present site of Las Vegas, a scouting party set out to look for water. The abundance of artesian spring water found here shortened the Spanish trail to Los Angeles by allowing travelers to cut directly through, rather than around, the vast desert. Spanish traders who used this route were thankful for the shortened trip and they named this convenient desert oasis Las Vegas, Spanish for “The Meadows.”

1830- January 8^th, – The first pack train to pass from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Los Angeles crossed Las Vegas Valley. Antonio Armijo, a Santa Fe merchant, commanded the train and its 30 drovers. The successful completion of the journey opened a trade route between the two Mexican provinces of New Mexico and California. It was on this trip that a portion of the Old Spanish Trail was discovered, (Located on Interstate Highway 15 at Arden, two miles east of Mountain Springs Summit.)

1831- [Very few written records were kept during this era, therefore it is difficult to find specific information regarding this time period.]

1832/1833- Joseph Walker of Bonneville’s expedition camped on the Salmon River during the winter of 32/33.

1833- Kit Carson along with Thomas McKay of the Hudson’s Bay Company and five others went to the head-waters of the Ogden River and followed it to the sink. Afterwards Carson went to Fort Hall and McKay went to Walla Walla.

1833/1834- Joseph Walker led a group from Captain Bonneville’s party along the Humboldt on a secret reconnaissance of California.¹

1834/1846- Known as the “Passage of The Emigrants” in Bancroft’s Works Volume XXV Nevada, Colorado and Wyoming 1540-1888 published 1890 states: “Nothing was known of this region except what the trappers had reported; none were known to have passed across the country from and to California save the parties under Smith and Walker, respectively.”

1840- In the “Great Horse Raid”, organized in part by trapper Old Bill Williams and Ute Chief Walkara, about 1,000 horses were stolen from California ranches. Many of these horses came through the Las vegas Valley.

1841- The earliest organized emigrants passed through Nevada, comprising the Bartleson-Bidwell party from Independence, MO, including one woman and a child crossed Nevada by way of the Humboldt, Carson Sink, and Walker River.

1842/1844- December/January – Captain John C. Frémont and his party of about 25 men arrived at Pyramid Lake, while this region was still part of Mexico, located some 30 miles northeast of the present-day city of Reno, at which time Frémont named the lake Pyramid because it reminded him of the Great Pyramid of Cleops. The Frémont Party then headed southward through what is now called the Truckee Meadows, or present day Reno/ Sparks. They entered the Sierra Nevada Mountains at the Carson River and soon became the first white men to glimpse the world’s largest and most beautiful high mountain lake . . . Lake Tahoe . . . the source of the Truckee River, the source around which Reno sprang up like a weed, and the source of waters that fill the desert oasis of Pyramid Lake. Frémont and his crew were heavily armed including a cannon and about 125 animals. Captain Frémont employed the famous frontiersman Kit Carson to assist him in tracking and path finding. Because Frémont was on a topographical expedition into areas claimed by Mexico, he chose not to carry a regular U.S. flag. Instead, his wife, Jessie, drew and made a flag using elements of design taken from the Stars and Stripes and Army regimental flags. The white canton featured twenty-six stars, outlined in blue, in two undulating waves above and below a blue eagle clutching in its talons nine blue arrows and a red and white peace pipe, the latter being a more recognizable sign of peace to the Indians than the classic olive branch. This flag is displayed in the library of the Southwest Museum in Los Angeles, California.

1843- Immigrant party led by Joseph Walker through Walker Pass took the first wagons across the Sierra. John Frémont and his party were the first white men to cross the Black Rock desert, and his trail was used by over half the 22,000 gold seekers headed to California after 1849.

1844- April-May Frémont party returned across southern Nevada on the last part of a 3500 mile trip around the western region he called the Great Basin. In his journal for May 3rd he wrote: “We camped at a camping ground called Las Vegas . . .” During Frémont’s 2^nd, expedition when they were but a few miles from Las Vegas they met a Mexican boy who told them that a few miles back at the springs Indians had attacked and killed his father and mother and some men who were traveling with them. Arriving at the springs, Frémont found the report to be true. Goedy, who was part of Frémont’s party, requested to go after the killers. Arriving at the springs the Indians were overtaken and some of them were killed, the horses, which had been stolen, were returned to the boy, who then joined Frémont’s party. The same year that Frémont discovered and named Pyramid Lake and Lake Tahoe, another emigrant party entered the desert wilderness of North Western Nevada seeking passage across the Final Barrier to California, the Sierra Nevada Mountains. They met a Paiute Indian whose name sounded like “Trucke.” The Indian drew a crude map in the sand indicating a river and possible pass over the mountains. When the emigrants found the river, out of gratitude to the Indian who befriended them, they named the refreshing stream the Truckee River. They followed the Truckee River up into the Mountains and became the first settlers to open “The Truckee Pass” into California. The Pass was renamed 3 years later after the tragedy of the Donner Party. The Stevens-Townsend party led by Old Greenwood, went down the Humboldt with wagons, the first taken across what later became Donner Pass.

1845- Captain Frémont crossed Nevada again with his guide, Joseph Walker, for whom the lake is named. This time from the east to west in a general line running from Flowery Lake to Walker Lake.

1846- The Donner Party (separate website) were an ill-advised party of emigrants. Delaying their journey too long in the Truckee Meadows near the present-day city of Reno, Nevada, they subsequently became trapped in the heavy snows of the Sierra Nevada when they attempted to follow the “Hastings Cutoff” through the mountains into California. They were driven to cannibalism in their attempts to survive the winter. 47 out of 87 perished.

1847- The great trek of the Mormon people to the fertile Salt Lake Valley in 1847 was the beginning of non-Indian settlement in the Great Basin of North America.

1848- January – James Marshall’s discovery of gold at Sutter’s sawmill on the South Fork of the American River, near the present town of Coloma in California, began the great gold rush. The Truckee River and Meadows became an Oasis watering hole and brief rest stop for thousands of weary settlers along the well traveled California Trail. The following year, hundreds and then thousands of prospectors and settlers crossed the Great Basin and Sierra Nevada into California in search of a quick fortune. In February, the United States acquired Nevada in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

1849- It is estimated that 22,500 settlers passed through the Truckee Meadows in 1849, then 45,000 in 1850 and up to 52,000 in 1852. Gold and silver prospectors began combing the barren lands of Northern Nevada. William Sharon arrived on the scene to search for gold. He had no luck so he went into real estate. He met William Ralston, owner of the Bank of California in San Francisco. In 1864, a branch opened in Virginia City. Captain Hunt took the first wagon train, The Jayhawkers, through from Salt Lake to Southern California via the Mormon Trail.³ The train was 100 wagons long, for which the Captain received $10 each. This is the wagon train which gave “Death Valley” its name as many of them perished there. The first recorded discovery of gold (separate website) in Nevada was in Gold Canyon near present day Dayton.

1850- United States Congress established the Utah Territory. The new territory, which comprised most of what is now the states of Utah, Idaho, and Nevada, came under the control of Brigham Young, Territorial Governor and leader of the Mormon Church in Salt Lake City. Captain Joseph DeMont and Hampton Beatie are among those who establish Nevada’s first trading post at the site of what became Mormon Station or Genoa.

1851- Col. John Reese and other Mormons (all males) arrived in Carson Valley with thirteen wagons loaded with supplies for a trading post, which became Mormon or Reese’s Station. Soon the post, included a blacksmith shop, saw mill, general store, hotel, and corral. The first permanent settlement was established at Gold Canyon, which is now Dayton. This has been a debated issue however, as Dayton preemted Genoa by only two weeks. Even Ragtown was in the running once upon a time. November 12^th – Nevada’s Territorial history begins this day. A public meeting was held for the purpose of organizing a squatter government. Less than 100 persons took part in the gathering which was held at “Mormon Station” (now Genoa). The object of the meeting was to adopt local rules and regulations for the benefit of the settlers than coming into the country. They established a provisional government to protect their land claims and to maintain civil order. 2001 marked the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the first public record created in Nevada History. November – Frank & Joseph Barnard, George Follensbee, Frank & W. L. Hall and A. J. Rollins opened a trading post at what today is the intersection of Thompson and Fifth Streets in Carson City. The post was named “Eagle Station.” This was the beginning of Carson City.⁹

1852- Gold Coins began to circulate in Carson Valley. The coins were minted by the Mormons at Salt Lake City in the Church Mint. The first dance in Nevada was in Dayton. It was attended by nine women and 150 men. The dance was held at Hall’s Trading Post, New Year’s Eve.¹⁴ The first toll bridge in Nevada was built by Col. John Reese, over the Carson River not far from Mormon Station. The first land claim was granted by the Mormon Station squatter’s government, to Col. Reese.

