[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 16573-16574]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISHES

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, October 31 has always been a special day for 
me, since it marks the admission of the great State of Nevada to the 
Union. There are always parades and celebrations at home, many of which 
I have sadly missed in recent years because of my responsibilities 
here.
  But October 31 is special for another reason, and not just that it is 
Halloween. It is my brother's birthday--my youngest brother, 22 months 
younger than I. My brother Larry, who lives in Searchlight, celebrates 
another birthday today. It is my pleasure to wish both my brother and 
the Silver State of Nevada a very happy birthday.
  Nevada Day is particularly special as it marks the beginning of a 
year-long celebration of our 150th anniversary of the Battle Born 
State's entrance into the Union.
  For thousands of years Nevada was the home to Nevada American 
peoples. I have in my office across the hall a wonderful painting by a 
Nevadan which shows the first non-Indian to see the Las Vegas Valley. 
You can see there the Sunrise Mountain and glimpses of the oases that 
were there. There were a number of them in that valley. He was the 
first non-Indian to see the valley a long time ago. He is in the 
picture mounted on his beautiful horse with all his fancy regalia. But 
the fact is the picture doesn't begin to show what Rafael Rivera looked 
on that day, because he had been lost. He was with the Spanish 
Expedition and he was lost. He was there by accident. It is a wonderful 
picture, and we honor Rafael Rivera in Nevada. So it is a special day 
for us in Nevada.
  On October 31, 1864, right in the middle of the Civil War, Nevada 
became the 36th State of the Union. Nevada is only one of two States to 
join the Union during the war. The first was West Virginia, which 
seceded from Virginia to form a new State and remain part of the Union. 
It gained its statehood before Nevada, on June 30, 1863.
  Union sympathizers had rushed to finalize Nevada's statehood in order 
to ensure Lincoln's reelection--because, remember, this is right before 
his reelection. In fact, they were so eager to mint a State they 
telegraphed the new Nevada constitution to Congress. At that time, it 
was the longest telegram ever sent--coming in at 16,543 words and 
costing $59,294.92. Eight days later, President Lincoln was reelected 
President of the United States.
  Nevada is only one of two States to significantly expand its borders 
after its admission to the Union. Eastern and southern Nevada joined 
the State in the late 1860s after gold was discovered in the regions. 
Many Nevadans believe the State was only allowed to join the Union so 
its mineral riches could help fund the northern war effort, but in 
truth that is a myth. It is not true. The tale probably stems from the 
fact that the Nevada Territory was created in 1861 so its gold and 
silver could be used to help the Union rather than the Confederacy. So 
the State's slogan, Battle Born--a reference to the war--and an 
erroneous episode of ``Bonanza,'' which depicted a constitutional 
convention in Carson City I guess helped cement the legend.
  The 150th anniversary of our admission to the Union is a wonderful 
time to study and reflect in this shared history we have as States and 
as a nation. It is also time to build a foundation for another 150 
years of innovation and accomplishment for our State.
  Nevada--from the mountains and high deserts of the east, to the 
geothermal wells of the north, including Lake Tahoe to the west, of 
course, to southern Nevada with the Las Vegas strip, from Indian 
Country to the mining towns and ranching communities--is a unique State 
in today's modern Union.
  I like to say that people don't understand Nevada is more than the 
bright lights of Las Vegas. From the glittering waters of Lake Tahoe, 
Nevada is the most mountainous State in the Union, except for Alaska. 
We have more than 300 mountain ranges. Other than Alaska, it is the 
most dangerous place to fly a private plane because of the weather 
patterns which develop so quickly. I have been involved as I have flown 
in some of the smaller airplanes around the State.
  We have magnificent wildlife. We have the famous bighorn sheep, we 
have mountain goats, the largest antelope range in the world. We have 1 
mountain almost 14,000 feet high, and we have 32 mountains over 11,000 
feet high. It is a magnificent State, and I am so fortunate to be able 
to represent that State--the State where I was born.

[[Page 16574]]

  So today and throughout this special year we should celebrate 
everything that makes Nevada extraordinary and successful.
  Happy Nevada Day, Nevadans.

                          ____________________