Alva Review-Courier -

In 1987 the Nevada state government enacted a law creating Bullfrog County. Nevada’s 17th county contained 144 square miles of land and no people.

Nevada is, of course, a state with much desert land. In the late 19th century, the United States government gave away millions of acres of land in the American West through the Homestead Act and several other laws.

The Homestead Act was designed to give land to people who wanted to farm it. While the government gave away vast amounts of land, few people wanted Nevada acreage. Other western areas were more conducive to agriculture.

Eventually, the fe...