In the mid-1800s so much precious metal covered the ground in Nevada that prospectors could shovel it up. A century later an avian disaster struck bird life along the Louisiana coastline. Today visitors can relive those chapters of the past in Nevada, Louisiana, and elsewhere while learning how they and other states got their well-deserved nicknames. Nevada earned its “Silver State” moniker during its silver-rush days. Over millions of years a crust of the metal formed on the desert’s surface, which prospectors could scrape up in their quest for riches. It took only a few decades for the territory of Nevada and surrounding states to be picked clean of the treasure. Both historic and modern-day silver, gold and copper mines dot the state. Many are open to visitors for guided tours. The brown pelican has been the symbol of Louisiana since the first European settlers arrived. It was adopted as …