| Territory of Nevada | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organized incorporated territory of the United States | |||||||||
| 1861–1864 | |||||||||
.svg) | |||||||||
 The Nevada Territory in 1861, with the Utah and New Mexico Territories | |||||||||
| Capital | Genoa (1861) Carson City (1861–1864) | ||||||||
| Government | |||||||||
| • Type | Organized incorporated territory | ||||||||
| Governor | |||||||||
• 1861 – 1864 | James W. Nye | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Organic act | 2 March 1861 | ||||||||
| 31 October 1864 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
TheTerritory of Nevada (N.T.)[1][2] was anorganized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861,[3] until October 31, 1864, when it was admitted to theUnion as theState of Nevada.
Prior to the creation of the Nevada Territory, the area was part of westernUtah Territory and was known asWashoe, after the nativeWashoe people. The separation of the territory from Utah was important to the federal government because of its political leanings, while the population itself was keen to be separated because of animosity (and sometimes violence) between non-Mormons in Nevada and Mormons from the rest of theUtah Territory.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 6,857 | — |
| Source: 1860;[4] | ||
The eastern boundary of Nevada Territory had been defined as the39th meridian west from Washington, but when gold discoveries were made to the east the Nevada territorial delegation to Congress requested the boundary be moved east to the38th meridian, which Congress granted in 1862. The border was shifted further east, to the37th meridian, in 1866, in part due to the discovery of more gold deposits. These eastward shifts took land away fromUtah Territory. The southern border of Nevada Territory had been defined as the37th parallel, but in 1866 Nevada asked Congress to move the border south to the Colorado River. Congress granted the request in 1867, giving Nevada all of the western end ofArizona Territory. Arizona strongly protested, but found little sympathy in Congress due in part to Arizona having aligned with theConfederacy during theCivil War.[5]
The exact location of the due north-south California–Nevada border, betweenLake Tahoe and the intersection with the southern boundary ofOregon at the42nd parallel, was contentious and was surveyed and re-surveyed well into the 20th century.[6]
Congress transferred some of the lands west of the Colorado River includingPah-Ute County, Arizona Territory to the State of Nevada on May 5, 1866. Part of this southern tip of Nevada was established asClark County in 1909 and contains the city ofLas Vegas.
The territorial capital was moved from the provisional capital ofGenoa toCarson City.James Warren Nye succeededIsaac Roop, the first provisional territorial governor, and became the only territorial governor. The secretary of the territory wasOrion Clemens (older brother of Samuel Clemens, also known asMark Twain), who more or less served as governor in Nye's constant absence.
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