History

Despite centuries of fires, busted towns, and urban redevelopment, Nevada is still packed with historic structures. Not only do these buildings stand the test of time, each one also tells a unique part of the state’s story—and all are worth visiting. Note that the structures in this list aren’t necessarily the oldest around, but they are the ones we recommend making a detour for. 

The Golden Age of Las Vegas—roughly 1930-1960—was a time when the city sluffed off its Wild West origins and burgeoned into the glitz and glam era it’s still known for today. The transformation began amid the Great Depression, when the construction of the Hoover Dam brought a surge of workers. The population of Vegas was around 5,000 in 1931, but after the dam was announced, it grew to about 25,000 with people coming in droves for the promise of work.  Coincidentally, Nevada passed two laws in 1931 that would forever change the way the state would attract visitors: legalized gambling and six-week divorces. In 1932—the first full year of dam construction—more than 200,000 people visited Las Vegas. Two years later, that number was a quarter of a million people. It was a sign of things to come. 

At around 5 p.m., storm clouds formed over the Seven Troughs Range, 30 miles northwest of Lovelock. Light rain sprinkled over the foothills as a confused breeze whipped up dust eddies. In the little mining towns spread along the range—Seven Troughs, Vernon, and Mazuma—people headed home for dinner, thankful for a respite from the July heat.

In 1861, Samuel Clemens left his home in Missouri to adventure in the American West. In Carson City, he became obsessed with finding gold and spent 11 months galivanting across the desert. When he ran out of money, Clemens moved to Virginia City to be a newspaper reporter for the “Territorial Enterprise.” Three years later, he left Nevada with bright prospects and a brand-new pen name—Mark Twain.

In 1924, a group of scientists and reporters announced that Yerington was the cradle of civilization! This story first appeared in our August 1993 issue. BY HARRY A. CHALEKIAN On August 17,1924, readers of the “San Francisco Examiner” received the shocking news with their Sunday morning coffee: The cradle of civilization had been discovered on […]

On a fine spring day in the year 1900, a rancher named Jim Butler was wandering the remote hills of south-central Nevada—looking for a stray burro, as the story goes—when he came across an outcrop of black-banded rock. Ever the hobbyist prospector, Butler picked off a few samples and headed back to civilization to get them evaluated. The assayer was shocked to discover that the black bands were pure argentite. Jim Butler had discovered one of history’s richest silver deposits.

For 150 years, the Nevada State Prison—located in Carson City—housed some of the state’s most high-profile offenders. Since shuttering in 2012, community groups have worked to preserve its past. 

Who was Howard Hughes? He is remembered as the billionaire who spent much of his late life in near isolation. His demand for privacy is the stuff of legend. When he stayed in hotel rooms, adjacent rooms were also rented, and blankets were draped over all windows. Even employees rarely—if ever—saw him, and most communication was done by phone.  But above all, Hughes was a shrewd capitalist. To best understand this, look no further than the four years he spent in Las Vegas.