The California/Nevada state boundary has a history as interesting and colorful as the states it separates. The boundary
line, described in 1849 by men who had little experience with such things, was subject to many years of doubt, disagreement, and confusion. Its location on the ground has been questioned right up to the present age. This article is an introduction to the story behind one of the most surveyed boundaries in the United States.
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
As a result of the Mexican-American War, the United States acquired a huge area known to the Mexicans as Upper California. It included land south of the Oregon Territory, west of the Rocky Mountains, and north of the newly established border between the United States and Mexico. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed in 1848, was generous to the victors. As if this were not enough, insult soon followed injury for the Mexicans. Shortly after the treaty was signed, word spread of the first gold strikes on the American River. By the spring of 1849, all the world had heard of California and became intoxicated by the dream of instant riches. The discovery of gold caused such phenomenal
growth that in the fall of 1849, California was already preparing to enter the Union as a state.
