Why did the native Americans settle into Nevada?

Answer 1

Washoe County's i rst inhabitants may have migrated here from Asia more than

10,000 years ago. Washoe County is named for the Washoe, Native Americans who lived

in valleys along the foothills of the Sierra Nevada when Europeans i rst arrived in the area.

The Paiute lived in other parts of what is now Washoe County.

The i rst European explorers to reach what is now Washoe County arrived in the

late 1700s. Spanish missionaries and explorers claimed the area for Spain. Later, Mexico

won its independence from Spain and claimed the area that is now Nevada. In the 1840s,

more explorers arrived. By this time, settlers from the United States, to the east, were

migrating to California and Oregon.

In 1848 the United States won a war against Mexico called the Mexican-American

War. Much of the Southwest, including Nevada, became a U.S. territory. Meanwhile,

Mormons had been moving westward to avoid religious persecution. Many settled in Salt

Lake City, Utah. From there, some traveled to Nevada and settled in Washoe County. In

1849, Mormons formed the state of Deseret, which included Utah and most of Nevada.

In 1852 a Mormon trader built a trading post near present-day Sparks to provide supplies

for wagon trains.

After gold was discovered in California in 1848, thousands of people began to pour

through Nevada on their way to the goldi elds of California. In 1859 silver was discovered

in Carson Valley. Instead of passing through Nevada, many people came to stay, hoping

to get rich. Conl icts between settlers and the Paiute took place in the 1850s and 1860s. In

1874 the United States forced the Paiutes to move to Pyramid Lake Reservation. Congress

also voted to send the Washoe to a reservation but did not provide any land.

The conl icts between Native Americans and settlers did not stop people from

moving to Nevada. In fact, hundreds of thousands of settlers moved west during the

late 1800s. A great number settled in Nevada and in what is now Washoe County.

Although many came to mine, most found other work. Many found work in the timber

or ranching industries.

In 1864 Nevada became a state. At about the same time, railroads were being built

through the area. The i rst railroad in Washoe County was the Central Pacii c. The city of

Reno was built around a station for the Central Pacii c. The railroad brought Reno so much

business that a decade later, it became the county seat.

In the 1930s the tourist industry began to develop. Resorts in Reno, Las Vegas,

Laughlin, and Lake Tahoe attracted many tourists. People also moved to Nevada to

work on Hoover Dam on the Colorado River. After the dam's completion in 1936, the

low cost of electricity brought many factories to the area, creating jobs that encouraged

more people to come to Nevada. Today, people can i nd jobs in electronics, information

technology, the aerospace industry, tourism, and other industries in Nevada and

Washoe County.