Native Americans and European settlement
Between 12 and 13,000 years ago, Native Americans settled in central Nevada, including the area of Toiyabe Crest in Toiyabe National Forest. Populations of Northern and Southern Paiute, Western Shoshone, Washoe, Chemehuevi, and Colorado River Yuman have been confirmed. Native people depended on Pleistocene megafauna and water fowl, which was found in marshy areas between high mountain ranges. They would migrate to higher elevations during the Holocene in permitting summer conditions; abandoned seasonal settlements have been found at up to 12,000 feet (3,700 m) above sea level. Higher elevations of the Toiyabe Range offered hunting opportunities for deer and bighorn sheep. Middle ranges presented similar hunting opportunities and gathering pinyon seeds. Archaeological and cultural evidence suggest Native American populations in Nevada 10,000 years ago. The Western Shoshone, Northern Paiute, and descendent Ancient Puebloans tribes have relied on the land in and around Humboldt National Forest, primarily for hunting and gathering. The Northern Paiutes lived a nomadic lifestyle, residing in higher elevations in summer and lower elevations in winter.
European settlers reached the Great Basin and Sierra Nevada as early as the 17th century. In 1833, fur trapper Benjamin Bonneville established two major trails: one following the Humboldt River throughout Nevada and one over Walker Pass in California that traversed the Sierra Nevada. The latter would eventually become the California Trail, which would bring gold prospectors through the Great Basin. European settlers began permanently settling in the 1840s and, in the ensuing decades, there were several conflicts between settlers and Native Americans. Native populations subsequently dwindled from the conflict and disease, namely smallpox. Once gold mines were depleted, mining attention turned to other parts of the Great Basin. It is estimated there are 80,000 historical or archaeological sights in the forest land.
Forest mergers and establishment
The lands now part of Humboldt–Toiyabe have been administratively reorganized many times, and include parts of several defunct national forests. Ruby Mountains National Forest was established on May 3, 1906 by Theodore Roosevelt. Independence National Forest was established on November 5 that same year. On March 2, 1907, Toiyabe National Forest was created. On July 1, 1908, Monitor and Toquima National Forests were added, followed by Moapa National Forest on July 15, 1915. In 1932, Toiyabe National Forest was merged into Nevada National Forest; the name was discontinued. Toiyabe National Forest was reestablished in May 1938 from portions of the Humboldt and Nevada reserves. Mono National Forest was divided between Toiyabe and Inyo National Forest in 1945, and Nevada National Forest was split between Humboldt and Toiyabe National Forests on October 1, 1957. The Mount Charleston Division, which was originally part of Nevada National Forest and was transferred to Dixie National Forest in 1916, was re–designated as part of Toiyabe National Forest.
Humboldt and Toiyabe National Forests were administratively joined almost four decades later in 1995 during President Bill Clinton's administration. Although managed since as a single entity, the two forests remain legally and geographically separated.
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