Welcome to Clark County!
The Old Spanish Trail passed through this area between 1829 and 1848: "The Old Spanish Trail route was established along a loose network of Indian footpaths that crossed the wide expanse of the Colorado Plateau and the Mojave Desert. With time, this newly established trade corridor attracted frontiersmen and U.S. military expeditions. The general route of the Trail began at Santa Fe, NM and looped northward through central Utah to avoid the deep river gorges of the Colorado River before descending down across western Utah to the artesian springs located at Las Vegas. This was a significant watering hole before heading off across the dry Mohave Desert and onward to the San Gabriel Mission near Los Angeles. The 2,700 miles of trail pushed mule caravans to the limit."1
Much of Clark County was originally part of Pah-Ute County, Arizona Territory before Nevada became a state. The county was named for William Andrews Clark, a Montana copper magnate and U.S. Senator. Clark was largely responsible for the construction of the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad through the area, a factor heavily contributing to the region's early development.
The county was formed by the Nevada Legislature by splitting off a portion of Lincoln County on February 5, 1909, and came into existence on July 1, 1909. The Las Vegas Valley, a 600 sq mi (1,600 km2) basin, includes Las Vegas as well as the other primary population center, the unincorporated community of Paradise.
As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,951,269, with an estimated population of 2,027,759 in 2013. It is the most populous county in the state of Nevada, accounting for nearly three-quarters of its residents. Las Vegas, Nevada's most populous city, has been the county seat since the county was created.
Incorporated places in Clark County are Boulder City, Henderson, Las Vegas (county seat), Mesquite, and North Las Vegas. Other places are Arden, Blue Diamond, Bunkerville, Cactus Springs, Cal Nev Ari, Cottonwood Cove, Goodsprings, Indian Springs, Jean, Laughlin, Logandale, Moapa, Mountain Springs, Nellis Air Force Base, Nelson, Overton, Primm, Sandy Valley, Searchlight and Sloan.
Census
Military Records
1895 Rand McNally Atlas of Southern Lincoln County, which became Clark County
Neighbors - Nye County Lincoln County Mohave County, Arizona San Bernardino County, Calif. Inyo County, Calif.
Sources
1 The Old Spanish Trail
Wikipedia
Census Quickfacts
The background tartan in the footer logo is the Nevada State Tartan, adopted in 2001.
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