Carson City's Nevada Day Parade and festivities date back to 1938. Nevada Day celebrations were moved from Reno to Carson City in 1938, and a law passed the following year made Nevada Day an official State holiday. During World War II no celebrations were held in 1942, 1943, and 1944. Nevada Day returned the following year with an estimated 20,000 people attending the day-long event. In 1949, a bill was signed by Governor Vail Pittman finally authorizing Nevada Day as an official State holiday. All public offices were to be closed, and if October 31 fell on Sunday, the Nevada Day Celebration was to be observed as a legal holiday on the following Monday. The history of Nevada Day by former Nevada Historian Guy Louis Rocha is covered in his Nevada Historical Myth #18 at NSLA.nv.gov/myths. Go to the site and download the PDF of the full Nevada Myth series to read. This virtual exhibit has been funded by a generous grant from the Bretzlaff Foundation.
