unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
in
Ruby Valley
Ruby Valley is a large basin located in south-central Elko County, Nevada, Elko and northern White Pine County, Nevada, White Pine counties in the northeastern section of the state of Nevada in the western United States. From Secret Pass it runs ...
, in
Elko County
Elko County is a county in the northeastern corner of Nevada, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 53,702. Its county seat is Elko. The county was established on March 5, 1869, from Lander County. Elko County is the fourth ...
,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
, United States.
It was the site of the
Ruby Valley Pony Express Station
The Ruby Valley Pony Express Station, located at 1515 Idaho St. in Elko, Nevada, was built in 1860 in Ruby Valley, Nevada. It was moved in 1960 approximately to Elko, during the centennial anniversary year for the Pony Express, and then restor ...
, which has since been moved to
Elko, Nevada
Elko is a city in and the county seat of Elko County, Nevada, United States. As of the official 2020 U.S. Census, the city has a population of 20,564. Elko serves as the center of the Ruby Valley, a region with a population of over 55,000.
Elko ...
and restored and listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.
Ruby Valley has a small K-8 school and many cattle ranches. Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge and state-owned Gallagher Fish Hatchery are in Ruby Valley.
Nevada Territory
The Territory of Nevada (N.T.) was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until October 31, 1864, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Nevada.
Prior to the creation of the Neva ...
and Gov.
James Duane Doty
James Duane Doty (November 5, 1799 – June 13, 1865) was an American land speculator, politician, and pioneer. He served as the 2nd Governor of Wisconsin, governor (1841–1844) of the Wisconsin Territory and 5th Governor of Utah, governor ...
of the
Utah Territory
The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th st ...
. Twelve chiefs signed for the Western Bands of the
Shoshone
The Shoshone or Shoshoni ( or ), also known by the endonym Newe, are an Native Americans in the United States, Indigenous people of the United States with four large cultural/linguistic divisions:
* Eastern Shoshone: Wyoming
* Northern Shoshon ...
Nation of Indians. The treaty assured their ownership of property (that later became a U.S.
nuclear test site
Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine the performance of nuclear weapons and the effects of their explosion. Nuclear testing is a sensitive political issue. Governments have often performed tests to signal strength. Bec ...
). The treaty stated that the presence of U.S. settlements will not negate Native
sovereignty
Sovereignty can generally be defined as supreme authority. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within a state as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the person, body or institution that has the ultimate au ...
. The Western Shoshone did not cede land but agreed to allow the U.S. government the "right to traverse the area, maintain existing telegraph and stage lines, construct one railroad, and engage in specified economic activities." The Union relied on this treaty to demonstrate to European governments and banks backing the Union that it could provide the gold needed for the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...