Telegram from Nevada Territory Governor Nye to President Abraham Lincoln
10/1864
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Three pages of the 175 page telegram.
Additional details from our exhibits and publications
In the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln eagerly sought the statehood of the pro-Unionist and largely Republican Nevada Territory. Certified copies of the Nevada Constitution, sent earlier by overland mail and by sea, had failed to arrive in Washington, DC, by October 24, 1864, so Governor Nye of the Nevada Territory ordered that it be sent by wire. This message, transmitted in Morse code, contains the entire text of the Nevada State Constitution. With no direct link from Carson City to Washington, DC, telegrapher James H. Guild worked seven hours to transmit the message to Salt Lake City, where it was resent to Chicago, then Philadelphia, and finally to the War Department’s telegraph office in Washington, DC, where this 175-page transcription was made. The final page shows the total word count (16,543) and cost ($4303.27—or $59,229 in today’s dollars) of the transmission.
This primary source comes from the General Records of the Department of State.
National Archives Identifier: 2642326
Full Citation: Telegram from Nevada Territory Governor Nye to President Abraham Lincoln; 10/1864; General Records of the Department of State, Record Group 59. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/telegram-from-nevada-territory-governor-nye-to-president-abraham-lincoln, May 8, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.