NEVADA A NARRATIVE OF THE CONQUEST OF A FRONTIER LAND Comprising the Story of Her People from the Dawn of History to the Present Time JAMES G. SCRUGHAM, Editor Former i::iovernor of N1vada Issued in Three Volumes VOLUME I ILLUSTRATED THE AMERICAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INC. CHICAGO AND NEW YOlllt 1935 ..... - CONTENTS ANCIENT NEVADA ------------------------------------------------ 1 EARLY NEVADA I INTRODUCTION---------------------------------------------------- 9 II SPANISH EXPLORATIONS IN THE SOUTH 1776____________________ 15 III THE TRAPPERS AND FUR TRADERS IN THE NORTH 1812-1826____ 20 IV JEDEDIAH STRONG SMITH 1826-1827 ______________________________ 25 V JEDEDIAH STRONG SMITH 1827-1831-_____________________________ 33 vr THE HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY IN NEVADA 1828-1829 ____________ 39 VII THE BONNEVILLE-WALKER EXPEDITION 1833-1834______________ 46 VIII THE BARTLESON-BIDWELL PARTY 1841-------------------------- 59 IX JOHN C. FREMONT 1843-1844-------------------------------------- 69 JOHN C. FREMONT 1845__________________________________________ 85 XI THE OLD TRAILS------------------------------------------------- 101 iii iv CONTENTS NEV ADA AS TERRITORY AND STATE I SETTLEMENTS AND BEGINNINGS IN WESTERN UTAH ___________ 113 II EARLY MINING AND THE COMSTOCK LODE_____________________ 130 III OVERLAND ROUTES-PROVISIONAL TERRITORY OF NEVADA ___ 136 IV ESTABLISHMENT OF NEVADA TERRITORY----------------------- 143 V THE TERRITORIAL ERA, 1861-64__________________________________ 152 VI TERRITORIAL GROWTH BY "MINING DISTRICTS"---------------- 166 VII NEV ADA DURING THE CIVIL WAR------------------------------- 181 VIII THE WAY TO STATEHOOD---------------------------------------- 184 IX MAKING THE CONSTITUTION_____________________________________ 192 X THE NEW STATE AND THE FISCAL PROBLEMS __________________ 221 XI SECOND TERM OF GOVERNOR BLASDEL, 1866-70 _________________ 244 XII THE BRADLEY ADMINISTRATION, 1871-78: RISE AND DECLINE OF THE BONANZAS------------------------------------------- 266 XIII GOVERNOR KINKEAD'S TERM, 1879-1882-------------------------- 308 CONTENTS V XIV JEWETT W. ADAMS, GOVERNOR, 1883-1886______________________ _ 325 xv STEVENSON-BELL ADMINISTRATION, 1887-90-----L-- ------------- 339 XVI ROSWELL K. COLCORD, GOVERNOR 1891-94________________________ 361 XVII JONES-SADLER ADMINISTRATION, 1895-1898 ______________________ 379 XVIII REINHOLD SADLER, GOVERNOR 1899-1902________________________ 395 XIX FIRST TERM OF GOVERNOR JOHN SPARKS, 1903-1906____ _ ----- 410 xx SPARKS-DICKERSON ADMINISTRATION, 1907-1910________________ 431 XXI TASKER L. ODDIE, GOVERNOR 1911-1914-------------------------- 451 XXII EMMET D. BOYLE, NEVADA'S WAR GOVERNOR, 1915-1918_____ __ 479 XXIII 1919- RECONSTRUCTION1922---------------------- IN GOVERNOR------- BOYLE'S------------------------------ SECOND TERM 510 XXIV JAMES G. SCRUGHAM, GOVERNOR 1923-26________________________ 535 XXV FRED B. BALZAR, GOVERNOR 1927-1934--------------------------- 555 XXVI SETTLEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF SOUTHEASTERN NEVADA 578 XXVII SOME NEV ADA TRAGEDIES-------------------------------------- 621 ---r­ r - HISTORICAL ILLUSTRATIONS James G. Scrugham ___________________________________________ Frontispiece Prehistoric Indian Writings, Lincoln County -------------------------- 2 Prehistoric Indian Writings, Clark County ---------------------------- 5 Rock Formation in the Valley of Fire__________________________________ 10 "Lady of the Lake," on the Nevada Side of Lake Tahoe__________________ 12 Escalante's Crossing of the Colorado River_____________________________ 14 Cathedral Gorge, Lincoln CountY-------------------------------------- 18 Map of the West, Published in 1826___________________________________ 21 James Bridger ------------------------------------------------------ 23 Petrified Tree in Virgin Valley________________________________________ 27 Charleston Mountains near Las Vegas--------------------------------- 30 Black Canyon Before Construction Started on Boulder Dam______________ 37 Cathedral Gulch, Lincoln County______________________________________ 46 Ruby Mountains, near Elko ----------------------------------------- 48 Ruby Mountains, Elko County --------------------------------------- 64 Kit Carson --------------------------------------------------------- 72 Pelican Island, Pyramid Lake ---------------------------------------- 74 "Great Column," Whipple Cave --------------------------------------- 81 A View of the Old Fort, Las Vegas------------------------------------ 86 Derby Canyon, near Wadsworth, Washoe County_______________________ 98 A View of the Old Stewart Ranch at Las Vegas------------------------- 102 Donner Monument -------------------------------------------------- 108 Nevada's First State