Nevada NV 

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1200's: Mojave Indians inhabited the land, planted crops along river banks 1519: Area claimed by Spain 1609: Town of Santa Fe established as Spanish-Indian trade center 1776: Spanish missionaries entered southern Nevada 1821: Mexico took control of the Nevada area 1826: Peter Skene Ogden explored the Snake River; Jedediah Smith led expedition to Muddy River 1828: Ogden discovered Humboldt River 1830: Santa Fe merchant, Antonio Armijo, led first pack train from Santa Fe to Los Angeles 1833: Joseph Walker led expedition along Humboldt River 1841: Earliest immigrants, the Bartleson-Bidwell party, passed through Nevada 1842: Capt. John Fremont and party were first white men to view Lake Tahoe 1843: Joseph Walker led first group of wagons across the Sierra 1846: Donner party became trapped in the Sierras. 47 out of 87 perished. 1848: The United States gained control of Nevada after the Mexican-American War ended 1849: Over 60,000 settlers in covered wagons 49ers: passed through Nevada on their way west 1851: Gold was discovered near Dalton 1859: Silver discovery brought thousands into the state; Virginia City developed almost overnight 1860: The Nevada Territory was created 1864: Nevada became 36th state 1869: Gambling was legalized; an earthquake shook Reno; transcontinental railroad crossed Nevada for the first time 1870: U S Mint established in Carson City; first train robbery in the Western U S occurred 1875: Virginia City was consumed by the great fire 1888-90: Nearly 100 inches of snow fell in northern Nevada - the "White Winter" 1890: Elizabeth Potts first woman to be executed in Nevada 1894: The Great Meteor fell 1902: Wyatt Earp arrived in Tonopah 1910: Gambling was abolished 1912: The last Indian uprising occurred; Shoshone Mike and family members were killed 1914: Women won right to vote 1916: Last stage robbery in the country took place at Jarbidge Canyon 1918: State prohibition law went into effect 1931: State legalized six-week divorce law and gambling 1935: Hoover Dam completed; dedicated by President Franklin Roosevelt 1941: Las Vegas strip was estabished 1946: Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel opened the Flamingo Hotel 1951: The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission began testing in the newly established Nevada Proving Grounds 1954: Ronald Reagan performed at the Last Frontier 1955: Riviera Hotel became first high-rise 1956: Nellis Air Force Base became home of Thunderbirds - Air Force aerobatic team 1959: Wayne Newton opened at the Fremont Hotel in Las Vegas 1966: Howard Hughes moved to Las Vegas; Circus Circus Casino opened 1969: MGM Grand opened 1986: Great Basin National Park became the first national park in Nevada 1990: U.S. census population figures showed Nevada was fasting growing state 1997: First supersonic land speed record set in Black Rock Desert; Mandalay Bay and Venetian opened in Las Vegas 1998: The Bellagio opened 2002: Fight between Hell's Angels and Mongols in Laughlin Casino resulted in three dead and 13 wounded a; B-29 Super fortress bomber discovered in Lake Mead