Nevada Territory passed a law in November 1861 making dueling punishable by imprisonment for 2-10 years for both parties.
Samuel Clemens (1835-1910) came to Nevada in 1861, and spent a year prospecting. On 6 July 1862, he started working for the Virginia City Daily Territorial Enterprise, and first used "Mark Twain" as a byline on 3 Feb 1863 in a humorous letter to the editor. He moved to San Francisco on 29 May 1864, but continued as a correspondent until 1866.