1853- The first marriage in Nevada took place near Mormon Station. The first divorce in Nevada was also near Mormon Station, although it’s unknown if this was connected to the first marriage! July – Lola Montress, a actress from California led a small party from Grass Valley, CA on an excursion to the Truckee Meadows, becoming the first tourists to visit Nevada.⁹ Benjamin Palmer was the first African American (on record) to settle in Nevada. He operated a ranch near Sheridan for 40 years. The first post office in Nevada was established at Mormon Station, present day Genoa. The first school was established in Nevada, located in Israel Mott’s house in the Carson Valley and was taught by a “Mrs. Allen.”

1854- Carson County was created by the Utah territorial Government. Nevada’s first newspaper, the Gold-Canon Switch was founded in the mining camp Johntown. The first white birth (a boy) in Nevada was registered in a journal kept by Laura Ellis. She and her husband James settled on a farm in Gold Canyon, near Dayton.¹⁴

1855- June 14^th -15^th – Mormon Prophet Brigham Young sent a group of 30 men, [including Oscar Hamblin, brother of the famed Mormon Indian missionary], led by William Bringhurst to Las Vegas valley. Bringhurst had orders to establish a mission for the Latter-day Saints Church. They built a 150 square foot adobe brick fort, part of which still stands today as the oldest structure in Nevada, (but not the first), and is appropriately named the Mormon Fort. The mission was to serve a dual purpose: establish supply stations along the Old Spanish Trail and convert the Native Americans. The Mormons spent two years there before the harsh desert defeated their ambitions. The residents of the mission were also instructed to search for minerals that could be of an industrial use. The Potosi mine was discovered about forty-three miles to the southwest of the mission by James Morgan who worked it for quicksilver and zinc. It produced lead and a group was later sent to mine and smelt the lead, used to make bullets for hunting and Indian fighting. The lead was shipped to the Las Vegas rancho where they built and operated the first smelter west of the Missouri River. The mine was referred to as the Lead Mine, but later became known as the Potosi, and was opened as the first lode mine in Nevada. By 1857 trouble developed between the settlers in Utah and the U.S. Government and all the settlers in outlying districts were recalled to the Utah center and the fort and mine were abandoned. However, during the Civil War, rumors were spread that the fort was garrisoned by Union troops to ward off Confederate raids. Although this was untrue, Las Vegas wasn’t exactly a ghost town, and mining did continue at Potosi for a few more years.

1856- May 16^th – Nathaniel V. Jones was assigned to the mission by Brigham Young to explore for minerals in the area. Jones was considered the father of Nevada’s lode mining, although this has been disputed as being a bit overstated. The first Chinatown in Nevada was in Dayton. Chinese laborers were brought in to dig a ditch from Gold Canyon to within two miles of town. The ditch remains intact today.¹⁴ Mormon Station renamed Genoa.

1857- June – The Pioneer Stage Line, the first stage to navigate the Sierras, traveled from Placerville, CA to Genoa began a once a month route with passengers and mail traffic. Regular service was started shortly there after. Nevada’s second newspaper, The Scorpion, was handwritten when Stephen A. Kinsey puplished the first issue at Genoa. The Rogers & Thorington House is Nevada’s first hotel in Genoa. - The abandonment of the Mormon Mission at Las Vegas also meant the closing of the Potosi mine. Fort Mohave was established in the southern tip of Nevada, and it’s believed that soldiers from the fort discovered gold in Eldorado Canyon which led to active mining in that area. The mines in Eldorado Canyon proved to be among the most consistent producers in the state from 1860 until World War II when the mines were closed. (They are open to the public for tours).

- December 18^th – The first edition of the Territorial Enterprise was printed in Genoa, Utah Territory. The Enterprise was not, however, the first newspaper in Nevada. It was the first ‘printed’ paper, but was preceded by two ‘handwritten’ newspapers. Nevada’s first newspaper was actually the Gold-Canon Switch produced about 1854 in the fledgling mining camp of Johntown. The second hand-written newspaper, The Scorpion, dates to about February 1^st, 1857 when Stephen A. Kinsey issued the first number at Genoa.⁴ The first telegraph line was constructed between Placerville, CA and Genoa – the newly developed stage line. Carson City is laid out. The Mormon missionaries pull out of the Las Vegas Mission.

- July 18^th – a constitutional convention was held at Genoa. A Bill of Rights and a proposed State Constitution was adopted. Isaac Roop was elected Governor. November 26^th – One year after the Territorial Enterprise put out its first edition it found a permanent home in Virginia City (Utah Territory), where the paper resumed publication on November 3^rd, 1860. Telegraph line was extended from Genoa to Carson City. A rich outcropping of gold and silver, the Comstock Lode, was discovered 40 miles from the Truckee Meadows. Virginia City sprang up over night. The Virginia City boom brought a flood of traffic through the Truckee Meadows. Stage coaches, pack trains, mule and ox teams, prairie schooners, carrying settlers, miners, foodstuffs, lumber, mining equipment, etc. to Virginia City . . . and they all needed to cross the Truckee River. Charles Fuller built a wooden bridge near the present site of Reno’s Riverside Hotel, and charged a toll to everyone and everything that crossed his bridge. His bridge was washed away several years in a row by spring flooding and finally he sold out to Myron Lake in 186?, a veteran of the Mexican War, and the place became known as Lake’s Crossing. Myron Lake rebuilt the bridge and added a Tavern and Inn near the Bridge (site of the present day Riverside Hotel). Soon he added a gristmill, livery, a kiln… and by 1862 a small but thriving village was in place. The trans- continental Railroad was soon to arrive and give life to the Biggest Little City In the World.

- April – Pony Express began its route from St. Joseph, MO to Sacramento, CA – almost 2000 miles. It took about 10 days to make the run – one way. The riders changed horses twice per trip, about every 10-15 miles, and averaged about 33 miles per day. Click here for a map showing the route in Nevada. May 12^th – A battle between Indians and whites near Pyramid Lake cost the lives of 66 white men, including Major William M. Ormsby. Northern Paiute warriors, fighting to retain their way of life, decisively defeated a volunteer army from Virginia City and nearby settlements. The battle and consequent white retreat began with a skillful ambush north of Nixon and continued along the plateau on the opposite side of the Truckee River almost to the present site of Wadsworth. June 2^nd – A strong force of 754 volunteers and regular U.S. Army troops engaged the Indians in battle along the tableland and mountainside in retaliation for the battle on May 12^th. Several hundred braves, attempting a delaying action to allow their women, children and elders to escape, fought with such courage and strategy that the superior Caucasian forces were held back during the day until the Indians withdrew. 46 Indians perished in the battle. November 3^rd – The Territorial Enterprise newspaper resumes publishing a newspaper in Virginia City. The first issue of the paper printed in Virginia City was published from the corner of A Street and Sutton Avenue, then the heart of the booming business district. The paper was founded two years prior in Genoa. (Mark Twain got his start as a writer with the Territorial Enterprise in ’62). Telegraph line was extended from Carson City to Virginia City. It was called the “Placerville & Humboldt Telegraph Company Line.” It was part of the first transcontinental telegraph system. The first bank opened in Nevada – The Wells Fargo Express and Banking Company opened an office in Virginia City. The first ore mill built in Nevada was built at Galena to process gold from the Comstock lode.¹⁰ Nevada’s population: 6,857.

