On March 2, 1861, the Nevada Territory separated from the Utah Territory and adopted its current name, shortened from Sierra Nevada (Spanish for "snowy range"). Eight days prior to the presidential election of 1864, Nevada became the 36th state in the union. Statehood was rushed to the date of October 31 to help ensure Abraham Lincoln's reelection on 8 November and post-Civil War Republican dominance in Congress. As Nevada's mining-based economy tied it to the more industrialized Union, it was viewed as more politically reliable than other Confederate-sympathizing states such as neighboring California. It is a common misconception that one of the reasons Nevada was granted statehood was its large deposits of silver and gold. This is merely a myth, however, and would have been illogical in that Congress had unlimited control over these resources when Nevada was a territory and only limited control after Nevada became a state.
Nevada achieved its current boundaries on May 5, 1866 when it absorbed the portion of Pah-Ute County in the Arizona Territory west of the Colorado River, essentially all of present day Nevada south of the 37th parallel. The transfer was prompted by the discovery of gold in the area, and it was thought by officials that Nevada would be better able to oversee the expected population boom. This area includes most of what is now Clark County.
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The address of the Nevada Historical Society is: Po Box 213, Nevada, IA 50201-0213
The phone number of the Nevada Historical Society is: 702-688-1191.
The phone number of the Nevada Historical Society is: 515-382-6684.
The address of the Nevada Westerners Corral Nevada Historical Society is: 4305 Primavera Avenue, Reno, NV 89502
The web address of the Nevada Judicial Historical Society is: http://lawlibrary.nevadajudiciary.us
The address of the Nevada County Historical Society is: Po Box 1300, Nevada City, CA 95959-1300
The web address of the Nevada Test Site Historical Foundation is: www.ntshf.org
The address of the Nevada Historical Society is: 1650 North Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89503-1799
The phone number of the Nevada County Historical Society is: 530-265-5468.
The web address of the Nevada State Museum And Historical Soci is: http://www.nevadaculture.org
The phone number of the Nevada Test Site Historical Foundation is: 702-794-5151.
The address of the Southern Nevada Historical Society is: Po Box 1358, Las Vegas, NV 89125