(CLICK ON A COUNTY NAME FOR AN INDIVIDUAL MAP)
On each map there is a link to
Dean Heller, Nevada Secretary of States'
web page for that county.
Please visit it for additional information.
There is aslo an 1895 map for each county.

This is the only place on the Internet to find all 17 County Seals

Carson City - Created November 25, 1861.    It is the smallest county in the state, 168 sq. mi. 12 of which are under water at Lake Tahoe. Originally named Ormsby in honor of Maj. William M. Ormsby, who came to the area in 1857, and later slain in the Pyramid Lake Indian War of 1860. Although the town was not regularly laid out until 1858, when Major Ormsby purchased the land and named the area Carson City. The name of the county was changed when Ormsby County was consolidated with Carson City in 1969. Ormsby is still remembered by Ormsby Boulevard and Ormsby House . Seat: Carson City. Carson City County, from Carson City, is named from the Carson river, named by John C. Frémont, after his friend and scout Christopher "Kit" Carson (1809-1868).  1895 map of [what was then] Ormsby

Churchill - Created November 25th, 1861 - One of the first nine counties. The name derived from Fort Churchill, a post office in Lyon County, established on October 9, 1860. The Fort was named in honor of General Sylvester Churchill, of Vermont. Churchill County is the center of honey production for Nevada. Seat: Fallon. The turn of the century brought new hope for Churchill County as it's arid desert land became the focal point the nation's most ambitious reclamation projects - the Newlands Project of 1902, named after Senator Francis Newlands.  A system of canals and dams was created diverting water to create thousands of acres of farmland.  This project gave birth to Fallon, one of the few communities in the state founded entirely on farming.    Fallon also started as a Post Office, July 24th, 1896, and was the fourth county seat.  1895 map of Churchill

Clark - Created from southern Lincoln County, February 5, 1908 - Named for Senator William A. Clark of Montana, builder of the San Pedro/Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railway. Seat: Las Vegas.  Clark County wasn't created until 1908.  See Lincoln County for 1895 area map

Douglas - Created November 25, 1861 as one of the first nine counties.  Named for Stephen Arnold Douglas, a nationally known political figure and opponent of Abraham Lincoln. Seat: Minden. H.F. Dangberg, Sr. settled in Carson Valley in 1857. He was born in the village of Halle near the Prussian town of Minden, Westphalia, hence the town name.    1895 map of Douglas

Elko - Created out of eastern Eureka county March 5, 1869.  The name is said to have originated from the Indians and means white woman. It is said, among the very old Indians, that this is where they first saw a white woman. It is, however, also reputed the name comes from railroad owner Charles Crocker with the naminf of a railroad station after the numerous roaming elk in the area.  Seat: Elko.   1895 map of Elko

Esmeralda - Created November 25, 1861 as one of the original nine.  The name means emerald in Spanish, given to the mining district by J. M. Corey, an explorer of the area. Seat: Goldfield (1907).  It is also believed that Corey named the district after the gypsy dancer Esmeralda from Victor Hugo's novel, The Huntchback of Notre Dame.    1895 map of Esmeralda

Eureka- Created March 1, 1873 out of eastern Lander county.  The story is that the name derives from a discovery of silver ore, and a miner shouting "Eureka!", which is Greek for I have found it. Seat: Eureka    1895 map of Eureka

Humboldt - Created November 25, 1861.  One of the original nine and is Nevada's oldest county.  Named for the Humboldt river. The name comes from Baron Friedrich Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859). The Humboldt river was named by John C. Frémont while on his exploration of 1845-1846. Unionville was the first county seat in 1861 when the mining boom died then it was moved to Winnemucca, named after the Great Indian Chief who lived in the area. Means - Place by the river.    1895 map of Humboldt

Lander - Created December 19, 1862 as one of the original nine.  Named in honor of Gen. Frederick W. Lander, a brigadier general during the Civil War, and fought in the Indian War of 1860. As chief engineer for a Federal wagon route through the area in 1857, he was also in charge of the construction of the Central Overland Route. He later served as Special Indian agent in the area and died from wounds sustained in battle at 40 years old, at Paw Paw, Virginia, March 2nd, 1862 during the Civil War. Seat: Austin. Austin began as a silver mining camp in 1862. Named for Alvah C. Austin, partner to David Buel who laid out the town site; however another source, the De Lamar Lode, April 30th, 1903 reported that it was so named in honor of John Austin. It is also claimed to commemorate Leander Kelse Austin, uncle of George Austin, developer of the Jumbo Mine in Humboldt County. Yet another story surfaces that claim the town was named by David Buel, for his home, Austin, Texas.    1895 map of Lander

Lincoln - Created February 25, 1866 after Nevada moved the state lines east and south at the expense of Utah and Arizona Territories.   Once part of New Mexico territory, and once part of Arizona, was named in honor of Abraham Lincoln. Seat: Pioche, (1871) in honor of F. L. A. Pioche, a San Francisco banker/mine promoter.     1895 map of Lincoln