- March 2^nd – By an Act of Congress, signed by President James Buchanan, the region achieved territorial status. Separate from Utah, officially adapting the name NEVADA, Spanish for Snow Capped. Later, President Abraham Lincoln would appoint James Warren Nye of New York to serve as Nevada’s first (and only) Territorial Governor. On July 11^th Gov. Nye proclaimed establishment of the Territorial Government. November 25^th – the first Nevada Territorial Legislature met in Carson City and carved nine counties out of the newly created territory – Churchill, Douglas, Esmeralda, Humboldt, Lyon, Ormsby (later to become Carson City County), Storey, Washoe, and Lake Counties. The first school house was built in Washoe County. It was built by the mining company and donated to the town. The first Board of State Prison Commissioners was created by the Territorial Legislature of 1861. Nevada’s Territorial motto adopted – “Volens et Potens” – “Willing and Able.”¹⁰ A daily overland mail stage established. Nevada’s population was recorded at 14,404 persons, with about 4,581 persons, residing in and around Virginia City.

- Camp Ruby was established by Col. P.E. Conner and the Territory of Nevada recruited 1,100 men for Civil War service. Walley Hot Springs opened near Genoa on the California Trail, becoming Nevada’s first resort. Gold and Silver were discovered near Austin, and the Reese River Mining District was organized.

- Virginia City housed nearly 10,000 miners, prospectors, shop-keepers and ne’er-do-wells in an odd hodgepodge of mansions, clapboard shelters, and canvas tents. Western Shoshone Indians sign treaty of Ruby Valley, signed by Te-Moak. - October 31^st – Statehood obtained. Nevada becomes the 36^th state. Since this was the time of the Civil War, the state motto of “Battle Born” was adopted. As far back as 1857 many names were used to refer to the area that became Nevada: Sierra Nevada Territory; Washoe Territory; Carson Territory; Eastern Slope; Humboldt; Esmeralda; Sierra Plata; Oro Plata and Bullion. But in 1864 the land emerged as “Nevada” a Spanish word meaning snow-covered. Nevada is also known as the “Silver State” and the “Sagebrush State.” Henry Goode Blasdel 1^st elected Governor of Nevada 1864-71.
The longest Morse Code telegram ever sent was the Nevada state constitution Sent from Carson City to Washington, DC. and cost $3000. The first part was tapped out by Frank Bell, cousin to Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone.

- Octavius Decatur Gass (separate website) took over the Old Mormon Fort, establishing a station to supply Las Vegas Valley miners and settlers. William M. Stewart and James W. Nye elected to the U.S. Senate. Sutro Tunnel Company formed.

- February 24th – The official Nevada State Seal was adopted.

- July 26^th – Fort Halleck formed as Camp Halleck by Captain S. P. Smith to protect the California Emigrant Trail and construction work on the Central Pacific Railroad. Virginia City Miners Union formed. Clark County becomes part of Nevada. Before 1867 it was part of the Arizona Territory. At the time, the area was part of Lincoln County. December 13^th – A locomotive from Central Pacific Rail Road edged across the state line near present day Verdi, becoming the first train to enter Nevada.⁹

- March 2^nd, The Virginia & Truckee Railroad Company established. July – The first hot air balloon ride lifted off from Carson City, carrying Tony Ward. The Central Pacific railroad (now Union Pacific) auctioned off 400 lots in a neatly laid out town site, now downtown Reno, on 80 acres deeded over by Lake in return for the V&T Railroad choosing the location. The Central Pacific built a depot and created a new town site – Reno. At the behest of General Irvin McDowell, Charles Crocker, the railroad construction superintendent, named the town for Jesse Lee Reno, an American army officer who had served in the Mexican War and was later killed in Civil War action at South Mountain, Maryland, Sept. 14^th, 1862.⁵

- March 3^rd – Legislature passed an act for the construction of a suitable building for the care and maintenance of orphans of the state, located in Ormsby County. May10^th – The tracks for the Central Pacific Railroad met the Union Pacific Railroad at Promontory Summit, just south of Promontory, Utah. In Carson City, the Nevada State Legislature overrode the Governor’s veto and formally legalized gambling in Nevada. Elko County was created. In late December an earthquake shook Reno. October 19^th – Construction on the Sutro tunnel began – to drain water from the Comstock Lode. It cost approximately $4.5 million and was 4 miles long. Two-wheel bicycles were introduced to Nevada.

- U.S. Mint established in Carson City where coins were minted from 1870 to 1893. November 4^th – The first train robbery in the Western United States. Eight men, Smiling Jack Davis, James Gilchrist, Chat Roberts, Sol Jones, J. H. Chapman, E. N. Parsons, Tilton Cockerell, and John Squires, robbed the Central Pacific’s Atlantic Express of $40,000 in gold, the payroll for Gold Hill’s Yellow Jacket Mine. Three different rewards were offered – Wells Fargo put up $10,000, Nevada Governor Henry Blasdel put up $20,000, and the U.S. Post Office put up $500. Honesty among thieves wasn’t a common practice with these boys. The first one was captured and quickly told where two of the others were. After further interrogation, he broke down and gave up the names of everyone involved. In the end the following verdicts were delivered: Gilchrist and Roberts – released in exchange for their testimony; Jones – 5 years, state prison; Davis – 10 years; Chapman – 18 years; Parsons and Squires – 20 years; Cockerell – 22 years. Less than a year later, Cockerell, Chapman, Parsons, and Squires joined in a bloody prison break. All but Parsons were captured; he remained free for 5 more years. Jack Davis refused to get involved in the break, was considered a model inmate and was released on parole after three years. He went to work at the Virginia City mines, but was shot in the back two years later by a Wells Fargo guard riding shotgun on a stagecoach carrying a gold shipment.⁶The Virginia & Truckee RR completed to Carson City. Nevada’s population: 42,491 – 27 percent of the State’s total were located in Virginia City and its environs.

- Lewis R. “Broadhorns” Bradley elected 2^nd Governor of Nevada 1871-79, (2 terms). He died in Elko on March 21^st, 1879.

- Virginia & Truckee RR extended to Reno.

- March – The Great Bonanza Mine in Virginia City discovered. Eureka County was created from part of Lander County. Nevada became the world leader in the production of Borax from the plant at Teels Marsh. Borax is a hydrated sodium borate – a salt of boric acid, which is a white or colorless crystalline compound, H³BO³, used as an antiseptic and preservative and in fireproofing compounds, cosmetics, cements and enamels.¹⁰

- The University of Nevada was opened at Elko. Walker River and Pyramid Lake Indian reservations were established.

- Wednesday, October 27^th – News from the Territorial Enterprise – .” . . There was a convulsion in Virginia City yesterday. A breath of hell melted the main portion of the town to ruins. Our eyes are still dazed by the lurid glare; our ears are still ringing with the chaos of sounds of a great city passing away on the whirlwind of a storm of fire. As the sun arose yesterday morning it turned to purple and gold the smiling features of the most prosperous city on earth. Before the sun set, last night, the greater portion of the sky had disappeared; and men and women and little children, by hundreds and thousands, knew not where to get a morsel of food, or where to lay their heads. The catastrophe is appalling . . . .” Another fire this year laid waste to Eureka.

- August 8^th – Pat McCarran born, Reno. O. D. Gass mortgaged the Las Vegas Ranch to his old friend William Knapp.

- An act entitled “An Act to Prohibit The Winning of Money from Persons Who Have No Right to Gamble It away,” was passed. This law, a monument to naïveté and impracticality, prevented those legally in debt or possessing a wife or dependent children from wagering. Nevada Wildlife Commission was established.

- July 8^th - The Sutro Tunnel was completed, reaching the Comstock mines. New Silver Dollar arrives, known as the Morgan Dollar, but no one welcomed its return since it was discontinued in 1873. There simply was not much clamoring among the American public for a heavy, nearly palm-sized dollar coin. The Morgan Dollar came from America’s richest silver strike, the great Comstock lode. The vein of silver was so thick and so rich that a million dollars of silver a week was coming from the Comstock mines. There had to be a market for this river of silver or the bustling Nevada economy would collapse. The Federal government was the obvious customer for all this silver and lobbyists successfully shepherded the new silver dollar into existence with the passage of the Bland-Allsion Act in 1878. Passed over the veto of President Rutherford B. Hayes, Bland-Allison required the United States Treasury to purchase between $2 and $4 million worth of silver bullion per month and coin it into silver dollars.¹¹

- John Henry Kinkead 3^rd Governor of Nevada 1879-83. The city of Reno becomes incorporated. O. D. Gass arranged a loan from a wealthy Pioche business man, Archibald Stewart, the notes on the Las Vegas Ranch came due 1881.

