Nevada's Most Important Rush Job
How a remarkable feat of communication helped make Nevada the 36th state.
In October 1864, Nevada had a problem. The territory had approved a constitution and was working toward statehood, but time was running out. President Abraham Lincoln was running for reelection, the country was in the middle of the Civil War, and getting Nevada admitted to the Union before Election Day was a priority.
There was just one problem. The official copies of Nevada's constitution, sent by conventional means, hadn't arrived in Washington, D.C.
So Territorial Governor James Nye did something extraordinary. He ordered the entire constitution sent by telegraph.
All 16,543 words of it.
Telegrapher James H. Guild spent seven hours transmitting the document from Carson City to Salt Lake City, where it continued across the country through a series of telegraph stations. The entire process took two days and cost more than $4,300, an enormous amount of money in 1864.
The document eventually reached Washington, where it was transcribed onto 175 pages.
On October 31, President Lincoln officially proclaimed Nevada the 36th state, just eight days before the presidential election.
We like this story at Reno Type. After all, we're in the business of getting important communications produced and delivered, sometimes on deadlines that seem downright unreasonable.
More than 160 years ago, somebody had to figure out how to get a very important document across the country in a hurry. The usual methods weren't working, the deadline wasn't moving, and the stakes were high. They found another way.
That kind of resourcefulness is something we admire. It's also something we work to bring to our customers every day.
We sometimes talk about what it means to be the Reno type. For us, it means taking ownership of a problem, figuring out what's possible, and following through on our commitments. We're fortunate to have a team of people who take pride in doing just that.
Nevada has always been a place where resourcefulness matters. From the people who built its early communities to the businesses and organizations helping it grow today, our state has a long history of people finding ways to get things done.
We're proud to be a Nevada company and grateful for the customers, employees, and communities that have helped make Reno Type what it is today.
Reno Type will be closed Friday, October 30, in observance of Nevada Day. We'll reopen Monday, November 2. If you have an upcoming project deadline that may be affected by the closure, please contact your Reno Type representative in advance.
Happy 162nd birthday, Nevada. Here's to the Battle Born State and the people who keep it moving forward!
