For almost one hundred years Nevada was the least populous state in the United States. The 1960 Census was the first time Nevada wasn't the least populous state, and that was only because Alaska was even less populous, although Nevada has rapidly increased in population since then. How plausible would it be for the state to be admitted into the Union after 1864, especially after the admission of Arizona and New Mexico (the last of the contiguous 48 states) in 1912?