| If you visit for the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas or the tranquility of Lake Tahoe there is no mistaking that Nevada is The Desert State. America's
driest land with the nation's lowest average rainfall.
Nevada receives only four inches of rain each year. With
summer temperatures frequently rising above 110 F, most
of Nevada is a hot and dusty desert. Promoting a vast
expanses of sand and sagebrush, scorpions and
sidewinders. 
NV, land of
sand, sagebrush, and sidewinders.
State and federal government parks,
forests, and preserves occupy 83% of Nevada. The largest
percentage of publicly owned land of any state in the
U.S. followed by Utah, Alaska, and Idaho. An explorer's paradise for those
searching for America's most remote recesses. Freedom from its crowded cities to escape the encumbrances of society. Miles and miles of
seemingly unending desert terrain. Nevada remains
essentially unexplored amidst a quiet stillness as it has
existed for thousands of years.
NV,
Map depicting land owned by the federal government (green areas)
Its main inhabitants being a unique and
specialized group of plants and animals capable of
surviving where most living things would perish. Hardy
sagebrush and cactus forming the base of the pyramid of
life. Sagebrush using its long tap roots to penetrate
deep into the water table to absorb moisture underground.
Cactus retaining whatever water they find by growing
without leaves (the part of a plant that releases the
most moisture). Cactus and sagebrush firmly anchor
themselves in the sand preventing erosion and providing
shelter to most of the desert animals. Forming the base
of the pyramid of life in the desert.
Before 1850, Nevada was essentially
unknown to white settlers. The land was uninhabited
except for several Indian tribes and a handful of
prospectors. Not until silver was discovered in 1859 at
Comstock (near Virginia City) did Easterners begin to
venture into this desolate and barren terrain. The
silver strike at Comstock turned out to be the largest
ever recorded in the United States. Containing a vein
of silver that was fifty feet wide. So rich was the
strike that earlier 1849er prospectors to California
began moving back east towards Comstock.
NV,
Comstock, the largest silver mine in U.S. history
(historic photo courtesy of Library of Congress, dated 1867).
With tons of silver and gold being
mined, the U.S. Mint opened a third mint in Carson City
in 1869. The mint remained in operation for 24 years. The
output was small due to government restrictions on
production. Prompted by shipping companies like Wells
Fargo who profited on shipping the unminted bulk ore to
the San Francisco mint. The most valuable U.S. coins ever
minted have the "CC" mark of the Carson City
mint. An example is the 1874CC liberty seated penny which
is today worth more than $2,500.
Throughout America's pioneering era,
settlers had to farm and hunt to survive. Activities not
possible in Nevada. Hence its deserts remained unexplored
for centuries. The few that did make the journey were
resilient and determined. Building a state out of what
little existed. Creating opportunities and capital
investment by literally changing American tradition. Nevada
was the first state to legalize divorce in 1909.
Women nationwide flocked to Nevada to obtain divorces and
towns grew overnight. Since Nevada established a
residency requirement of six months to finalize the
divorce- hotels, restaurants, and small business sprang
up like cactus. The settling of this western desert
frontier had begun.
NV,
part of the countryside outside Virginia City
When other states adopted the same
divorce laws, Nevada was quick to respond with its next
first in gambling. In 1931, Nevada became the first
state to legalize gambling. Bringing another influx
of people and investment capital. What Nevada's next
"first" will be is anyone's guess but watch the
horizon for a state-wide string of revolutionary ideas to
entice the nation's retirees to settle in Nevada. People
of retirement age are the new wave of pioneers which are
descending upon the West and Nevada is determined to make
its presence known. Leading with its low cost of living
and perpetually sunny clear blue skies. From 1990- 2000 Nevada had the largest
population increase of any state in America with a 66% increase (compared
with FL's 23% and CA's 14% increase).
Raised from the desert floor through
mining, Nevada continues its legacy as the nation's
leading producer of silver and gold. Nevada is
presently ranked first in gold production and first in
silver production in the United States. Nevada
produces 60% of all the gold (followed by California's
10%), and 45% of all the silver (followed by Idaho's
12%). Gold is a major export of the United States and
totals $4 billion annually. The U.S. is second only to
South Africa in gold exports. Mineral exploration
continues to be very active and lucrative in Nevada.
An interesting aside is the 1872 mining
act which allows billions of dollars in gold and silver
to be extracted from public land each year with less than 1% of this money going to
taxpayers. Even royalties or clean-up costs after the
land is stripped are often not collected from the miner's
profits. All of this for a fee of $5 an acre to stake a claim.
To make matters worse, many of these operations
are foreign owned! In 1994, Toronto-based Barrick Gold,
the world's second largest gold producer, paid less than $10,000
to the U.S. for $8.4 billion in gold taken from Nevada.
In the U.S. federally owned land is
administered by four main agencies. The Bureau of Land
Management (which controls the largest portion with 270
million acres), National Forest Service's 200 million
acres (156 National Forests covering an area equal the
California, Oregon, and Washington), National Wildlife
Refuge System's 90 million acres, and the National Park
Service's 80 million acres (360 units of which 57 are
National Parks). The majority of this mining activity is
taking place in Nevada's two National Forests ie.
Humboldt and Toiyabe National Forests. They are two of
the largest National Forests outside Alaska.
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