- October – Old Chief Winnemucca died. The right to vote for political candidates was extended to non-whites in Nevada – yet still excluded Native Americans. Nevada’s population: 62,266.

- Fifty silver-lead mines were producing in the Eureka District. The Big Bonanza at Virginia City became exhausted and the mines began to close. The notes on O. D.. Gass’ loan from Stewart came due on May 2^nd. Gass was unable to settle so he and his family left Las Vegas the following month.⁷ First high school opened in Nevada.

- February – Sutro tunnel completed.

- Jewett Adams 4^th Governor of Nevada 1883-87. Adams had been a farmer and stock raiser. Sarah Winnemucca wrote the book “Life among the Piutes.” She was a dedicated and influential Native-American woman. She worked throughout her life to improve living conditions for Native Americans in Nevada and elsewhere.

- Sarah Winnemucca established Nevada’s first school for Native Americans. Her brother Natchez organized construction of the building. Known externally as a champion of the rights of indigenous peoples, she remains a controversial figure within the Native American community. Sarah Winnemucca, was the daughter of Chief Winnemucca and the granddaughter of Chief Truckee.

- The Carson Mint ceased operation. The legislature provided for removal of the state university from Elko to Reno. Absalom Lehman, a local rancher and miner, discovered what became known as the Lehman Caves.

- Fort Halleck in Elko County was abandoned the troops were moved to Fort Douglas in Utah. Indian Courts established.

- Charles Clark Stevenson 5^th Governor of Nevada 1887-90. Governor Stevenson was the first to die in office, September 21^st, 1890. February 4^th – First electric street lamps in Reno. Carson City got its lamps a year later.

- September 29^th – The cornerstone for the (now historical) Federal Building in Carson City was laid.

- April – Carson Mint re-opened with $1,600,000 in gold bars on hand. Fort McDermitt Indian reservation established. Wavoka’s Ghost Dance movement.

- Winter – Known as the “White Winter” because nearly 100 inches of snow fell – the heaviest snowfall in northern Nevada history. An estimated 90-95% of the state’s livestock died during that winter.⁹

- Francis Jardine Bell 6^th Governor of Nevada 1890-91. The first installation of phones in Nevada was made by Francis Jardine Bell, cousin of Alexandar Graham Bell, in the Consolidated Virginia Mine in Virginia City to facilitate communication between men in the mine and those on the surface. Bell also was one of two men who telegraphed Nevada’s constitution, and was manager of the telegraph.¹ Josiah and Elizabeth Potts were jointly hung in Elko County, Nevada for the crime of murder. Elizabeth was the first and only woman to be executed in Nevada. Nevada’s population: 47,355.- Roswell Keyes Colcord 7^th Governor of Nevada 1891-95. Governor Colcord died in Carson City on October 30^th, 1939, at the age of 100. Nevada recieved first prize for wheat at the New Orleans Exposition. - Las Vegas gets its first Post Office, but was not called the Las Vegas Post Office. It was the Los Vegas Post Office in order to keep it separate from the Las Vegas in Arizona. Delamar mine discovered.

– Coin minting operations cease at U.S. Mint, Carson City.

- February 1^st – The Great Meteor – A meteor “brilliantly illuminating the State of Nevada and Central California fell and struck the ground between Candelaria and Bellville in Esmeralda County, Nevada, about five miles from the railroad track.” (Belmont Courier) The following article is reprinted as it appeared in the Carson Morning News, October 18^th 1894: “At a meeting of the colored voters held last evening it was decided to form a political club to be known as the Colored Republican Club. D. J. Harris was elected president, Alex Harris Secretary, Wm. Lynch Treasurer. “Chas. Bennett was Sergeant-at-Arms of the meeting. The committee on platform and resolutions reported as follows: “We, the Colored Republican Club of Ormsby County, do hereby adopt the platform of the Republican party of Nevada, and we do hereby request all the colored voters of the state to stand firm by the Republican party as the best means of bettering their condition of the State at large.”

- Nevada legislature authorized the stat’s first public library in Reno. John Edward Jones 8^th Governor of Nevada 1895-96. Governor Jones died in office April 10^th, 1896.

- Reinhold Sadler became Acting (9^th) Governor of Nevada 1896-1903 after Governor Jones died.

- Gold discovered in Searchlight by G. F. Colton. The area became very productive and a number of mines were developed. Notable mines which played a significant role in the economy of the area include the Duplex, Pompei, Quartette, Good Hope, Cyrus Noble, Blossom and the Searchlight M & M. Searchlight was isolated by desert from other areas of population and markets and originally void of a water supply to maintain a community and operate mills. In order to overcome this a mill was constructed on the Colorado fourteen miles away. A narrow gauge railway was built from that point to the Quartette mine. The ore was then hauled to the river mill for reduction. River steamboats then transported the refined ore to the railhead of the Santa Fe railroad at Needles, California. Later water was discovered at depths of 200 to 300 feet. This eliminated the need for the long haul to the river. The mill was moved to the town and the railway was abandoned. Anson P. Stokes built an unusual structure just southwest of Austin, Nevada. As a summer place, it became known as Stoke’s Castle. It still stands today.

- Reinhold Sadler was elected Governor (already acting Governor from 1896.) The Mint at Carson City was dismantled and re-equipped for assaying. - Charles Fey invented a slot machine named *Liberty Bell. The device became the model for all slots to follow. The original Liberty Bell slot machine can be seen at the Liberty Belle Saloon & Restaurant at 4250 S. Virginia St, in Reno. - May 19^th – Jim Butler* discovers an outcropping of ore in the desert. He (and his wife) made camp at a small spring known by the Indians as Tonopah, a Shoshone word for little spring. In the morning while looking for his burros he found the outcropping. Folk lore tells that he was so mad at his burro, he picked up a rock to throw it and noticed the rock felt unusually heavy, at which point he examined it. His discovery triggered the beginning of the fast paced 20^th century mining era in Nevada. Initial assays revealed over 640 ounces of silver and $200 of gold per ton. The rush was on to the Goldfield Mining District. So reminiscent of the Comstock era, it provided an unexpected boom to the state. Goldfield’s population was recorded at only 1,972. Within five years, this isolated mining community swelled to between 25,000 and 30,000 persons and was by far the largest city in Nevada. September 19^th – The Wild Bunch, Butch Cassidy’s “Hole in the Wall gang” (without Butch), robs first National Bank in Winnemucca of $32,000. The story has been greatly distorted over the years since then. Read all about it here. (separate web site) Henry Goode Blasdel, Nevada’s first Governor, dies at his home in Oakland, California. Nevada’s Population: 42,335.

- A law was passed making it unlawful to sell horse-meat without informing the purchaser of its nature. (Yummy!) It became unlawful to have in operation any form of nickel-in-the-slot machine. Dan Stewart led a losing fight to have lotteries legalized. Stewart Indian School established.

- John W. Mackay, most famous of all the Comstockers, died in London, England, at the age of 72. Goldfield was discovered. Helen Stwert salls Las Vegas Ranch.

- John Sparks 10^th Governor of Nevada 1903-08. Construction of a railroad through southern Nevada was started to connect Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. The Vitagraph Theater in Reno opened and was the first movie house in Nevada.

