On This Day In History: Nevada Became The 36th State In The USA – On Oct 31, 1864

On October 31, in 1864, Nevada became the 36th state in the USA. At the time, the American Civil War (1861 to 1865) was still continued.

Statehood was hurried to the date of October 31 to help ensure Abraham Lincoln’s reelection on November 8 and post-Civil War Republican dominance in Congress, as Nevada’s mining-based economy tied it to the more industrialized Union.

As it turned out, however, Lincoln and the Republicans won the election handily, and did not need Nevada’s help.

Nevada began to expand after it became a state. In 1866, another part of the western Utah Territory was added to Nevada in the eastern part of the state, setting the current eastern boundary.

Nevada achieved its current southern boundaries on January 18, 1867, when its territory wasincreased by the portion of Pah-Ute County in the Arizona Territory west of the Colorado River.

The famous Las Vegas is by far the largest city in Nevada (but not its capital). Indeed, almost two-thirds of the population of Nevada lives in Las Vegas and its surrounding area.

As much as around 86% of the land in Nevada is the property of the U.S. government. The name “Nevada” (Spanish for “snow covered”) is of Spanish origin and means “snowy”. The state got that name from the Sierra Nevada Mountain.

Nevada is also the fourth largest gold manufacturer in the world.