Carson City, the formative years

The Comstock Lode silver rush of 1859 still ranks as one of the biggest mining booms in history. It brought economic prosperity to the year-old town of Carson City at least as far as business goes, because the population only grew ever so slightly. In the 1860 Census, Carson City had 714 people. It was small, but had alot of clout, both politically and economically. When Carson City became the capital of the new Territory of Nevada one year later, the population was about 750. However, in the decade of the 1860s, the population grew by a whopping 326%! When the 1870 Census was undertaken, it was recorded that Carson City had grown from 714 people to 3,042! Becoming the capital had alot to do with the dramatic increase, but the early to mid 1860s were also the peak years of the mining boom. During this time, nearby Virginia City had grown to a staggering 30,000 people! I have never understood why Virginia City did not become the capital because it was by far the biggest town in Nevada at the time and it is also the only town at the time that had more wealth and power than Carson City did. That is not a complaint because Carson City is a great town to have as a capital city!
While this part of Nevada was booming, the Civil War was raging in the east. The President, Abraham Lincoln, needed another Union State and he had alot of supporters in Nevada. This led to full statehood for Nevada on October 31, 1864. Nevada became a state even though it did not even come close to the required minimum population for statehood. In fact the population of Nevada was only about 1/3 of the necessary minimum. Despite this, Nevada was now a state with the same rights and privileges as other states, even powerful California next door.
Carson City was a wild and woolly frontier town, despite the fact that it was the seat of government for a territory and, eventually, a state. The Carson City of the 1860s has one of the most lawless reputations of the Wild West Era even to this day. Carson's City's reputation is comparable to places such as Tombstone, Arizona; Bodie, California; Dodge City, Kansas; Abilene, Kansas and both Virginia Citys--Nevada and Montana!