- The San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad laid its tracks through the Las Vegas Valley. The railroad purchased land from Helen Stwart in 1902, bought the water rights and surveyed a town site for its railroad servicing, repair facilities, lodging, and entertainment establishments. The town of Rhyolite (separate web page within this site) founded. Rhyolite is said to be the most photographed ghost town in the west. The population of Rhyolite passed 8,000 at it’s peak. The first tent put up in Las Vegas. The photo is dated 1904, actual placement of the tent is unknown. Wyatt Earp operated a saloon in Tonopah, “The Northern.” Virgil Earp, brother of lawman, Wyatt, and survivor of the famous shootout at the O. K. Corral, became Deputy Sheriff in Goldfield. He later died of pneumonia in Goldfield, Oct. 19^th, 1905.⁹

- May 15^th – The railroad going through Las Vegas held an auction on the spotwhere the Union Plaza stands today, and sold 700 lots. Auction prices started at $150.00 to $750.00 for corner lots, and from $100.00 to $500.00 for inside lots. Las Vegas became a small watering stop with repair shops and depot (built the following year) with a few hotels, stores, a saloon and a few thousand residents. Block 16 – between 1^st Street & 2^nd Street (now Casino Center Blvd), and between Ogden Street &Stewart Street – was designated as the drinking block, an anything-goes red-light district. Block 17 (same block as the Lady Luck Casino), to the rear between 2^nd & 3^rd, was designated for “non-white” residents. The first state flag was adopted. October 7^th – first baby born in Clark’s Las Vegas, as it was known then. It’s a boy! The son of J. A. Lytle was delivered by attending physician Dr. Renshaw. (Las Vegas Times) June 10^th – The first fire in Las Vegas broke out at 10:30 at Chop House Bills. The fire was caused when the dishwasher was filling the stove with gasoline while it was still lit, and it caused a “bursting of the stove.” When this happened it set fire to neighboring building, including the real estate office of Fulmer & Herrick, the coffee house of J. H. Brown and the barber shop and confectionary store of T. E. MacGee. A total loss of $3600, no one was seriously injured. The first school in Las Vegas was an old converted building, but wasn’t ready until October 2^nd. It had to close by March 30^th due to lack of funds, even though there were fifty or sixty students and only two teachers.

- Searchlight’s increasing community demanded a more efficient transportation and communication with the outside world. A twenty-three mile long spur line, the Barnwell and Searchlight, was constructed to connect the town to the Santa Fe Line. However, Searchlight’s boom reached its peak during 1906-07. Continuous production was recorded through 1954. The Barnwell Searchlight Line was abandoned in 1924. The Union Pacific Railroad depot is completed in Las Vegas. February 3^rd – Las Vegas gets first streetlights. June 2^nd – first carload of distilled whiskey to be shipped into Nevada directly from the distillery was received by J. O. McIntosh of the Arizona Club. The car had a full-length banner which read: For J. O. McIntosh, from the Old Early Times Distillery, Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky.”

- Nevada’s first Chamber of Commerce was established in Elko. Riepetown founded. Riepetown was a mining camp 5 miles north of Ely and had 16 saloons, providing liquor, gambling and prostitution, and was widely known for its sinful reputation. Copper boom at Ely.- Denver Sylvester Dickerson 11^th Governor (served his term as Acting-Governor), of Nevada 1908-11. After his term as Governor, Dickerson was appointed Superintendent of the State Police and Warden of the State Prison. He served as head of the state prison until his death on November 28^th, 1925. Las Vegas consisted of a few ranches, the Kyle Ranch, the Las Vegas Ranch, and a few neighboring communities. See 1908 map here.

- Jarbidge – Gold was discovered in this isolated area in 1909 by Dave Bourne, and a total of $9 million was produced. Clark County was formed out of Lincoln County. Las Vegas wasmade county seat. December – A snow storm at Las Vegas left twelve inches of snow on the city. July 3^rd – first marriage certificate filed in Clark County.

- Goldfield’s population dwindled to 9,369. Gambling was abolished in Nevada. Las Vegas is nearly wiped out due to more than 100 miles of track on the Nevada route to Salt Lake being destroyed by flood. June 23^rd – The first air flight in Nevada took place on the old Raycraft Ranch immediately to the west. The flight was of national interest not only because an air journey had never before been made at such an altitude (4,675 feet), but also because Ivy Baldwin, a nationally known parachutist and balloonist, would make the flight. Baldwin made the flight in a 48-horsepower Curtis Paulham biplane, reaching a height of 50 feet and covering one-half mile before returning to the starting point. See a panoramic view of Las Vegas-1910 Nevada’s population: 81,875.

- Tasker L. Oddie 12^th Governor of Nevada 1911-15. Las Vegas becomes incorporated. The original boundaries for Las Vegas were from Garces Street to Stewart, and from Main Street to 5th Street. Helen Stewart deeded 10 acres to Paiute Indians in the Las Vegas Valley area. This would be their only legal land base until 1975. Las Vegas population: 3,000. - First Mayor of Las Vegas, Peter Buol elected. - The first state motor vehicle law passed, the license fee to be 12.5 cents per horsepower, minimum horsepower rating to be 20. Nevada State Route 1 was designated as the first highway and went across the northern part of the state from Wendover to Verdi. Later it was named “The Victory Hwy” (1920), then in 1926 – Hwy 40, and finally in 1958 it became Interstate 80.⁹

- November 3^rd – Women got the right to vote in Nevada. Lahontan Dam completed.

- Emmet Derby Boyle 13^th Governor of Nevada 1915-23, (2 terms). Boyle was the first “Native Nevadan” governor, born in Goldfield July 26^th, 1879. During his two terms as governor many progressive programs were initiated for the benefit of children, women and workers. The second state flag was adopted.

- December 5^th – Jarbidge, NV – The Last Stage Robbery in the country took place in Jarbidge Canyon, one-quarter mile north of the town. This case is also notable as the first ever decision where a palm print was used for identification and conviction, State v. Kuhl 42 Nev. 185. When a search party later located the missing stagecoach, the driver was found dead amidst signs of foul play. The mail sacks had been slashed open with a knife, and the $4,000 in gold double eagles that the stagecoach had been carrying with the mail were missing. A local miner, Ben Kuhl, was soon identified as a suspect and brought to trial. The evidence against Kuhl was largely circumstantial and included a letter from the mail pouch smeared with a bloody palm print. Experts convinced the jury that the print was made by Kuhl, and on October 6^th, 1917 the jury returned a verdict of murder. As for the $4,000 in gold coins, the money was never recovered and legend has it that the treasure remains buried somewhere in the vicinity of Jarbidge.

- March 20^th – Sagebrush adopted as state flower.

- State prohibition law goes into effect.

- March 19^th – Trans-Sierran Pioneer Flight. The first authenticated air flight over the Sierra Nevada was successfully completed when four U.S. Army planes touched down in Reno on an improvised field. Originating at Mather Field, Sacramento, and led by Lt. Col. Henry L. Watson, the squadron was made up of three Liberty-powered DeHavilands and one 90-horsepower Curtiss trainer. The fliers, personally welcomed by Governor Emmet D. Boyle, were Watson, Lts. Ruggles, Curtis, Krull, Schwartz, Haggett, and Sgt. Conway. It was Haggett who introduced an added surprise by landing his small trainer, unannounced, some minutes after the main flight. Governor Boyle flew as a passenger in one of the planes on its return flight to Sacramento, thus making him the first civilian to cross the Sierras in flight. Clara Dunham Crowell was appointed the first woman sheriff in Nevada.

- Goldfield’s population: 2,410. July – Edna Howard Covert Plummer was the first woman to found a national bank. She founded the Farmer’s and Merchant’s Bank in Euerka. Nevada’s population: 77,407. First Airmail into Nevada.

- Ruth Averill, Republican from Nye County, was the first woman attorney to serve in the Nevada Assembly. The Coppermines Company at Ruth, and the Nevada Consolidated Copper Company of Ely closed down because of the low price of copper.

- July 21^st – The first radio station in the state, station KDZK, was established in Reno. August 23^rd – A fire in Tonopah which started from an unknown source near the Casino dance hall spread four blocks to the railway depot, was out of hand due to a fifty mile an hour wind. Damage was estimated at $200,000 to $350,000.

- James Graves Scrugham 14^th Governor of Nevada 1923-27. Nevada, along with Montana, pass the country’s first old age pension act. The first State recreation grounds were set aside.

- December 10^th – O. D. Gass dies in California. A Chinaman was executed at the state prison with lethal gas, the first execution of this type. All American aboriginal people (Native Americans) were given the right to vote by U.S. Congress. - February 13^th – A silver strike at the Piermont Mine in Spring Valley which was believed to be a continuation of the vein which had yielded between one and three million dollars between 1871 and 1872, was opened a week prior. The Piermont Mine was one of the wealthiest producers during the time of its existence that the west had known. *(The Ely Record)* Freemont Street is the first Las Vegas street paved. Congress made Indians U.S. Citizens.

