In 1851, Latter-day Saints from Utah established a trading post in western Nevada, just east of Lake Tahoe. This trading post became known as Mormon Station, and Nevada’s first non-Native-American settlement grew up around it. Elder Orson Hyde, an apostle, named the community Genoa.
In 1855, 30 Latter-day Saints from Utah traveled to the Meadows (Las Vegas) alongside the spring and creek flowing through the Las Vegas valley and built a fort there. This fort later became the site of a ranch, and after the arrival of the railroad in 1905, which sparked a development boom, the ranch and surrounding lands became downtown Las Vegas.
In 1864, a group of Latter-day Saints established a settlement in Panaca. By 1869, there were also Latter-day Saint settlements in the Muddy River area, including St. Joseph, Overton, West Point and Junction City. In 1883 a branch was organized at Overton, and in 1912 Overton became the headquarters of Nevada’s first permanent stake, the Moapa Stake.
In the late 1920s, many Latter-day Saints moved from Utah to Nevada in search of better economic conditions. The Las Vegas Stake was created in 1954. Church members also moved to northern Nevada, particularly Elko and Ely. Currently there are over 180,000 Latter-day Saints in Nevada. Some prominent Nevada Latter-day Saints include U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, who served from 1987 to 2017, and musician Brandon Flowers.
The Las Vegas Nevada Temple was dedicated in 1989. In 2000, the Reno Nevada Temple was dedicated. In 2021, a third temple was announced for Elko.