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General
State History
There
were many Spanish explorers in the 1770s who came near
the Nevada area, but it wasn't until 50 years later
that fur traders venturing into the Rocky Mts. publicized
the region.
Nevada's
first settlement was Genoa, near Carson City, settled
by Mormons in 1849, then called Mormon Station.
Nevada's
name was adopted in 1861 when territory was established.
The name was derived from the Spanish language, meaning
"snow-capped".
Nevada
was admitted as part of Utah Territory in 1854 and then
as the Territory of Nevada on March 2, 1861.
On
October 31, 1864 the territory was then admitted as
the State of Nevada. This date is now celebrated as
a state holiday.
Nevada
was made famous by the discovery of the fabulous Comstock
Lode 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.
As
an act of 1986 federal legislation, Great Basin National
Park was created, the only national park in the state,
which includes the area around Wheeler Peak and Lehman
Caves in eastern Nevada.
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