Statehood The 36th state Oct. 31, 1864 Captial Carson City State Motto All for our country Origin of State Name The name is taken from the Sierra Nevada mountain range; nevada is Spanish for "snow covered." State Nickname The Silver State The state is named for its many silver mines. Interesting Facts During the Cold War, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission chose a Nevada site to test nuclear weapons. Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park near Gabbs has fossils of ancient fishlike reptiles. Virginia City, founded when the Comstock Lode was discovered, was home to 20,000 people at its peak in the 1870s but now has only about 800. John Charles Frémont led the first thorough exploration of the Great Basin, which includes most of Nevada, in 1843 and 1844.