State Capitols – Carson City, Nevada

Nevada Capitol in Carson City (14 May 2007)

Constructed: Old Capitol – 1870-71

New Legislative Building - 1971

Architect: Old Capitol – Joseph Gosling

New Legislative Building – Graham Erskin

State Admitted to Union: October 31, 1864 (36th)

State Population (2010): 2,700,551 (35th)

It’s an Election Year and the primaries and caucuses are drawing media attention to states across the country. I see it as an opening to present more state capitol stories. With the Democratic and Republican contests in Nevada this week, we’ll go there next.

But first, a pronunciation tip. As one who has lived in New Orleans and learned early on that the city is not pronounced “New Or-leens,” I want to help you understand how the residents of the Silver State prefer to hear it said. It is NOT “Ne-VAH-da”. During the election coverage, I saw one anchor desk person say that and her director must have barked in the earpiece immediately because seconds later, she pronounced it correctly. Think “Banana-Havana-Nevada.”

The official state website notes that ‘Nevada’ is Spanish for “snow-capped” and that “European explorers travelled through Nevada in the early 19th century.” I guess the powers that be would rather not recognize that the Spanish explored the area (which they OWNED…and the last time I looked, Spain was part of Europe) in the 18th century and that it was all ceded to the United States after we beat up Mexico in 1848.

Recognizing the Source of Nevada’s Wealth

Old State Capitol, Carson City (10 May 2010)

It was gold and silver and other metals that brought settlers 

to the territory. The old capitol acknowledges the state’s 

natural resources in decorative touches on its walls.

The area was originally part of the Utah Territory but broke away in 1861 and then joined the Union during the Civil War in 1864. Carson City, named for the frontiersman, Kit Carson, has been the state’s only capitol.

Despite acquiring the sandstone for the exterior at no charge from the state prison quarry, the final cost of the structure, $170,000, exceeded the highest of the bids submitted for construction. Nowadays, we can’t replace a couple of windows in a capitol building for that price.

Sarah Winnemucca Statue, Nevada Capitol (10 May 2010)

In the central space of the cruciform floor plan of the old capitol is a statue of Sarah Winnemucca. She was an advocate for Indian rights and education in the 19th century…when very little of that was happening. This statue is also located in Statuary Hall in the U.S. capitol and, along with North Dakota’s commemoration of Sacajawea, represents the Hall’s only two depictions of Native American women.

All three branches of state government met in this building until 1937 when the Supreme Court moved to its own facility. With the Assembly and Senate in their own legislative building, the governor’s office is all that is left in the old capitol. The remainder of the building contains exhibits and meeting space.

Nevada Legislative Building, Carson City (10 May 2010)

The old capitol was re-built in the 1970’s to make it more earthquake and fire proof. As the state grew, the need for a better space for the legislature was apparent and a new legislative building was completed in 1971. With 63 Senators and Assembly members, this bicameral legislature is the third smallest of the fifty states after Alaska (60) and Delaware (61).

Nevada Senate, Carson City (10 May 2010)

While approximately 28% of this nation’s land is owned by the federal government, Nevada is the state with the highest percentage of land under federal ownership…a whopping 84.9%. That fact, plus Nevada being the most arid state has always crimped any chance for it to grow and raise tax revenue. The state responded by legalizing gambling, prostitution and greatly liberalizing its residency requirements for marriage and divorce. I recall when celebrities would move to Nevada for a few weeks so they could qualify for a divorce. And we’ve all heard stories of excessive partying that ended in some cheesy chapel with an Elvis impersonator marrying love-struck (?) couples…”What happens in Las Vegas…” A history of nuclear weapons testing and Cliven Bundy are some other ways the Silver State is unique.

Since President Lincoln was instrumental in fast-tracking Nevada statehood, the state Assembly commissioned a portrait of Old Abe in 1915 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the event. In the early 1950’s, some gun nut put three bullet holes in the painting.

Nevada State Assembly, Carson City (10 May 2010)

The perforated and restored portrait of the

16th president still hangs front and center

It’s a good thing there were bowling tournaments in Reno because I am not sure how else I would have gotten to Carson City. I know arid lands can have a special aesthetic appeal but I’m an aquatic biologist who appreciates water and understands how vital it is to life. This is a parched and desolate territory.