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State
Seal
| Two years after Nevada
became a state, the Legislative in . . . "an act to provide a seal for the state of Nevada," established the design and adopted as a state motto the words, |
"All For Our Country." |
| The design of The Great Seal of the State
of Nevada is as follows: In the foreground, there are two large mountains, at the base of which, on the right, is located a quartz mill, and on the left, a tunnel, penetrating the silver leads of the mountain, with a miner running out a carload of ore, and a team loaded with ore for the mill. Immediately in the foreground, there are emblems indicative of the agricultural resources of the State including a plow, a sheaf, and a sickle. In the middle ground, there is a railroad train passing a mountain gorge and a telegraph line extending along the line of the railroad. In the extreme background, there is a range of snow-clad mountains, with the rising sun in the east. Thirty-six stars (to signify Nevada as the 36th state to join the Union) and the motto, "All for Our Country," encircle the entire illustration. In an outer circle, the words "The Great Seal of the State of Nevada" are engraved, with "Nevada" at the base of the seal and separated from the other words by two groups of three stars each. |
The seal of Nevada was
approved on November 29th, 1861. |
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| State Flag |
The
New Nevada State Flag; cobalt blue background; in upper left quarter is a five-pointed
silver star between two sprays of sagebrush crossed to form a half wreath; across the top
of wreath is a golden scroll with the words, in black letters "Battle Born." The
name "Nevada" is below the star and above the sprays in golden letters. Design
modified June 8, 1991, original design approved on March 21,
1929.
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| State Bird |
During the 1967 session (April 12th) of the legislature, Clark County Assemblyman Stan Irwin introduced a bill to designate the Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides) as the Nevada state bird. The bill passed both houses and was signed by the governor on April 4th. NRS 235.060 Read more about the state bird here. |
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| State Flower |
Sagebrush
(Artemisia tridenta), a hardy plant that covers vast areas of the Great Basin and serves
as Nevada’s official state flower and emblem. Adopted March 17,
1917 |
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| State Tree |
| January 29th, 1953 - Assemblyman Waters introduced a bill to designate the single-leaf pinyon as the Nevada state tree. The bill was approved on March 11th, 1953. Actually, two trees share the State tree designation. The Single-Leaf Piñon (1953) and the Bristlecone Pine, adopted 1987 NRS 235.040 Read more about the state tree here. |
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| State Grass |
| Indian Ricegrass (Oryzopsis hymenoides), once a staple food source for Nevada Indians, now provides valuable feed for wildlife and range livestock. This tough native grass, which is found throughout the state, is known for its ability to reseed and establish itself on sites damaged by fire or over grazing. NRS 235.055 |
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| State Tartan |
| The tartan
designed by Richard Zygmunt Pawlowski and further described in this section is hereby
designated as the official state tartan of the State of Nevada, 14 March 2001. The colors
and design of the tartan represent the following features that make Nevada a unique and
bountiful state: Blue represents one of the state colors of Nevada, the pristine waters of Lake Tahoe and the mountain bluebird, the official state bird; Silver represents the other state color, the official state mineral, the granite composition of the Sierra Nevada mountain range and the silver country of northern Nevada; Red represents the Virgin Valley black fire opal, the official state precious gemstone, and the red rock formations of southern Nevada; Yellow represents sagebrush, the official state flower, and symbolizes the great basin region of central Nevada; White represents the name of this state meaning snow-covered, which is the translation of the Spanish word “nevada”; The crossing of the yellow and red stripes represents the different colors of Nevada sandstone, the official state rock; The white intersection on the silver field stands for the snow-capped peaks of granite mountains, which make up the Sierra Nevada mountain range; The four blue lines represent the four main rivers of Nevada which are the Colorado River, Truckee River, Humboldt River and Walker River; The intersecting blue lines in the silver field represent the Colorado River as it meets Hoover Dam and creates Lake Mead; The small solid “boxes” of silver and blue number 8 by 8, or 64, to signify the year (1864) that Nevada was admitted into statehood; The 13 solid-colored intersections of the small stripes represent Boundary Peak, the highest point in Nevada, which stands at an elevation of 13,143 feet; The 16 solid silver intersections and the solid white intersection in the center of the tartan represent the 16 counties and the one consolidated city-county government of Nevada. The official state tartan can only be reproduced in the colors, pattern and dimension of pattern as described above. |
State Animal
Desert Big Horn Sheep
(Ovis canadensis nelsoni)
NRS 235.070
Adopted 1973
State Fish
Lahontan Cutthroat Trout
(Salmo clarki henshawi)
NRS 235.075
State Reptile
Desert Tortoise
(Gopherus agassizii)
Adopted 1989
NRS 235.065
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| State Fossil |
