Conquered Provinces: Nevada Moves Southeast, 1864-1871

Conquered Provinces
Nevada Moves Southeast, 1864-71
JOHN M. TOWNLEY
Charles Redd Monographs in Western History Series No. 2
Paperback. 72 Pages. / 0-8425-0417-6 / $4.95

In September 1865 a prospector working in the remote Pahranagat district wrote to the Nevada governor to request instructions on forming a county. This became the opening shot in a dispute that lasted six years and ended in the abandonment of several settlements along the Muddy River and the subordination of the Mormon community in Meadow Valley. The contending parties were Mormon ranchers and non-Mormon miners. Previously all ties with the area had been through Salt Lake City, and no one had yet crossed the deserts separating Pahranagat from Carson City. This monograph examines the economic and political reasons for the struggle and Nevada's final victory in the conquest.

John M. Townley was the director of the Nevada Historical Society and author of twelve books, including Alfalfa Country: Nevada Land, Water, and Politics; Tough Little Town on the Truckee: Reno, 1868-1900; and Turn this Water into Gold: The Story of the Newlands Project.