Abraham Lincoln signed the papers making Nevada a state on
October 31, 1864 and we celebrate that wonderful moment on the fourth Friday of
October as a holiday, and then on Saturday, a grand array of special events in
the Capitol city, Carson City. A parade, championship hard rock drilling
contests, magnificent beard contests, and an opportunity to just have fun.
Only a few states celebrate their admission to this fine
Union and I hope Nevada never lets it simply fade away. Every state feels
itself unique in some way, and those of us in the Silver State have lots to
talk about in that respect. It was the discovery of silver in the Virginia
Range that old Henry Comstock declared was his, thus the Comstock Lode, that is
basically the reason Nevada became a state.
The area belonged to Spain, then Mexico, and finally, the
good old USofA. It was part of Utah Territory, then became Western Utah
Territory, then Nevada Territory, and as now, the State of Nevada. Silver was
king, cattle and sheep were economic drivers, and the along came Las Touristas
and legalized gaming.
Those three today are still the economic drivers of the
state. Nevada is the largest producer of gold in the Americas, North, South,
and Central. It wasn’t until just a few years ago that there were news releases
each year proudly proclaiming that there were more cattle in the state than
people, and today, those same newspapers declare the number of tourists that
visited set new records.
Only one river in Nevada can say its waters make it to the
Pacific Ocean, all the others drain to a lake in the state, go underground to
an aquifer, or settle in a sink. The Owyhee is a tributary of the Snake River,
which flows into the Columbia River, which mixes with the saline of the
Pacific.
Three major rivers, the Walker, Carson, and Truckee have
their beginnings in California. Some say the Virgin begins in Utah. The
Colorado of course flows through several states and two countries. It’s the
Humboldt River that’s homegrown, beginning at what is called the Humboldt Wells.
A town grew up near those wells, called itself Wells, then moved when the
railroad came through to take advantage of that economic driver. It’s still
called Wells.
The Great Basin National Park is home to Lehman Caves, and
parts of the Death Valley National Park are inside the state. Hoover Dam is
pretty impressive as is Lake Mead, and the largest Lahontan Cutthroat Trout
ever was caught at Pyramid Lade.
Sarah Winnemucca was the first Native American to have a
book published, the Black Rock Desert has been home to mastadons and burners,
and the city of Las Vegas glorifies in its massive over-use of water.
Well, there you are. This is why we celebrate Nevada Day. If
you run into me in Carson City Saturday, be sure to say howdy-doo.
Until next time, read good books and stay regular
Johnny Gunn
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Or Tweet with me, darlin’?
