NEVADA offers a wide variety of sport and recreation. The drillers' and muckers' contests, which, with thoroughbred racing, wrestling, and fighting, were popular in the early days of settlement, have been replaced by more modern sports. The earlier favorites are revived only during mining camp celebrations.

Hunting and Fishing (for seasons and license fees see General Information) : One of the chief recreations is hunting, and many out-of- state enthusiasts come in for it. Wild game is found over so wide an area that no one region can be recommended as better than another. Most areas where game abound are easily accessible from paved roads. Deer, found in nearly every county, are particularly numerous in the northern section of the State. Although the deer are fair game during proper seasons, antelope, mountain sheep, and elk—recently imported— are protected at all times. The Humboldt National Forest is a natural habitat of grouse, sagehen, and deer, which are steadily increasing in number.

Ducks, pheasants, grouse, sage grouse, quail, partridge, sagehen, snipe, prairie chickens, cottontail rabbits, and mountain hare, doves, and migratory fowl can be hunted during certain seasons. Both waterfowl and grouse are numerout in the northern part of the State.

Fishing, which vies with hunting in popularity, is more practiced each year, as Federal, State and county fish hatcheries aid in stocking the streams. Several storage reservoirs have improved fishing by regulating the flow of streams. The Humboldt River tributaries, rising high in the Ruby, Jarbidge, and Independence Mountains, afford excellent trout fishing, and the main channel harbors bass and catfish. In the same region are the headwaters of the Little Salmon, Bruneau, and Owyhee rivers, also notable trout streams. Among the well-stocked small mountain streams of east central Nevada are those of the Schell Creek and Egan ranges; they offer chiefly the rainbow and eastern brook trout. In western Nevada the Truckee, Carson, and East and West Walker rivers, with their many tributaries are popular fishing streams.

Throughout the fishing areas are lakes of varying size, from Pyramid Lake—30 miles in length—to the minute bodies of water found in the deeper recesses of the mountains. The lakes and streams off the beaten paths sometimes contain more fish than those nearer the main-traveled roads. Pyramid Lake has gained fame for its large trout, a species of landlocked salmon weighing from twelve to forty-two pounds.

Tahoe, Walker, and Topaz Lakes are popular fishing spots where carp and lake trout are very plentiful. Lake Mead, formed by Boulder Dam on the Colorado River, has been stocked with a wide variety of fish, and white salmon have been taken in the river just below the dam. Baas and catfish, in addition to trout, are now plentiful in the river.

Camping i There are many campsites throughout the State, particularly in the national forests. Among the choice improved camp spots in the Toiyabe National Forest are Kingston and Big Creek Canyons. This forest has a number of hot springs noted for their mineral content, the most important of which are Spencer and Darrough Hot Springs in Big Smoky Valley, and the Potts Hot Springs and Diana's Punch Bowl—or the Devil's Punch Bowl—near the Potts Ranger Station in Monitor Valley (see Tour 7).

The chief recreational attraction in the Nevada National Forest, the Lehman Caves National Mounment, is near a Forest Service campground. An especially beautiful camping area is in the Ruby Mountains, where peaks rise nearly 12,000 feet and there are deep, rugged canyons, fishing streams, cool breezes, and lakes bearing ice until at least July.

Many excellent camping spots are in the Jarbidge region (see Tour la), a heavily wooded district in the Gold Creek Range, and in the Humboldt Forest

Walking and Riding: Foot and horse trails are numerous throughout the State, marked chiefly in recreational areas, though many unmarked trails are in the mountains and lead to awe-inspiring views. One of the most delightful hikes (see Tour 6) is made from the campground near the( Lehman Caves to the summit of Mount Wheeler, one of the highest peaks in Nevada; another is up Mount Rose, which overlooks Truckee Meadows and Lake Tahoe, The Ruby Mountains contain many marked trails, as do the Lake Tahoe and Charleston areas*

Horseback riding, * particularly popular diversion in Nevada, is featured in the vicinity of Reno on the dude ranches; there the traditions, costumes, and trappings of the Old West are paraded—largely the Old West of the motion picture westerns and of Buffalo BilL There

are also dude ranches with good stables in other parts of the State, and horses are everywhere available.