CapitoL---------------------------------------- 112 Fettic's Exchange --------------------------------------------------- 121 Present Day Street Scene at Genoa_ ___________________________________ 123 Virginia City ------------------------------------------------------- 133 Pony Express and Telegraph__________________________________________ 137 Pelicans on Pelican Island, Pyramid Lake______________________________ 140 !lank Monk ------------------------------------------------------- 145 The Old Ormsby House---------------------------------------------- 153 Carlin Canyon ------------------------------------------------------ 158 Wilson Canyon, on West Walker River, Lyon County _________________ 166 First House in Carson Valley, Ranch Home of David R. Jones___________ 173 Austin ------------------------------------------------------------ 174 State Capitol, Carson CitY-------------------------------------------- 185 Carson City Public Buildings----------------------------------------- 193 Another View of the State Capitol, Carson City__ ______________________ 220 Old Union Shaft, Virginia CitY---------------------------------------- 225 Virginia & Truckee Railroad Depot, Carson City_______________________ 231 Upper Entrance to Wilson Canyon------------------------------------ 243 Lake's Crossing; Toll Bridge and Stage Station, Reno___________________ 253 Snow Mantle on Ruby Mountains------------------------------------- 258 Miner's Cabin in the Desert near Las Vegas __________________________ 260 Early Day View on South Virginia Street, Reno ________________________ 268 South on Virginia Street from Third Street __________________________ 270 Old Sierra Nevada Mine, Virginia City____________________________ ____ 273 Con-Virginia Miners, Virginia CitY---------------------------------- 277 Liberty Engine House No. 1, Gold Hill_______________________________ 281 A Desert Scene near Las Vegas------------------------------------- 284 Nevada State Prison, Carson CitY------------------------------------- 301 The University Building, completed in 1874, at Elko____________________ 304 Ticket for the "University Ball," Sold at $6 each ________________________ 306 Mt. Rose, near Reno ------------------------------------------------- 310 A Modern Herd of Cattle_______ ______________________________________ 319 Sheep ------------------------------------------------------------ 321 Washoe County Court House, Reno ____________________________________ 324 Orestope in Old Potosi Lead and Zinc Mine------------------------ 328 Ranch Scene near Las Vegas in the Las Vegas Valley ___________________ 331 Stewart Hall and Early Track Meet, University of Nevada _______________ 335 Ranch Scene in Elko CountY--------------------------------------- 336 vii .. viii HISTORICAL ILLUSTRATIONS The Stevenson Brothers -------------------------------------------- 338 One of the First Artesian Wells of Las Vegas-------------------------- 341 Ranch in Elko County ----------------------------------------------- 342 A View of Goodsprings ---------------------------------------------- 347 Carson Indian School at Ste'Wart-------------------------------------- 349 Truckee River and Adjacent Farm Lands------------------------------ 362 Tractor Hauling Lumber from Charleston Park Area___________ ________ 371 Faculty, University of Nevada, 1893----------------------------------- 376 A Mine Pit at Copper Flat near ElY----------------------------------- 380 A Mine near Las Vegas---------------------------------------------- 384 Lincoln County High School, Panaca _________________________________ 387 Early View on East Center Street, Fallon---------------------------- 388 Corner Main and Center Streets, Fallon, in 1902----------------------- 390 Old Central Pacific Shops at Wadsworth----------------------------- 394 Another Landmark in harly Nevada History-The Old Campbell House at Goodsprings, near Las Vegas ------------------------------------ 397 20-Mule Team Used from Las Vegas to Goldfield and Tonopah ________ 402 The Old Mill of the Yellow Pine Mine at Goodsprings__ _________________ 404 Business Section of Sparks------------------------------------------- 408 The Overland Hotel ------------------------------------------------ 411 Lahontan Dam and Spillway, Churchill County _________________________ 413 An Early Day Street Scene in Sparks--------------------------------- 418 Street Scene in Las Vegas in 1905------------------------------------ 420 Jessup, Churchill County ------------------------------------------- 423 Main Street, Fallon ------------------------------------------------- 425 The Home of Las Vegas' First Financial Institution ______________________ 427 Entering Nevada from California on U. S. No. 40, near Verdi___________ 432 Searchlight Mining Camp in the Early Days ___________________________