For most of the western states, especially Nevada, the public land not sold off before statehood was public for a good reason. Nobody wanted to buy it. It wasn’t good for anything except running a few cows or sheep. And prior to statehood it wasn’t even any good for that, as there was no market for them.
The state did not want title, because that would require them to control the land, which did not come anywhere close to bringing in the money from grazing fees and such to pay for it. The population of NV at statehood was probably under 20,000 and the taxpayers were perfectly happy to leave responsibility for this immense stretch of land with the federal government.
The situation had been different in states farther east, where land generally went into private ownership because there were buyers.
THE State of NV never relinquished their rights to the property, the Fed Gov took them in conflict with the Constitution.
It is TIME to DownSize DC!
Close Entire Rogue/Unconstitutional Departments including the SWAT Teams.