Fun with Maps ISSUE 2025-181

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (Halloween, 2025) –In today’s edition of Fun with Maps, we bet on the population of Nevada growing to meet statehood requirements.    

HAPPY HALLOWEEN AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO…

THE STATE OF NEVADA!

Nevada became a state on October 31, 1864, which is notable for the costliest and largest transmission ever sent by telegraph when the state constitution was telegraphed to the US Congress as part of its submission for statehood. 

The 36th state was short of the required population number, but the push for its status was to get it done in time for the reelection of President Lincoln due to the Republican views of the population.

Although the Nevada population was only 40,000 at the time, the new state was rapidly growing as people flocked to the area to mine for silver.  For a brief time, Virginia City was the wealthiest town in the country.  While silver was the historic draw, today the state mines the majority of the gold in the US.

Nevada is the driest state in the country and, despite its name meaning “snow-clad” in Spanish, doesn’t have any snow except in the mountain ranges.  The Federal Government owns about 80% of the land in Nevada, a big contrast to the rest of the US where the average in most states is 28%.

Watson created this map of Nevada in 1887.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.