Swimming i Nevada is proud of its facilities for swimming because of its reputation as a State with no water at alL Most pools are out of doors. Hot springs, municipal, and privately owned pools are found from border to border. Reno, Lovelock, Winnemucca, Elko and Ely have municipally owned pools where season tickets run as low as four cents a swim and single tickets as low as twenty-five cents. In addition there ar« numerous privately owned pools, chiefly in the larger towns. Aside from the artificial pools, Lake Tahoe, Pyramid Lake, Walker Lake, Topaz Lake, and Lake Mead afford excellent swimming.

Boating: This has become a real sport in the Lake Mead area, wher* motor boat trips are one of the chief attractions. At both Lake Tahoe and Lake Mead aquaplaning and rowing are increasingly popular. Speed boat rac«s are held annually on Lake Tahoe.

Winter Sports i Nevada, which has many accessible slopes with dry snow, is fast becoming a winter playground, and is developing excellent ski courses, the best known of which ar« on Mount Row (see Tour 4). Mount Rose also offers tobogganing and has an up-tow, a ski jump permitting a 165-foot leap, a racing courst, and a slalom course. More surprising is the Charleston area, which, though in & region with subtropical climate, provides facilities for all the sports of winter. It is a short distance from Las Vegas. Ward Mountain, near Ely, is another winter sports district where courses are being developed. There is, of course, skiing on unchartered slopes near almost every town in central and northern Nevada when the snow blankets the ranges. Some ice skating is done in various northern and central towns, though this sport is not common.

Athletic Contests: The University of Nevada participates in an extensive program of inter-collegiate sport contests, including football and basketball games, and track meets. The high schools of all the larger towns have football and basketball teams that participate in series of games for the State championship.

Horse Racing i Reno and Las Vegas hold racing meets with open betting. Races are also held in connection with various county fairs.

Baseball and Softball: Baseball has long been a major sport in Nevada, as elsewhere. The Reno Garage in Reno sponsors a dub that has a good baseball park, where the dub plays on Sunday, meeting various strong teams from the Pacific Coast and other points.

A State league, composed of dubs from Reno, Lovelock, Fallen, and

Smith Valley, also play Sunday baseball; and Ely, Tonopah, Manhattan, Silver Peak, Sparks, Verdi, Virginia City, and Wadsworth sponsor town teams playing on Sunday, though no regular schedule is followed.

There are softball leagues in Reno, Las Vegas, Elko, Fallon and Ely. Las Vegas won the 1939 championship at a tournament held in Fallon, The year 1939 saw the first girls' softball teams, with four organized in the Reno area and several in other parts of the State.

Golf i With the completion of an i8-hole golf course in Reno, Nevada began to attract out-of-state golfers. Winnemucca, Elko, Ely, Carson, Glenbrook (Lake Tahoe) and Las Vegas also have courses. Beside a well-conditioned i8-hole sand fairway, Las Vegas has a 9-hole grass course. The Glenbrook, Lake Tahoe course is excellent.

Motor cycling i Both Reno and Las Vegas have motorcycle clubs holding annual races that include a Hare and Hounds Chase on Thanksgiving Day, a Hill Climb on New Year's Day, and a 40O-mile endurance run over varied terrain in the spring.

Boxing'. Several fights notable in history of the ring have been staged in Nevada. Joe Cans, a Negro, defeated "Battling Nelson" at Gold- field, Jack Johnson defeated Jim Jeffries at Reno—winning the heavyweight title, and Bob Fitzsimmons took the crown from Jim Corbett at Carson City. Interest in amateur boxing has always been high in Nevada and several Nevada boys have gained considerable reputation. One of them, Ernie Collins, an Indian boy from Schurz, has achieved success on the coast.

Bowling: Reno has five men's bowling leagues of six teams each; these are often matched against out-of-state teams. Various other towns also have men's leagues and in Reno and Las Vegas women have leagues.

Chess: The small but efficient Nevada State Chess Association conducts an annual State tournament each year to determine the Nevada chess championship.