The Gold Rush

The territory that included Nevada was ceded to the United States by Mexico in 1848 following the Mexican War. The Mormons, who had founded Salt Lake City in the preceding year, were settling throughout the region. With the beginning of the California Gold Rush in 1849, a trading post called Mormon Station (later renamed Genoa) was set up near Lake Tahoe on the branch of the California Trail that passed south of the lake. Brigham Young, the Mormon leader, petitioned the U.S. Congress to recognize the State of Deseret that he had organized. Instead, in 1850 Congress created Utah Territory, which included all of present Nevada north of the 37th parallel. The remainder was in the Territory of New Mexico.

In 1850 gold was discovered in the Carson River valley. Soon the mountains in the Lake Tahoe area were full of prospectors, most of whom had come from California. Agitation began at once to have the region removed from Mormon control and annexed to California. In 1857 the Mormons faced armed conflict with United States forces, and Young called all his followers back to Salt Lake City.