5 weird Nevada stories you may have missed in 2023

2023 was a year not short on stories about the Silver State’s weird history and odd characters.

From the history of common Southern Nevada misnomer to animal mascots making headlines, here’s a round up of odd Nevada stories you may have missed this year.

Locals keep calling this Las Vegas mountain the wrong name: Here’s why

Whether you’re a born-and-raised Las Vegas native or a fresh, former Californian who just moved to town, you probably call the mountain that towers over the east side Sunrise Mountain.

But, that name actually refers to the smaller mountain next to the mountain that towers nearly 2,000 feet above the valley.

UNLV Professor Michael Green explains why locals confuse the mountains’ names, and how the mountain’s real name is also borne out of locals’ confusion.

Mormon crickets swarm northern Nevada towns

While Southern Nevada was visited by thousands of grasshoppers this summer, northern Nevadans dealt with a different insect that swamped roads and covered buildings like a layer of paint.

Mormon crickets, which earn their name from a historic event involving members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, have swarmed Elko and other nearby towns every year since 2019 as part of a regular cycle of population busts and booms.

Jeff Knight, state entomologist with the Nevada Department of Agriculture, explained why population changes and the nearly-impossible task of stopping the swarms.

Mojave Max breaks record for latest emergence in 23-year history

In other non-human news, Mojave Max, mascot of the Clark County Desert Conservation Program, saw his latest emergence from his burrow in his history — something Clark County School District children guess the date of every year.

Guessing when Max will emerge serves as a Punxsutawney Phil-esque tradition for Southern Nevadans. The end of Max’s annual winter slumber means temperatures are warming up and spring has arrived.

Students who guess Max’s correct emergence date have the chance to win a pizza party; a class field trip to the Springs Preserve, where Max lives; and a Max meet-and-greet.

Max’s caregiver explained the tradition, and why Max waited so long to leave his burrow this year.

Nevada’s UFO sightings have been reported for decades, archives show

Nevada has long had a fascination with extraterrestrial life thanks to Area 51 and other top secret government facilities scattered across the state.

But, what has the Review-Journal reported about local alien sightings, and how far back in Las Vegas’ history do these sightings go?

This look back at the RJ’s archives show that for decades, Southern Nevadans have reported a range of UFO activity, from little men in flying saucers to unexplainable lights that, according to one report, led to a dog’s death.

‘The runt of the litter’: Nevada railway cat dies after life of internet fame

More unusual animal mascot news (this time out of northern Nevada): A cat that served as the mascot of a historic railway based in the small town of Ely died after a life of internet fame.

Dirt, a 15-year-old cat named after his famously filthy fur coat, drew tourism and business to the Nevada Northern Railway after a photo of him went viral on Facebook.

The railway’s president shared how Dirt became a hometown hero for Ely, and inspired museums across the country to adopt animal mascots of their own.

Contact Taylor Lane at tlane@reviewjournal.com.