Humboldt County, Nevada facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Humboldt County
County
Humboldt County Courthouse in Winnemucca
Location within the U.S. state of Nevada
Nevada's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Nevada
Founded	1856; 168 years ago (1856)
Named for	Humboldt River
Seat	Winnemucca
Largest city	Winnemucca
Area
• Total	9,658 sq mi (25,010 km²)
• Land	9,641 sq mi (24,970 km²)
• Water	17 sq mi (40 km²) 0.2%
Population (2020)
• Total	17,285
• Density	1.78971/sq mi (0.69101/km²)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
Congressional district	2nd

Humboldt County is a county in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 17,285. It is a largely rural county that is sparsely populated with the only major city being Winnemucca which has a population of 8,431. Humboldt County comprises the Winnemucca, NV Micropolitan Statistical Area and serves as an important crossroads in the national transportation network. Interstate 80 travels through the southeastern corner of the county, meeting US 95 in Winnemucca that serves as a primary freight corridor between Northern Nevada and Boise, Idaho and the Interstate 84 freight corridor that links much of the Pacific Northwest. The original transcontinental railway, constructed by the Central Pacific Railroad, reached Humboldt County on September 16, 1868. The Western Pacific Railroad would reach Humboldt County by November 1909, providing two mainline rail links to California and the Eastern United States. Both railroads have since been acquired by the Union Pacific Railroad, who continues to serve the region today.

The county contains several areas of land belonging to regionally significant Native American communities including the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe and the Winnemucca Indian Colony of Nevada.

Largely a region with ranchers and farmers, the county came under increased attention after the 2017 proposal of the Thacker Pass Lithium Mine. The mine has been controversial locally and in the national press—as it would be the first major lithium clay mine to open in the United States and be important to the local economy but threatens local ecosystems and indigenous heritage sites.

History

Santa Rosa Range, Humboldt National Forest.

Humboldt County is the oldest county in Nevada, created by the Utah Territorial Legislature in 1856. It was also one of Nevada's original nine counties created in 1861. The county is named after the Humboldt River, which was named by John C. Frémont after Alexander von Humboldt, a German naturalist, traveler and statesman. Humboldt never saw the places that bear his name. Unionville was the first county seat in 1861 until the mining boom died there and it was moved to Winnemucca on the transcontinental railroad line in 1873.

The county was the site of an arrest in 2000 that led to the U.S. Supreme Court decision Hiibel v. Sixth Judicial District Court of Nevada in 2004.

Humboldt County is referenced in Brandon Flowers' 2015 song "Digging Up The Heart", in which the protagonist meets "Christie, queen of Humboldt County".

Geography

The Winnemucca Sand Dunes, north of Winnemucca

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 9,658 square miles (25,010 km²), of which 9,641 square miles (24,970 km²) is land and 17 square miles (44 km²) (0.2%) is water. It is Nevada's fourth-largest county by area.

The Santa Rosa Range runs through eastern Humboldt County. The highest point in the county, 9,731 ft (2,966 m) Granite Peak, is in the range. The most topographically prominent mountain in Humboldt County is unofficially known as Dan Dobbins Peak and is in the remote Jackson Mountains.

Adjacent counties

Harney County, Oregon - northwest
Malheur County, Oregon - north
Owyhee County, Idaho - northeast/Mountain Time Border
Elko County - east
Lander County - southeast
Pershing County - south
Washoe County - west

National protected areas

Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area (part)
Humboldt National Forest (part)
Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Reservations

The county includes land that is held by Indian reservations.

Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe

This section is transcluded from Fort_McDermitt_Paiute_and_Shoshone_Tribe #Reservation

Location of Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation

The Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation spans the distance of the Nevada–Oregon border, in Humboldt County, Nevada and Malheur County, Oregon, near the Quinn River, which runs east to west through the Tribe's Nevada lands. Just to the east is southwestern Idaho. The Fort McDermitt Military Reservation was established 14 August 1865 at the former site of Quinn River Camp No. 33 and a stagecoach stop, Quinn River Station, in what was a traditional seasonal homeland of the Paiute, Shoshone and Bannock peoples.

