US 93 in Nevada

According to Act-test-centers, US 93 is a US Highway in the US state of Nevada. The road forms a long north-south route through the eastern half of the state, from the Hoover Dam on the Arizona border through Las Vegas and Ely to the Idaho border at Jackpot. The route is 806 kilometers long.

Travel directions

From US 93 nabij Hot.

At the Mike O’Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge at Hoover Dam, US 93 in Arizona enters Nevada from Kingman. It crosses the Colorado River and Lake Mead here. The road then quickly reaches Boulder City, a small town of 15,000 residents. Then the US 95 merges from Yuma. Then the Interstate 515 begins, over which the US 93 and US 95 run. It passes through Henderson, where Interstate 215 exits, and through East Las Vegas, before arriving at Las Vegas itself. Just north of downtown, US 93 interchanges with I-515 for Interstate 15, then heads north. The US 95then continues as a highway to the western neighborhoods and Tonopah. US 93 then follows I-15 for about 35 kilometers until outside Las Vegas, where US 93 turns north. I-15 then continues to Salt Lake City.

The road then heads north past the Sheep Range and through the Desert National Wildlife Refuge for a 420km route to Ely. On the way through only 3 or 4 villages and one crosses about 3 paved roads. The US 93 is lonely and has very long straights of sometimes tens of kilometers. The landscape is desert and mountainous. After the hamlet of Ash Springs, the road jumps about 70 kilometers to the east. The road runs at an altitude of about 1600 meters. One passes through Caliente and Pioche, no more than a village. The road then leads through the Lake Valley to the north and you will encounter absolutely nothing for 150 kilometers, not yet a paved road.

US 93 south of Wells.

About 40 kilometers before Ely, US 93 merges with US 6 and US 50 coming from Delta in Utah. The three roads are then double-numbered until Ely, where US 6 turns off to Tonopah in the southwest and US 50 runs to Carson City in the west, also over extremely lonely stretches. After Ely, the next town is Wells, which is 225 kilometers to the north. One passes through the Stepote Valley, a wide valley between mountain ranges that reach over 2,500 meters. 100 kilometers north of Ely, the Alternate exits US 93 to Wendover, which is 100 kilometers northeast on the Utah border. US 93 itself runs to Wells, which is 130 kilometers further north. To the north, the mountain ranges reach up to 3000 meters and can get a lot of snow in winter. The road goes along the Humboldt Range before reaching the village of Wells.

Wells is only known for being at the intersection of US 93 and Interstate 80, the highway from San Francisco to Salt Lake City. The village is no more than a big truck stop and a few streets. 1300 people live there. Then the road continues north, the next town is Jackpot on the border with Idaho, 110 kilometers north. Along the way you only cross some gravel roads, although the area does become a bit greener. US 93 in Idaho then continues to Twin Falls.

History

According to liuxers, US 93 was created in 1926. The southern terminus was initially Wells, and in 1932 the route was extended south to Glendale, north of Las Vegas, deviating in part from the current route via what is now State Route 168. In 1936 the route was extended further south to Kingman in Arizona. When US 93 was created, Las Vegas was a town of 5,000 residents.

Traffic intensities

The intensities are very low, around 1,500 vehicles at places and 500 in between.

Nevada History

Colonial history

Before the arrival of the Europeans, several Native American peoples lived in the state, such as the Goshute and the Mohave. The first European to visit Nevada was Spaniard Francisco Garcés. The Spaniards then claimed the area as part of their colonial empire. It belonged to the colony of New Spain, present-day Mexico. Nevada belonged to the province of Alta California which occupied the present-day southwestern United States. Although the Spanish claimed the area, it was hardly inhabited by settlers. Many settlers settled in the other Spanish colonies. After the Mexican War of Independence of 1821, the region became part of Mexico. Many Americans wanted to take Alta California and more and more Americans settled the area. Among them, many Mormons moved to the area. The Mormons are a Christian minority in the United States. They were discriminated against at the time and were more or less forced to leave.

Nevada as territory

A map of Nevada between 1861 and 1866

Nevada came into American hands after the Mexican-American War of 1848. All of Alta California became part of the United States. The area was then divided into smaller territories. Nevada was originally part of the Utah Territory, but in 1861 the Nevada Territory seceded. Meanwhile, more and more Americans moved to Nevada because of the gold rush. By 1864, some 10,000 people lived in the state. Shortly before the presidential election of 1864, Nevada officially became a state after the United States Congress passed one. This was very special, as a territory at that time needed at least 60,000 inhabitants to become a state. The US Congress, where the Republicans had a majority, chose to do this anyway. The Republicans hoped this way to get enough votes for the re-election of Abraham Lincoln as president. Territories cannot vote in these elections, while states could. In the end, Lincoln turned out to get more than enough votes. Even without Nevada, he could have easily saved his re-election.

Nevada as a state

Nevada was originally a lot smaller than it is today. Nevada, along with Missouri, is one of two states whose borders have changed dramatically. In 1866, large tracts of land were added to the south and east. Without these pieces, Las Vegas today would not have been in Nevada, but in Arizona. Mining was very important to Nevada’s economy. This made Nevada a very rural state. In the small towns there was often nothing to do, so many people started gambling in their spare time. Nevada had a large gambling industry until gambling was banned nationwide in 1909. This ban was overturned during the Great Depression. Since 1931 it is possible to gamble again in the state. Nevada then became a very progressive state. Nevada was one of the first states to allow divorce.