- First Airport in Las Vegas established at Rockwell Field, now the Sahara Hotel parking lot. First air mail delivery departed Las Vegas 10:45 AM, piloted by Maury Graham. More than 3500 hundred letters were shipped from Las Vegas on east and west bound flights. (Las Vegas Age)- Fredrick Bennett Balzar 15^th Governor of Nevada 1927-34. During his administration, he signed Nevada’s open gambling law and the six weeks divorce law. He was the only governor to die in the governor’s mansion. He died there on March 21^st, 1934.

- U.S. Government appropriates $165 million for the Boulder Canyon Project. First President Hoover’s interior secretary called it Hoover Dam. It was later renamed Boulder Dam, Las Vegas by President Roosevelt, but changed again by Congress in 1947 to Hoover Dam. Less than an hour SE of Las Vegas, Hoover Dam confines Lake Mead and supplies the Colorado River, plus hydropower to California, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. Built during the Depression, the project was completed in 1935 during the Roosevelt administration. There was some concern and evenfear of building the dam. Read it here. Tunnels had to be bored through hillsides to allow tracks to be laid for the train that brought supplies to the construction site. These tunnels still exist today, minus the tracks, and make for an interesting hike. Las Vegas receives its real wave of residents. Thousands ofdepression-weary job seekers came to help build the world’s largest gravity dam just 30 miles from Las Vegas. The Union Mining District near the town of Berlin uncovered the remains of the prehistoric Ichthyosaurs (more excavation of the site was begun in 1954). The first radio station in the state, KOH was established in Reno.

- The third state flag was adopted. The federal government paid the State of Nevada $595,076.53as a “full and final settlement against the federal government . . . for money advanced during the Civil War”.

- September 17^th – Actual construction on the dam began. Nevada’s population: 91,058 including 4,871 Indians.

- March 19^th – The Governor of Nevada, Fred Balzar, approved the “wide open” gambling bill that had been introduced by Winnemucca rancher, Assemblyman Phil Tobin. Up until this time gambling had been abolished in Nevada. The Meadows, an early casino, opens up to receive the workers of the dam. It was located on the corner of Boulder Hwy/Frémont Street & Charleston. Built by bootlegger and first known mobster in Las Vegas Tony “Mr. Lucky” Cornero. However, it caught fire and burned down on Labor Day, the same year it opened. The Pair-O-Dice Club was the first casino to open on Highway 91, the future Las Vegas Strip. (Some report it as opening in 1930). The first traffic light is installed in Las Vegas on Freemont Street.

- Pat McCarran elected to the U.S. Senate.



- Construction worker hard hat’s were first invented and used specifically for workers on the dam. Frémont Street was a bustling business district. June 6^th – The first concrete was poured for Hoover Dam.

- Morley Griswold 16^th Governor of Nevada 1934-35. Nevada became eligable to receice 18% of the power generated at Bouolder Dam.

- Richard Kirman, Sr. 17^th Governor of Nevada 1935-39. Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicates Boulder Dam with a motorcade down Frémont Street. The Las Vegas Elks Club institutes Helldorado Days, a week-long celebration of Las Vegas’ frontier heritage featuring a parade on Frémont Street. The first convention held in Las Vegas. May 29^th – The last concrete was poured for Hoover Dam.

- Hoover Dam is completed. October 26^th – The generation of electricity began at Hoover dam.

- February 24^th – Three Federal Judges, Clifton Mathews, Harold Louderback and Frank Norcross upheld the decision made by a master in chancery and issued a permanent injunction against the law that trains be limited to 70 cars, saying it was unconstitutional. It was decided that such a restriction would then require more trains, as many as 5,000 more, to be on the railroad system, thereby creating greater risks of accidents. *(Caliente Herald)* The Caliente Herald reported they were having the “coldest weather spell in memory for the past five days,” with temperatures down to 10° above to 31° below zero, with 18 inches of snow.

- April 1^st – Carson City -Warden Lewis announced the formation of a the first StatePolice Department, independent of the state highway department, and appointed five men as officers with the approval of Governor Kirman. A. T. McCarter of Las Vegas was named Inspector, with George Gottschalk – Carson; Dan Borax – Las Vegas; Gene Walker – Reno and Frank Carpenter – Elko as Privates.

- Edward Peter Carville 18^th Governor of Nevada 1939-45. In 1945 he resigned to be appointed U.S. Senator by then Acting-Governor Vail Pittman.

- February 21^st – The body of Queho was found 30 years after his first murder just afew miles from Searchlight. The oldest mummified remains of man on the continent, known as the “Spirit Cave Man” were discovered by S. M. and Georgia Wheeler, in a cave in the Grimes Point area east of Fallon. Spirit Man was estimated to have been buried 9,415 years ago. Nevada’s population: 110,247

- Thomas Hull, who owned a string of motor inns in California, decided to open the El Rancho Vegas, just outside the city limits right off the highway from Los Angeles. The El Rancho had 63 rooms (some reports say 100), a western style casino, and was located right off the highway. It had a large parking lot with an inviting swimming pool in the middle. The El Ranhco’s quick success led to the building of another property down the road called the Hotel Last Frontier. Thus, the Las Vegas Strip was born. January 25^th - The city of Las Vegas leases property, formerly known as the Western Air Express runway and field, to the U.S. Army Quartermaster for the development of an aerial gunnery school. The War Department threatened to bar service personnel from the entire town, unless something was done about Block 16, so it was officially shut down the next year.

- The western-themed Hotel Last Frontier opened, using a stagecoach to bring gamblers from the airport. January 17^th – Famed film star, and wife of famed film actor Clark Gable, Carole Lombard died in an TWA Skysleeper crash when the plane she was on went down on Table mountain on the Potosi Range. She was returning from a defense bond campaign trip. The search was led by the Army, on horseback, led by an Indian tracker. Guiding the posse of cowboys, Indians and soldiers under the direction of Major W. H. Anderson, executive officer of the Air Corps gunnery school at nearby McCarran Field, were workers from the Blue Diamond Mine near Arden, NV. B-24 Bomber and fighter pilots trained at Tonapah.

- A total of 3733 tons of scrap was collected in Nevada to help the war. WashoeCounty led the collection for iron and steel with 1,800,000 pounds followed by Elko with 922,000 pounds. A total of 119 tons of rubber was gathered during the month with Washoe leading this category with 96,000 pounds followed by White Pine County which gathered 60,055 pounds. *(Elko Daily Free Press, 16^th February 1943)* Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegal, along with a group of bookmakers and ex-bootleggers took over the El Cortez casino. The profits helped finance the Flamingo.

- March 3^rd – “A total of 1251 motor vehicle licenses have been issued to date this year in Nye Co, Sheriff W. H. Thomas reported. The report showed that 902 passenger, 316 commercial, 32 trailer and one motorcycle license have been sold by Thomas’ office in 1944.” (Tonopah Times Bonanza) July 3^rd – Jack Dempsey, former heavy- weight boxing champion, and Commander in the U. S. Coast Guard (in 1944) sold $453,000 worth of U. S. War Bonds in Washoe County. Dempsey is a former resident of Reno. (In Tonopah the young Jack Dempsey was once the bartender and the bouncer at the still popular Mizpah Hotel and Casino.)- Vail Montgomery Pittman became acting (19th) Governor 1945-50, July 24^th, when Governor Carville resigned. He was officially elected in 1946.

- December 26^th – The Strip’s third resort, the Flamingo Hotel, opened under the control of Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel at a cost of $6 millon, $4.5 millon more than budgeted by his bosses, Meyer Lansky and Charles “Lucky” Luciano. Nevada became the nation’s leading producer of Tungsten – a hard, brittle, corrosion-resistant, gray to white metallic element.¹⁰

- March 1^st – The Flamingo Hotel changes its name to The Fabulous Flamingo. The air field was deactivated after the war.

- July – A B29 Superfortress bomber was on a scientific mission when due to difficulties, it struck the water of Lake Mead at 250 mph. It eventually came to rest on the surface, the crew escaped, and the plane sank. September 2^nd - The Thunderbird opened as the Strip’s 4^th resort. Its name was changed in 1977 to the Silverbird, then again in 1982 to the El Rancho, which was imploded on October 3^rd, 2000.

