Places
Nevada Vegetation Overview
Nevada's unique geography and rugged topography have given rise to a diversity of vegetation types. Great Basin vegetation occupies the northern part of the state, a region of high, sagebrush-dominated valleys and numerous mountain ranges. Mojave Desert vegetation dominates the southern part,... more
Nevada Travel Literature
Nevada travel literature offers an outsider's perspective of the state's geography, environment, and culture. It is the reportage and impressions of travelers whose journeys of choice or necessity have led them to the Great Basin and Nevada. The literature ranges from explorer and emigrant... more
Nevada Test Site Overview
Places: Nye County, Southern Nevada
Formerly the Nevada Proving Grounds, the Nevada Test Site is located in Nye County about sixty-five miles northwest of Las Vegas, and covers approximately 1,375 square miles. The site begins at the town of Mercury in the southeast and ends at Pahute Mesa in the northwest. It borders the Nellis Test... more
Nevada Statehood
The first push to make Nevada Territory a state originated from within the territory, without prior authorization from Congress. On September 2, 1863 the voters of the territory approved of the concept of statehood by the overwhelming margin of 6,660 votes to only 1,502. To implement this, on... more
Nevada State Treasurers
The Nevada Constitution provides for six elected offices, including the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, controller, and treasurer. The treasurer is elected statewide for a four-year term and is an integral part of the checks and balances in the state's... more
Nevada State Government: An Overview
Places: Carson City, Northern Nevada
On March 2, 1861, United States President James Buchanan signed into law a bill passed earlier by Congress to establish the Territory of Nevada from a portion of the Utah Territory. Carson City was selected to be the seat of government of the new territory and has served as Nevada's state... more
Nevada State Capitol Building
Places: Carson City, Northern Nevada
Construction on the Nevada State Capitol in Carson City began on April 21, 1870. Joseph Gosling, formerly a carpenter working in Virginia City, submitted the plans from his new home in San Francisco. Irish-born Peter Cavanaugh served as general contractor, supervising the work of prisoners who... more
Nevada Shakespeare Company
The Nevada Shakespeare Company produces humanities-based works for theater and film in northern Nevada, emphasizing the arts and education. Over the years, the company was best known for its innovative interpretations of Shakespeare and presenting new works with a social emphasis. Today, the... more
Nevada Saddlery Since 1870
With the arrival of the transcontinental railroad in 1868, vast areas of natural pasture in the Great Basin became attractive to California stockmen. The spectacular growth of the cattle industry in the early 1870s resulted in an expansion of the market for "riders' outfits" to supply... more
Nevada Rawhide Since 1870
The most important and widely practiced craft tradition introduced to the Great Basin by California stockmen was rawhide braiding. Much of the distinctive horse gear associated with Nevada buckaroos is made of this material (reatas, hobbles, hackamores, reins, and quirts). Unlike saddle making,... more
Nevada Opera
Places: Reno, Washoe County, Northern Nevada
Nevada Opera, based in Reno, is the oldest professional performing arts organization in Nevada. It was founded in 1968 by Ted and Deena Puffer, who gave the organization a solid foundation and trained many talented artists. The opera has produced over 140 operas, operettas, and musicals over the... more
Nevada Noir
The term noir, the French word for "black," refers to a particularly dark literary mood, and often to a specific narrative genre. These are stories that deal with guilt, sex, and violence, and usually a combination of all three. When transposed to the desert setting of Nevada, noir takes... more
Nevada Mystery Novels
Nevada is the setting of more than one hundred contemporary mystery novels, with most taking place in Las Vegas, fewer in Reno and the remainder in the vast space in between. Recurring themes include gambling, corruption, land development, population growth, and conflict between ranching culture... more
Nevada Museum of Art
Places: Reno, Washoe County, Northern Nevada
The Nevada Museum of Art (NMA), located in Reno, is the oldest cultural institution in the state. It was founded in 1931 as the Nevada Art Gallery and occupied three different locations before moving to its current home, the first designed specifically for the museum, in 2003.The NMA's... more
Nevada Memoir
The lives of Nevadans are recorded in many places, including letters, diaries, transcripts, and the volumes and manuscripts produced by the University of Nevada Oral History Program. Nevada memoirs, although somewhat rarer than these other kinds of life stories, are nevertheless plentiful enough to... more
Nevada Magazine
In January 1936, Nevada Highways and Parks—known today as Nevada Magazine—was introduced by the state highway department. The Silver State was hardly the tourist magnet it is now. Legalized gambling in Nevada was five years old, the population of Las Vegas was less than 8,000, and... more
Nevada Casinos and Gambling in the Movies
Cacophonies of color, sound, and movement, where an instant's action can change a life—Nevada casinos are ideal settings for screen stories. Even as gambling and casinos have filtered into almost every state ending Nevada's decades-long monopoly, Las Vegas reigns supreme as the iconic... more
Nevada Arts Council
Places: Carson City, Northern Nevada
The Nevada Arts Council (NAC) is a state agency charged with the mission "to enrich the cultural life of the state through leadership that preserves, supports, strengthens, and makes excellence in the arts accessible to all Nevadans." The NAC is an agency of the Nevada Department of... more
Nevada Airlines
Nevada's first airline was actually based in Los Angeles, and was the brainchild of a mining entrepreneur and racing pilot. Named for the state, the short-lived effort connected Reno and Las Vegas over 400 miles of desolate desert and bad roads for a short time, but showed promise for the... more
Neoclassical Style Architecture in Nevada
Places: Washoe County, Northern Nevada
A revival of interest in classical models of architecture dates from the World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893. The neoclassical style came into vogue during the last decade of the nineteenth century and retained its popularity through the first half of the twentieth century.... more
Native Americans on the Comstock
The development of the Comstock took a toll on the Northern Paiute Native American population of the region, but they adapted and even prospered in ways which seemed unlikely. Prior to contact with Euro-Americans, the Native American population of the Great Basin was well adapted to the fragile,... more
National Mining Act of 1872
The 1872 National Mining Act emerged from decades of debate about mining and public lands. The British Crown, followed by American state and federal governments, experimented with the management of mineral resources. Their approaches ranged from reserving mineral wealth for the government to the... more
National Influence of Nevada
Nevada has almost always ranked near the bottom in state population, yet its leaders in Washington often have been among the nation's most powerful.That might seem contradictory. But the key reason has been the United States Senate. Like most legislative bodies, it long has operated on the... more
National Automobile Museum
Places: Reno, Washoe County, Northern Nevada
The National Automobile Museum evolved out of casino magnate William F. Harrah's well-known auto collection, and opened in 1989 in its current facility on the banks of the Truckee River in downtown Reno. The museum has been ranked one of the top ten automobile museums in the country by Car... more
Nathan Abelman
Places: Goldfield, Esmeralda County, Douglas County, Nye County, Round Mountain, Tonopah, Reno, Washoe County, Stateline, Northern Nevada, Southern Nevada
Nathan "Nick" Abelman was born in 1875 or 1876 to Yiddish-speaking parents and with various partners owned saloons in Bessemer, Michigan, and Hurley, Wisconsin, before joining the rush to Goldfield in 1906. There, also with a partner, he operated the Bon Ton saloon and also ran an auto... more