Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0737715642, Library Binding)

A wild, desolate land peopled by prehistoric native peoples, Nevada was first claimed by and made part of Mexico, then became part of the Utah territory of the United States. Made an independent territory in 1861, Nevada was rushed into statehood by President Abraham Lincoln in 1864 to preserve its great mineral wealth for the Union cause. Nevada explores the native cultures of the state's long prehistory, the coming of the pioneers and prospectors, its Mormon settlements, and the discovery of gold and silver that brought settlers and civilization and the nickname the Silver State. (20020301)