- The gunnery school/air field was reactivated as the Las Vegas Air Force Base.

- Charles Hinton Russell elected 20th Governor 1951-1958 of Nevada. Students at Las Vegas High School recommend the Las Vegas Air Force Base be renamed in honor of Lt. William Harrell Nellis of Searchlight, who was killed in combat over Luxomburg, December 1944 after 89 successful missions. Nevada’s population: 160,083.

- Vegas Vic, the wavingcowboy who greets downtown visitors and welcomes them to Las Vegas, is erected on the Pioneer Club. The 48-foot tall sign quickly becomes the most recognized symbol of Las Vegas. First classes at Nevada Southern University began. Atomic testing began at the Nevada Proving Grounds, Frenchman and Yucca Flat. The first bomb detonated January.

- December 15^th – The Sands opens as the Strip’s seventh resort. Las Vegas was growing by 1952, with several small airports, and North Las Vegas was barely on the map. Click here for a 1952 map of Las Vegas. Jim Thorpe lived in Nevada for a time in 1952, running a bar in Pittman, a small community located on Boulder Highway between Henderson and Las Vegas. In 1950, Thorpe was voted the greatest athlete of the first half of the twentieth century by an Associated Press poll of sports writers.KLAS, Las Vegas valley’s first TV station, went on the air, as did KOLO in Reno. An extension of the University of Nevada in Reno was established in Las Vegas known as Nevada Southern University, and was two years at first. The “Southern” in the title is where the mascot “Rebels” comes from. It eventually became a 4 year college, and renamed the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, UNLV. Classes had already started in 1951. Uranium discovered in the Reese River Mining District.

- September 28^th – Pat McCarran died at Hawthorne, Nevada. February 15^th – Ronald Reagan began a two-week engagement at the Last Frontier, billed as a “Singer and Dancer.”¹⁰ According to The History Channel, Reagan was booked at the “New Frontier”, and had a act involving chimps. They were booked as “The Marquis Family Chimps,” and on the third night the chimps were so unruly the act bombed. The first woman Mayor in Nevada was Dorothy Porter, a former Ziegfield dancer. She was elected to the NLV city council in 1953, then was elected Mayor of North Las Vegas by her fellow council members in 1954. The first paved road between Las Vegas and Pahrump was built.

- February 18^th – The U.S. Government began a new series of atomic tests at the Nevada Proving Grounds. The nine-story Riviera Hotel became the first high-rise resort. May 23^rd – The Dunes opens as the Strip’s 10^th resort. April 4^th – The Last Frontier opens under new management and a new name – The New Frontier. The new owner didn’t feel Las Vegas was the Last Frontier any longer, so he changed the name.¹⁵ July 31^st – Tony “Mr. Lucky” Cornero, founder of the Meadows Casino [1931] dies from a reported heart attack at the craps table at the Desert Inn Casino. November17^th – Fourteen people died when a C-54 transport en route from Burbank, CA to the Area 51 installation on the dry Groom Lake bed, crashed into the west side of Mt. Charleston. The plane was transporting workers to test the U-2 spy plane at Groom Lake.

- Nellis Air Force Base became the home of the Thunderbirds, the aerobatic team of the Air Force. Comedian Shecky Greene, starred at the New Frontier. The opening singing number for him was Elvis.¹⁰

- The U.S. Government began a new series of atomic weapons tests.

- April 21^st – A jet from Nellis AFB collided with a United Airlines DC-7, just west of Las Vegas, killing 49 people.

- Grant Sawyer 21^st Governor of Nevada 1959-67. Sawyer was responsible for creating the State Gaming Commission.

- The El Rancho, the first casino on the Strip, burns down. The site of this hotel/casino is still vacant today, at Las Vegas Blvd. and Sahara. Nevada’s population: 284,920

- December 7^th – A small crowd of watchers gathered in Carson City on this day to honor and pay tribute to the 80 officers and crew members who died and the 140 who were wounded aboard the USS Nevada when it was attacked just 20 years prior at Pearl Harbor. The Nevada was the only vessel to get underway during the attack. The USS Nevada’s destruction began on July 31^st, 1948 when it was the target of an underwater atomic bomb test. It survived the test only to be used for target practice by naval gunfire and arial torpedoes. The ceremony took place at 7:55 a.m., by raising the same flag which flew over the ship over the State Museum as Governor Sawyer presented Captain Joseph Taussig, Jr. (Ret.) a proclamation declaring December 7^th as Pearl Harbor day in Nevada. Captain Taussig was the Sr. Officer present in the anti-aircraft battery during the attack. (Reno Evening Gazette)

- July 6^th – The mightiest H-Bomb tested, and the first announced H-bomb of its type, was set off this day. The bomb was set off at 10:00 a.m., 650 feet below Yucca Flats. It was reported to be a test of “peaceful use of a atomic energy to make harbors and canals.” The force was 100 kilotons, equal to 100,000 tons of TNT. Previous most powerful was that of 74.3 kilotons in 1957. (Reno Evening Gazette) The town of Denio, on the state border of Nevada and Oregon in northern Humboldt County, for the first time in the history of the town got 5 street lamps. The post office was on the Oregon side in the 1890s, but in the 1950s one opened on the Nevada side.

- The U.S. Government resumed underground tests of nuclear weapons.

- In a U.S. Senate election, incumbent Democrat Howard Cannon defeated Republican Lt. Gov. Paul Laxalt by 48 votes. When Laxalt demanded a recount, Cannon won by 84 votes.

- Nevada ranked first in the United States in production of Barite – a colorless crystalline mineral of barium sulfate that is the chief source of barium chemicals. Barium is used in rat poisons, and to deoxidize copper.

- November – Howard Huges moved to Las Vegas and stayed in the Desert Inn penthouse.

- Paul Laxalt 22^nd Governor of Nevada1967-71. The first community college in Nevada opened in Elko. The New Frontier changed hands and names again. Under the ownership of Howard Hughes it no longer maintained a theme so it was simply called The Frontier.¹⁵ Huges also bought the Desert Inn.

- October 18^th – The $15 million Circus Circus Casino opened on the Las Vegas Strip.¹⁵

- January 15^th – The U.S. Government held two underground tests. On 01/30/69 and again on 02/12/69 more underground tests were done. July 4^th – The Landmark Hotel opens. The International, now the Hilton, opened.

- The burial site of the prehistoric Ichthyosaurs, containing the only complete skeleton of the Ichthyosaurs to be found in the United States, would be protected by the Nevada State Legislature as the Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park. Nevada’s population: 488,738.

- Donald Neil O’Callaghan 23^rd Governor of Nevada 1971-79 . The Fabulous Flamingo changes its name again to the Flamingo Hilton.

- An attempt is made to break into the office safe of Las Vegas Sun Publisher Hank Greenspun, who had memos written by Howard Huges. The break-in apparently is related to the Watergate break-in in Washington, D.C.

- The MGM Grand opens its doors to the public, and with 2,100 rooms it was the largest hotel in the world at the time. The Flamingo’s breakfast buffet costs $2.75. Republican Paul Laxalt succeeds Alan Bible as U.S. Senator from Nevada.

- May 15^th – Highway Department Issues first Atlas of State. The Nevada Map Atlas a 136 page booklet was available for $6.00

- Oran Grayson leaves office after an unprecedented four terms as Las Vegas Mayor.

- Clark County Museum receives the Boulder City Railroad Depot and moves the structure to a new location for the museum on Boulder Highway in Henderson.

- After roaming the world’s oceans for approximately 135 million years, and some 200 million years after its entombment, Ichthyosaurs Shonisaurus Popularis, (named after the mountain range in which it was discovered), would become immortalized as Nevada’s official state fossil.

- The Valley Times reports that Attorney General Bob List was comped for rooms and meals at the Stardust, but still billed the state for his per diem allowance. List already had been elected governor.

- Robert Frank List 24^th Governor of Nevada1979-83. Barbara Bennett was the first woman elected Mayor of Reno. She resigned in 1983 to accept a state level job.

