PERSHING COUNTY

Pershing County was an early area of Nevada activity. In the beginning, it operated as part of Humboldt County. Pershing is the newest Nevada county to form. It didn't receive its county status until March 18, 1919. The county was named after a World War I General named John Pershing. The area through what is now Pershing, is very significant in the history of the American expansion to the west. Big Meadows was a lush area with abundant water. It was a major stop for settlers to re-supply with water and feed their stock with lush grass before crossing the Forty Mile Desert. It is estimated that more than 150,000 emigrants used the Humboldt Trail while coming west in the 1840's and 1850's. Mining began here as early as the 1850's. Pershing County is much like the rest of Central and Northern Nevada. Mining and cattle ranching have always been the two economic staples. That pattern continues into the present day. The original county seat of Pershing was the City of Lovelock, which still remains the county seat today. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the county wide population was approximately 6,650 residents.