Identifying the names behind Nevada’s counties

While it’s pretty obvious who Lincoln County was named after, what about Nevada’s other counties? What are the origins of the names of Lyon, Nye or Lander counties? And what county is named for a former U.S. Senator who was accused of purchasing his seat?

Continuing the exploration of the origins of Nevada’s county names from last week:

• Lyon County is named to honor General Nathanial Lyon, a Civil War-era commander who died in action during the Battle of Wilson’s Creek. Lyon was the first Union general killed in the Civil War. His efforts on behalf of the Union are said to have prevented Missouri from joining the Confederacy.

• Ormsby County honors William M. Ormsby an early Nevada business owner and political figure who helped to establish Carson City and the Nevada Territory. In May 1860, after the owners of a trading post near present-day Silver Springs kidnapped two Paiute girls and were killed by Paiute warriors in retaliation, Ormsby led a group of about 100 armed men to Pyramid Lake to confront the tribe. Ill-equipped and poorly trained, the force was ambushed south of the lake and about three quarters were killed, including Ormsby. The encounter became known as the first battle of the so-called Pyramid Lake or Paiute War.

• Storey County was named for Edward Farris Storey, a Nevada pioneer who, like Ormsby, was a casualty of the Pyramid Lake War. Storey was the commander of Company K of the Nevada Militia, known as the Virginia City Rifles. He and his men joined Ormsby’s campaign to attack the Paiutes and was killed in June 1860 during the second battle of the war, during which the Paiutes were routed by the combined forces of Nevada militia and regular U.S. Army troops.

• Washoe County is the only county in the state named for a Native American tribe. The Washoe (also spelled Washo) people had resided for generations in the Truckee Meadows.

• Lander County is named for Frederick W. Lander, a Civil War general who died of pneumonia shortly after successfully defending the community of Romney, Maryland from an assault by Confederate forces. On Feb. 14, 1862, he led a successful charge against a Confederate encampment at Bloomery Gap but two weeks later succumbed to what was called “congestive chill.”

• Nye County’s name honors James W. Nye, who served as Nevada’s first Territorial Governor and later was elected to the U.S. Senate representing Nevada (1864-1873).

• Elko County takes its name from the city of Elko, which was named by Charles Crocker superintendent of the Central Pacific Railroad. The name, it is said, came from Crocker’s fondness for taking animal names and adding an “o,” but there’s no evidence to support that claim. Another version of the story is that Elko is a Shoshone word for either “white woman” or “beautiful” or “white elk.” Basically, no one knows where the name came from.

• White Pine County derives its name from the many stands of limber pine (also called white pine) trees said to be found in this part of eastern Nevada.

• Eureka County derives its name from the mining town (and district) of Eureka, which was established in 1864. The name is a Greek word meaning “I found it.”

• Clark County is named to honor William A. Clark, owner of the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad, which founded the city of Las Vegas (in 1905). Clark made his fortune in copper mining in Montana and in 1899 was chosen to serve as one of the state’s U.S. Senators (at the time, state legislatures appointed U.S. Senators). However, the U.S. Senate refused to seat him after it came out that he had bribed Montana legislators to gain the post. He was finally elected to the Senate in 1901 and served one term.

• Mineral County’s name is pretty easy to understand. The name reflects the multitude of mineral resources found in the region.

• Pershing County was named in honor of John J. “Black Jack” Pershing, a much decorated army general who led the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I.

Rich Moreno covers the places and people that make Nevada special.