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Friday, October 31, 2014

Nevada: Running with the Wild Horses

This Day in History: October 31, 1864


"As the cowboys throw loops over two stallions, the friction between equine energy and human calm crackles." ~Beatrice Hodgkin at the Financial Times

 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/8bba616c-ed87-11e3-abf3-00144feabdc0.html#slide0
Horses on the plains at Mustang Monument (Kristi Johnson)
What does Nevada mean?
The name Nevada comes from the Spanish Sierra Nevada (which is also a mountain range in Spain), or snow-covered mountain range. "Nevada" is the Spanish feminine form of "covered in snow."
Nevada boasts several nicknames with The Battle Born State being the official state slogan. It recalls that Nevada was admitted to the union in 1864, during the Civil War. This slogan also appears on the Nevada State Flag. The Silver State dates from the Nevada silver rush days of the mid 1800s. At that time, silver was literally shoveled off the Nevada ground. Heavy gray crusts of silver had formed on the surface of the desert over millions of years and were polished by dust and wind to the dull luster of a cow horn (called "horn silver"). Since silver is one of the state's most important industries, Nevada is also referred to as The Mining State. Wild sagebrush is abundant in Nevada, thus, the nickname The Sagebrush State or "Sage State". Because of its abundance, sagebrush is Nevada's official state flower and is found on the Nevada state flag. Being a true bird of the West, the sage hen or sage grouse, once very plentiful in Nevada, gives us the nickname, The Sage-hen State.

Nevada is known as a Wild West state that's still a little wild, but there's more to this ancient desert land than the City of Sin. This aerial tour highlights Nevada's vital role in the shaping of America, from the mines and ghost towns of its gold and silver rush, to its icon of American ingenuity: the Hoover Dam. Discover the highs and lows of Nevada's history, and the booms and busts that have defined it as the land of big builders and bigger dreamers.
Nevada's harsh but rich environment shaped its history and culture. In the 1820s, trappers and traders entered the Nevada territory. In 1843–1845, John C. Frémont and Kit Carson explored the Great Basin and Sierra Nevada. The U.S. obtained the region in 1848 following the Mexican War, and the first permanent settlement was a Mormon trading post near present-day Genoa. In 1859, Nevada was made famous by the discovery of the Comstock Lode, the richest known U.S. silver deposit. Nevada became the 36th state on October 31, 1864, after telegraphing the Constitution of Nevada to the Congress days before the November 8 presidential election (the largest and costliest transmission ever by telegraph).
Nevada is a state in the Western, Mountain West, and
Southwestern regions of the United States.

http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/Nevada/stateSEAL.html
Nevada State Seal


http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/Nevada/bird_mountain_bluebird.html
Nevada State Bird: Mountain Bluebird 
Nevada designated the mountain bluebird as the official state bird in 1967 (also the state bird of Idaho). A small thrush found on ranchland and other open areas of the American West, the mountain bluebird lives in Nevada's high country. It prefers more open habitats than other bluebirds and can be found in colder habitats in winter.  
The Mountain Bluebird
 sings with a clear, short warble.

Desert bighorn sheep in Hellhole Canyon
Image Source: en.wikipedia.com


 
Nevada State Animal: Desert Big Horn Sheep

Nevada State Reptile: Desert Tortoise
Image Source: en.wikipedia.com

http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/Nevada/tree-bristleconepine.html
Nevada State Tree: Bristlecone Pine

Nevada State Flower: Sagebrush
Close-up of sagebrush flower - photo © Kim Bryant on Flickr


Nevada State Fish: Lahontan Cutthroat Trout


For all State Symbols of Nevada click HERE!


Nevada State Song: Home Means Nevada


The Nevada State March: "Silver State Fanfare"


Running with the Wild Horses



The desert's painted scenes
Fiery sunsets, deep ravines
Splendor beyond Vegas glitz
Nulls neon signs, gambling hits

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/13/travel/escapes/13extraterrestrial.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Long, scenic, empty drives
Taken by few in their lives
 Hidden away such beauty
Calls forth tours of duty

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2256973/The-abandoned-West-Stunning-photos-bare-remainders-frontier-towns-Nevada.html

 Roads of ruts, turns and twists
Ghost town shadows in the midst
Primitive camping in sight
Signs of rest for the night

http://naturalb3auty.blogspot.com/2011/06/fly-geyser-nevada-us.html 

Open wind-swept mountains
 Geysers' natural fountains
Summer's yellow color rush
Veils silver-grey sagebrush



 Arid desert terrain
Dusty from no summer rain
Echoes of freedom voices
Resound with the wild horses

©2014 Sharla Lee Shults

How Nevada Got Its Shape

  Nevada Facts and Trivia

Next states by month: 

#39 North Dakota - November 2, 1889

#40 South Dakota - November 2, 1889

 

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