In 1858, Carson City had no newspaper, James Buchanan was the 15th President and minor amounts of gold had been discovered in Nevada. It was in 1859 that the "Territorial Enterprise" printed the first newspaper in Carson City. The paper was appropriately named as Territorial, as it was the first paper to be published in Utah Territory when it began in Genoa Dec. 18, 1858. It was the first newspaper in Carson City and began printing here Nov. 26, 1859. The Territorial Enterprise moved to Virginia City in October 1860 following the discovery of gold and silver on the Comstock in the summer of 1859, according to "The Newspapers of Nevada," written by Richard E. Lingenfelter and Karen Rix Gash.
The Carson City edition of the "Territorial Enterprise" shown here says "Carson City, Nevada Territory, Saturday, December 17, 1859." However, there was no Nevada Territory at the time the paper was printed. Carson City was still part of Utah Territory.
Three years before Nevada was to become a state, our Carson City forefathers were making attempts to change its political structure, shown on this front page through a "Proclamation To the People of Western Utah, included within the boundary of the proposed Territory of Nevada."
The proclamation is written by Isaac Roop, who was elected as "Executive of the Provisional Territorial Government of Nevada Territory." Nevadans wanted the ability to assemble in their own sovereign capacity, to no longer be under the theocratic rule of Mormonism. They elected their own Provisional Territorial Government that will "... assure us of life, limb and property."
In an additional article in the paper shown here, titled, "Departure of Col. Musser," Col. John J. Musser was elected by the people and was on his way to Washington as a delegate to Congress. As he departed, the people said, "...God Speed to Col. Musser. It will be a proud day for him ... when he shall return with the Bill organizing the Territory of Nevada."
Thus, the 150 years of Carson City and Nevada's history begins ...
- Sue Ballew is the daughter of Bill Dolan, who wrote the Past Pages column for the Nevada Appeal from 1947 until his death in 2006. She is president of the Carson City Historical Society.