| ICHTHYOSAURUS (ICHTHYOSAUR) [Nevada]—The chief genus of Ichthyosauria, also known by a prior name, Proteosaurus. An ancient, extinct marine reptile whose name means "fish-lizard" and who ruled the world's oceans during the Mesozoic era some 200 million years ago. Fossil remains of the Ichthyosaur have been found on every continent except Africa. Possessing a fish-like body, porpoise-like snout, short neck, dorsal and caudal fins with limbs flattened into paddles, the Ichthyosaur ruled the seas for some 135 million years as the pre-eminent marine predator. The Ichthyosaur attained a length of approximately 60-70 feet. The Ichthyosaurus shonisaurus popularis was the name given to a species discovered in Nevada in 1928. (Although reports state the discovery was in 1928, the expedition to the Humboldt region is referred to as: The Saurian Expedition of 1905). Some 40 of these reptiles became stranded in mud flats from a receding equatorial sea which once covered the state. The longest specimen found at this site, located at an elevation of 7,000 feet in the Shoshone Mountain Range near the town of Berlin in northwestern Nye County, Nevada, was 55 feet long and represented the only complete fossilized skeleton of the species ever found in the United States. In 1977 the Nevada State Legislature named the Ichthyosaurus Shonisaurus popularis as Nevada's official state fossil. NRS 235.080 |
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| State Artifact |
| Some
archaeologists criticized the idea of a State Artifact, wondering how any single artifact
could represent the diverse groups that have occupied a region over thousands of years. Undeterred, Nevadans proclaimed the Tule duck decoy their state artifact in 1995. Actually, there are eleven ducks—or, more precisely, decoys, each formed of a bundle of bullrush (tule) stems. The decoys are shaped to resemble a canvasback duck. Discovered by archaeologists in 1924 while during an excavation at Lovelock Cave, the decoys were created almost 2,000 years ago. NRS 235.085 |
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| State Metal |
| Silver - It’s only natural
that the Mining State would take a special interest in geosymbols. Thus, Nevada has an
official state metal, precious gemstone, semiprecious gemstone, and rock. Nevada is the only state with an official state metal, adopting silver in 1977. The creation of the Nevada Territory and its later admission into the union as the 36th state were greatly influenced by the mineral wealth of the Comstock Lode. For seventy-five years, many mining towns flourished throughout Nevada, which came to be known as the Silver State and the Mining State. NRS 235.09 |
 Photo by James Shown |
| State Rock |
| Sandstone -
Found throughout the state as regular sandstone or as quartzite, it conjures up some of
Nevada’s most spectacular scenery in areas such as Valley of Fire State Park and Red
Rock Canyon Recreational Lands, both near Las Vegas. In fact, sandstone is the force
behind much of the enchanted landforms of the southwest—its legendary canyons, mesas,
and arches. A fifth grade class at Gene Ward Elementary School in Las Vegas promoted this Nevada symbol. Ballots were sent to elementary schools throughout Nevada, and students voted for sandstone as the official rock. NRS 235.120 |
| State Soil |
| Every state
has a soil symbol, some of which have been officially adopted. The state soil
symbol for Nevada is Orovada. Orovada soils occur in northern and central
Nevada, southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon. They are found on calderas, fan
piedmonts, fan aprons, inset fans, partial ballenas, fan aprons, draws, and hills. About
359,000 acres have been mapped to date in Nevada. They formed in loess (fine sediments associated with Ice Age glaciers deposited by the wind) high in volcanic ash over alluvium derived from mixed rocks. Orovada soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, rabbitbrush, bottlebrush squirreltail, and Sandberg bluegrass. |
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| State Precious Gemstone |
| Virgin Valley Black
Fire Opal - Nevada adopted an official precious and semi-precious gemstone on May 27,
1987. Considered one of the most beautiful of Nevada’s gemstones, Virgin Valley black fire opal was designated the precious gemstone. Northern Nevada’s Virgin Valley is the only place in North America where black fire opal is found in any significant quantity. NRS 235.100 |
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| State Semiprecious Gemstone |
| Turquoise - Sometimes called the “jewel of the desert,” Nevada turquoise is found in many parts of the state. Long popular as jewelry among Native Americans, turquoise is also a state symbol of Arizona and New Mexico. Nevada’s designation was made on May 27, 1987. NRS 235.110 |
Official Motto
"ALL FOR OUR COUNTRY"
The motto has always been part of the state seal but there is no documented source of its
origin.
State Slogan/Nickname
The Battle Born State
adopted March 26, 1937.
Original State Song
"Home Means Nevada"
by Mrs. Bertha Raffetto, Reno
adopted February 6, 1933.
| State Christmas Tree |
| A Colorado
blue spruce planted near the state capitol in 1876 by George Washington Gale Ferris, Sr.
(father of the inventor of the Ferris Wheel) was approved for decoration with Christmas
lights on December 15, 1937. So began a tradition that was amended during the energy crisis of 1972, when the lights were removed. The tree was relit in 1988. |
State Colors
Silver and blue were adopted as the official state colors in 1983.
NRS 235.025
State March
The "Silver State Fanfare" composed by Gerald G. Willis (1996)
It was first publicly performed at the second inauguration of
President Clinton by the marching band from Procter R. Hug High School, Reno.
(Submitted by Kevin Lessard)
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