Basques
The Basques ( or ; ; ; ) are a Southwestern European ethnic group, characterised by the Basque language, a Basque culture, common culture and shared genetic ancestry to the ancient Vascones and Aquitanians. Basques are indigenous peoples, ...
have been living in
Northern Nevada for over a century and form a population of several thousand. Basque immigrants first came in the mid-1800s during the
Gold rush
A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, ...
. The Basques have also been closely-tied to sheep herding in Nevada and neighboring states.
The
Basque-American
Basque Americans (, ) are Americans of Basque descent. According to the 2000 US census, there are 57,793 Americans of full or partial Basque descent.
Ties to early American history
Referring to the historical ties that existed between the Ba ...
culture is especially prominent in the town of
Winnemucca. Basque immigrants to Winnemucca founded the
Martin Hotel and the
Winnemucca Hotel, both of which were associated with the Basque sheepherders.
References
Further reading
* Douglass, William, and Jon Bilbao. ''Amerikanuak: Basques in the New World.'' (University of Nevada Press, 1975).
* Saitua, Iker. ''Basque Immigrants and Nevada's Sheep Industry: Geopolitics and the Making of an Agricultural Workforce, 1880–1954'' (2019
excerpt
External links
The Basques in NevadaBasque Americans in Nevada
University of Nevada, Reno Libraries
University of Nevada, Reno Libraries
{{Basque Americans by location
Basque-American culture in Nevada