Lyon - Created November 25, 1861 as one of the original nine.  Named in honor of Gen. Nathaniel Lyon, who was killed in action at the battle of Wilson's Creek, August 10, 1861, near Springfield, MO. However, other historians claim it was in honor of Captain Robert Lyon who arrived in Nevada via wagon train June, 1850 and had served in the Pyramid Lake War of 1860.  However, State Archive staff discovered a county seal with the picture of the Civil War general and setteled the dispute.   Seat: Yerington (1911) for H. M. Yerington, one of the builders of the Virginia Truckee Railroad.  1895 map of Lyon

Mineral - Created out of northern Esmeralda County - February 10, 1911 - Named for the many mineral deposits in the area. Seat: Hawthorne, named for William Hawthorne, a rancher and early justice of the peace; served as constable in Carson City.  Mineral County wasn't createduntil 1911.     See Esmeralda County for 1895 area map.

Nye - Created February 16, 1864 - Named for the Territorial Gov. and United States Senator, (Nevada), James W. Nye. Nye County is the third largest county in the U.S. [Excluding Alaska Burroughs], (San Bernadino County in California being first.  Thank you Herb) covering 18,294 square miles. Seat: Tonapah (1905), from the Indian language "Tono" meaning thorny and "pah" which means water. It is said that a local Indian gave it the name meaning a thorny bush hiding a spring.   1895 map of Nye

Pershing - Created March 18, 1919.  Named in honor of Gen. John J. Pershing, Commander in Chief of the American Expeditionary Forces in France during World War I. Seat: Lovelock, after the George Lovelock, a native of England, and his family which settled there in 1862.  Pershing County wasn't created until 1919.  See Humboldt County for 1895 area map.

Storey - Created November 25, 1861.  Named after Edward Farris Storey, Captain of Co. K The Virginia Rifles, Washoe Regiment. On June 2nd, 1860 he was killed in battle during an engagement at the Pyramid Lake Indian War. Seat: Virginia City.  1895 map of Storey

Washoe - Created November 25, 1861 as one of the original nine counties of the Nevada Territory.  It was consolidated with Rood county in 1864.  Washoe City was the first county seat in 1861 but was replaced by Reno in 1871.  Named after a small Indian tribe known as  the Wassou Indians, which means tall bunch grass or rye grass. It is also reported to be the ethnic name of the small Hokan-speaking tribe that inhabited the area, the Washoe from Washiu, meaning "person". Seat: Reno - May 9th, 1868 Mexican War veterans requested the railroad officials to name the town for General Jesse Lee Reno, a Union soldier killed in action at South Mountain, near Pennsylvania and western Maryland, Sept. 14th, 1862.   1895 map of Washoe

White Pine - Created March 2nd, 1869.  There are no White Pines in White Pine County!  The "heavy growth of trees thought to be white pine" were actually limber pine.  In fact, there was quite a bit of debate whether to call the county Ruby after the oldest settlement or White Pine.  White Pine was favored because the area was well known because of the "Rush to White Pine" after the discovery of rich silver ore.(Courtesy Donna Frederick, White Pine County)   Seat: Ely (1887). 
            There has been much discussion on the topic of who the town of Ely was rightfully named after.   Russell Elliott  "Articles in the White Pine News of December 25, 1906 and the Mining and Scientific Press of January 16, 1909,  say it was named to honor Smith Ely and his family.  It is further stated that Frederick Thomas, of Oakland, California named the town in 1878 for Smith Ely.  Smith Ely financed the construction of a small copper furnace at the west side of the town in the 1870s.  The Smith Ely family is thought to have come to Nevada from Ely, Vermont, which may well have been named for his forbears." 
            There is also a 1934 Salt Lake Tribune article by correspondent William G. Bailey with a different version of how Ely got its name.   .  Bailey contends that J. A. DeLong, who was sent to the region in 1878 by Congressman Ely of New York State, gave a group of three buildings near what became the Chinaman Mine the name Ely.  Bailey states "the name Ely is borne by the town three miles east of the Chinaman Mine".
            According to Bailey, DeLong erected a profitable plant near Ely but it folded when DeLong died shortly after.  Bailey's story is that DeLong had started on a hunting trip to Osceola, but was poisoned by a lunch prepared by a Chinese cook with whom he had argued.  DeLong was purportedly found along the road poisoned and the Chinese cook had disappeared.  I have verified the story of DeLongs death but that is all!  (Courtesy Donna Frederick, White Pine County).  It is also generally believed  Ely is named for John Ely of Pioche.  1895 map of White Pine

 

Here is an 1866 map of the state.  It's quite large.
You can chose from one of four devided parts:
Upper Left       [NW]
Upper Right   [NE]
Lower Left       [SW]
Lower Right   [SE]
or
Complete Map
[2057 x 2863 pixels 4.30 MB]

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