Historical Note:

Trick or treat . . .

On Halloween in 1864, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Nevada the 36th state in the Union. Some people say it was a trick of Lincoln's to get a new unionist state just in time for his re-election in November. Others say he did it for a treat to get more financing for the Civil War by tapping into Nevada's newly discovered Silver mines. Whether a trick or a treat, Nevada's statehood made a huge difference in the country. It provided the one vote necessary to ratify the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery from United States forever.

Name Origin: Spanish. ("Snow-Clad")

Capital: Carson City

Population: 1,457,000

Area: 110,561 square miles

Statehood: October 31, 1864 (36th)

Nickname: The Silver State

Motto: "All for our country"

Famous For: Las Vegas, Reno, Lake Tahoe, Death Valley, Lake Mead, Pyramid Lake, Great Basin, Deserts, Mountains, Bristlecone Pines (claimed to be the oldest trees on earth)