- Labor Day – ” Old Vegas” tourist town scheduled to open located south of Henderson, near Railroad Pass. More than just a replica of an old west town, Old Vegas was to be a theme park on a grand scale. Nevada’s population: 798,523

- Nevada adopted the Lahonton Cuthroat trout as its official state fish.

- Republican Patty D. Cafferata was elected state treasurer – the first constitutional seat to be won by a woman.

- Richard H. Bryan 25^th Governor of Nevada1983-89.

- A special legislative session changes state law so that Citicorp could open a credit card-processing plant in southern Nevada.

- A Historic Landmark Demolished. The UPRR [Union Pacific Railroad] depot in Winnemucca, built in 1906 was demolished despite the efforts of Curato Pansilee Larson of the Humboldt Museum to save the old Spanish style building. Even though it had been termed an historical landmark for Northern Nevada.

- Congess established the Great Basin National Park, Nevada’s only National Park.

- August 15^th – The dedication of the Great Basin National Park, the nations 49^th National Park and Nevada’s first, commenced at 10 a.m. On hand were Gov. Richard Bryan, Sen. Chic Hecht, Sen. Harry Reid and Congresswoman Barbara Vucanovich of Nevada. The act, which created the 120 square mile GBNP in the South Snake Mountain Range was signed by President Reagan, October 27, 64 years after the first proposal had been introduced in Congress.

- Richard Bryan becomes the first Nevadan elected attorney general, governor, and U.S. Senator

- Robert Joseph Miller 26^th Governor of Nevada 1989-99. The Mirage opens, beginning a new “mega resort” era.

- Jan Laverty Jones was the first woman elected Mayor of Las Vegas. Nevada’s population: 1,236,130

- Nevada’s 125^th Birthday Celebration Committee commissioned George Dare of Henderson, Nevada to write a new state song. The Commission was headed up by Attorney General Frankie Del Pappa.

- Vacancy

- October 29^th – The Dunes Hotel/Casino imploded.

- Ending a 60-year tradition, the final Helldorado Days Parade is held on Frémont Street in Las Vegas. Later in the year, the street is permanently closed to vehicular traffic to make way for construction of the Frémont Street Experience. A new MGM Grand in Las Vegas was built with 5,005 rooms, and that hotel recaptured the “world’s-largest” honors. 26.8 million passengers pass through McCarran International Airport.

- November 7^th – The Landmark Hotel & casino imploded. Clark County surpassed the 1 million population mark. June – The Gaming Control Board reports there are 176,995 slot machines statewide, and 5,782 live table games statewide.

- November 26^th – The Sands Resort Hotel imploded.

- October 15^th – The first supersonic land speed record was set in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert 125 miles north of Reno. The record set was 763.035 mph. (Mach 1.016)

- October – Bellagio resort opened on the land once occupied by the Dunes Hotel.

- Kenny Guinn 27^th Governor of Nevada. March 2^nd – Mandalay Bay opened in Las Vegas. Under new ownership, the Frontier changed its named again, back to the New Frontier. The new owner wanted to assure everyone that it was no longer to be associated with all the union problems which had plagued it, and in remodeling it he choose the “New.”¹⁵ May 3^rd – The Venetian opened in Las Vegas.

- Nevada’s population: 1,998,257

- February 9^th – 3 Millionth marriage certificate recorded in Clark Co. March 14^th – The State of Nevada adapts an official “Tartan.” May 8^th – The town of Gabbs, Nevada’s smallest city was disincorporated, (separate website).

- April 27^th – For the first time in Nevada history more than one person was killed inside a casino, according to state archivist Guy Rocha. On this day, 3 motorcycle gang members were killed inside Harrah’s Casino in Laughlin during the annual River Run. The incident occurred after a fight broke out between rival gang members of the Hell’s Angels and the Mongols. In addition to the 3 killed, another 13 were taken to local hospitals with gunshot and stab wounds. August 2^nd – “Las Vegas, Nevada – A B-29 “Superfortress” bomber, missing for over 50 years in Lake Mead, has been located by Henderson resident Gregg Mikolasek. The aircraft was found with sidescan sonar, a device which uses sound to image objects resting on the bottom of a body of water.”¹³

- May 29^th – Moulin Rouge, 900 W. Bonanza Road, was destroyed in a fire. It was Las Vegas’ first integrated resort on the Strip. The Moulin Rouge lasted only six months as a full-fledged casino after its grand opening May 26, 1955, but it was a part of Las Vegas history, duly entered on the National Register of Historic Places. On June 19^th two men were arrested for starting the blaze. Fred “Bubba” Ball and John Antwan Caver were the devious creeps responsible for destroying a great part of Nevada history. The Casino was undergoing restoration. During the five months it remained open, it became popular as an after-hours club of sorts, where black entertainers headlining on the Strip stayed and performed late into the night to crowds of blacks and whites. Sammy Davis Jr., Harry Belafonte and Frank Sinatra were among the performers.

- Vacancy

- Pop singer Britney Spears weds Jason Alexander in Las Vegas, the marraige is annuled 55 hours later.

- Vacancy

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- Vacancy

- July 24^th – A B-17 Bomber, Sentimental Journey, touched down at the Winnemucca Municipal Airport at 12 noon. This bomber came off the assembly line November 1944 and was placed into service March 1945 and was in the Phillipines for the duration of the war. Elko and Winnemucca were the only two stops in Nevada. Click here to view the Commemorative Air Force website. Check back soon to see photos of the Winnemucca visit.

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Nevada Vacation Destination

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Nevada Vacation Spots #1:Nevada vacation spots for you NASCAR racing fans must include a stop at the Neon Garage. The Las Vegas Motor Speedway has built the Neon Garage as a new way for fans to enjoy the sport. In the center of the LVMS infield are four buildings where the NASCAR Nextel Cup teams come to prep their cars.

The Winner’s Circle is also located here. In the center of it all is an area that is open to all you race fans so you can get a view of racing that you could never get before. You can also watch the on-track action, on the big screen TVs at the sports bar. Sounds like a great way to rev up your next vacation.

Nevada Vacation Spots #2:Enjoy a first-class air show at The National Championship Air Races and Air Show just outside Reno, Nevada. Besides the air show, this annual event features multiple classes of air races such as Unlimited, Sport, T-6, Formula One, Biplane, and Jet. You can also see a variety of other civil and military aircraft on display.

Nevada Vacation Ideas #3:A must see if you are in Nevada is the Hoover Dam the “Eighth Wonder of the World”. You can drive across the dam. Take a guided tour or a self-guided tour. This National Historic Landmark is one of the greatest engineering feats ever. Just below the dam is a site where you can launch your personal paddle craft for a trip down the river.

Nevada Vacation Ideas#4:Death Valley National Park is the hottest place in North America. You can also find spectacular wildflower displays, snow covered peaks, beautiful sand dunes, abandoned mines and a number of ghost towns. Despite the extreme environment there is ample opportunity for hiking, biking, backpacking, and camping. As long as you are properly prepared the park can be a wonderful experience.

Nevada Vacation Spots #5:Go back to 1849 Virginia City, Nevada. Share the rush of excitement that drove tens of thousands of people to Comstock Lode’s $400 million cache of gold and silver. There are lots of historical sites like the underground mines at the Chollar Mine, the Bucket of Blood Saloon, The Fourth Ward School Museum or the Virginia & Truckee Railroad.

Nevada Vacation Spots #6:The Truckee River, in Nevada, is a great place to enjoy white water rafting on your next vacation. It is located near Reno and North Lake Tahoe. White Water Tours will guide you on an exhilarating rafting trip down 7 miles of river white water. There are many Class 2-3 rapids and one exciting Class 3+ rapids. With their expert guides and some instruction this makes an excellent vacation activity for the whole family.

Nevada Vacation Spots #7:Take the family for a ranch vacation at Cottonwood Ranch in Elko County, Nevada. This is a working ranch where you can signup to help out and have fun. How much you do is up to you but there are cattle to round up and horses to drive along the trail to pasture. The big push comes in June with the six day horse drive. But its a fun experience and kids as young as 8 can participate. Along with the work there is the beautiful Nevada countryside and fresh air. And don’t forget about the hayrides, cookouts and sing-alongs.

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