The reservation was established with 16,354 acres (66.2 km²) in Nevada and 19,000 acres (76.9 km²) in Oregon, mostly areas of arid land. In October 2016 the federal government put into trust for the tribe approximately 19,094 acres (77.3 km²) acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land in Nevada, in order to expand their reservation and give them a more sustainable base. Gaming is prohibited on these new lands. This was done under the Nevada Native Nations Land Act (PL No: 114-232).

History

Originally the fort was established to protect the stagecoach route from Virginia City through Winnemucca, Nevada to Silver City, Idaho Territory, in the southwestern part of the area. It was named after Lt. Col. Charles McDermit, commander of the Military District of Nevada, who was killed in a skirmish in the area in 1865.

The Paiute had traditional territory ranging from the Southwest up into Nevada, Oregon and southwestern Idaho. The Paiute in this area became known as the "Northern Paiute." They are related culturally and linguistically to the Shoshone, Bannock and other tribes of the region.

When the military outpost was closed in 1889, the Military Reservation was adapted as the Fort McDermitt Indian Agency. Northern Paiute and Shoshone were settled here. In 1936 the federal government established an Indian reservation to support the tribe's organizing as the Paiute and Shoshone Tribe under the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. They had to give up their traditional, hereditary chiefs as leaders in favor of an elected, representative form of government.

Winnemucca Indian Colony of Nevada

This section is transcluded from Winnemucca_Indian_Colony_of_Nevada #Reservation

The Winnemucca Indian Colony of Nevada has a reservation at 40°57′58″N 117°43′41″W / 40.96611°N 117.72806°W in Humboldt County, Nevada. The reservation was established on June 18, 1917, and comprises two parcels of land, 20 acres (0.081 km²) enclosed within the urban area of the City of Winnemucca centered on Cinnabar Street, and 320 acres (1.3 km²) of rural land on the southern edge of the city west of Water Canyon Road. In 1990, 17 tribal members lived on the reservation. In 2022, a court filing reported that the colony consisted of 28 tribal members.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	40	—
1870	1,916	4,690.0%
1880	3,480	81.6%
1890	3,434	−1.3%
1900	4,463	30.0%
1910	6,825	52.9%
1920	3,743	−45.2%
1930	3,795	1.4%
1940	4,743	25.0%
1950	4,838	2.0%
1960	5,708	18.0%
1970	6,375	11.7%
1980	9,434	48.0%
1990	12,844	36.1%
2000	16,106	25.4%
2010	16,528	2.6%
2020	17,285	4.6%
2023 (est.)	17,136	3.7%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2018

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 16,528 people, 6,289 households, and 4,316 families in the county. The population density was 1.7 inhabitants per square mile (0.66/km²). There were 7,123 housing units at an average density of 0.7 units per square mile (0.27 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 79.0% white, 4.2% American Indian, 0.7% Asian, 0.5% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 12.7% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 24.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 15.0% were English, 14.6% were Irish, 14.1% were German, and 5.1% were American.

Of the 6,289 households, 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.2% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.4% were non-families, and 25.6% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.13. The median age was 36.2 years.

The median household income was $55,656 and the median family income was $69,032. Males had a median income of $56,843 versus $33,531 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,965. About 7.8% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.3% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Wildflowers in Paradise Valley, 2008

Humboldt County School District serves all of Humboldt County. Albert M. Lowry High School and McDermitt Combined School have high school programs.

The county is in the service area of Great Basin College.

Previously Crane Union High School, a boarding high school in Oregon, served portions of the county, and it continues to be an option for residents living in Denio.

Law enforcement

There have been at least two allegations of abuse of civil forfeiture by Humboldt County Sheriff's deputy Lee Dove, who as of 2015, is no longer employed as a deputy. Both cases were settled in favor of the civilians in question.