The old west is a fascinating period in history, it is full of many adventures and events that shaped the modern world we live in and the towns and cities throughout the west.
Wooden board walks, false fronts and saloons are just a few characteristics of the old west architecture that can be seen when traveling to Virginia city. The town is famous for its classic western look and has had many films and tv shows shot there.
In this blog we discuss the historic frontier town of Virginia City and look at what happened through out the years. There is too much to cover in one post so there will be more written about it in the future. Lots of crazy things went down here and the history is well preserved.
Washoe Club in Virginia City Nevada
Up in the Carson Mountains is a town with an infamous history of mining, whiskey, violence, betrayal and adventure. This place is Virginia City Nevada, a wild west town that stands today as a monument to the old west. It is known as the most haunted city in North America and has many crazy stories throughout its history.
Initially founded after placer gold was discovered, it would ultimately become famous for the huge silver deposits that were nearby. This blue clay ore was a mix of gold and silver and would help the United States fund the civil war for the Union. The “Comstock Lode” would become the primary source of silver and gold; Virginia City was the town which sprang up to support mining operations.
Nevada is known as the “Battle Born State” because it joined the union during the civil war. The silver that came from Virginia City helped finance the union’s efforts during the civil war and would make the United States very rich, allowing for many economic opportunities. Gold was initially discovered here but silver become the desired commodity as it was much more abundant. There was much more silver than gold here and thus the focus was shifted to silver. America would use the silver to create currency and develop the economy.
In June of 1859, the Comstock lode was discovered by Peter O’Reily and Patrick Mclaughlin. It was the largest silver deposit the state of Nevada and North America. Virginia City grew in a huge way reaching 25,000 in the mid-1870s. The current population of Virginia City is 787 now as of a 2020 census. The town still retains much of it character from those days of the rush. This rush was separate from the California Gold Rush
hHenry Comstock was a Canadian pioneer who was a charlatan in the purest sense. He was a swindler who managed to convince the discovery claim finders that they were on his land. Comstock told them to cut him in on the profits, the land was not his and he was scamming them. Comstock was a crazy character with an eccentric personality. He was not an experienced miner or prospector but had perfected the art of being a conman.
All throughout the area there are hard rock mines driven into the mountain side. There are also mines in the town itself. The Ponderosa mine is a hard rock mine that is in the back of a saloon. The mine does tours to show people what it was like to be in an underground mine. The saloon was also previously a bank of California location where gold, silver and other valuables were kept. There is a bank vault in the middle of the saloon that you can walk inside to get a sense of what it was like back in the 1870s. The bank served the town as it was a place of commerce and trade.
In the back of the Ponderosa Saloon
The ore bodies of the Comstock lode were huge and required a new method of mining to safely work in. Square set timber was a method of shoring for supporting underground mines here. Philip Diedescheimer was a mining engineer who designed the system. It consisted of sets of timbers built in a square formation every few feet creating a series of boxes that rise up in the shape of the mine. As the miners chase the ore body, they would build more square sets and install them to prevent cave ins and collapse.
These mines would go deep down into the earth and created some unique issues for the miners. Due to the geo-thermal activity and extreme operating depths, miners worked in heat up 140F and were subjected to incredible stress. They were given ice allotments to help keep them cool and were issued special mining overalls that could be adjusted for heat. Frequent breaks were required as miners could only last for small segments at a time. They were some of the highest paid workers in the country at the time earning $4.00/day in the 1870s.
They took great pride in their work and the job was considered prestigious and was respected by many in the region. There were accidents, cave ins, fires and many other hazards that these men braved to extract the ore from the depths. This allowed for rapid growth of Virginia City, turning it into a hub for mining in the region. These mines required ventilation and they used the suction from surface inlet pipes to push air down into the mine to ventilate it. Working by candle light in the depths of a mountain in 100F heat is not something any of us could understand in modern times.
Instead of water, which was a limited resource in the desert, the miners would drink whiskey instead. The average miner would drink two pints of whiskey per shift. Now imagine the conditions of heat and heavy labour and consider that alcohol dehydrates you. It is crazy to imagine workers consuming that much alcohol at any time but with those conditions we can only imagine the level of thirst and dehydration they experienced. The 1870s was a hard time to be alive and this job was infamous for its hardships.
Entrance to the Ponderosa Mine
Once the miners finished their shift, they would head to the surface to relax and unwind before another day of grueling labour. This is where the saloons, brothels and gambling houses would make their money. Miners would spend lots of money drinking and gambling, which in turn made many store owners rich. Merchants in gold rush towns had a saying of “mining the miners”. This was very much the case in many towns and made a lot of merchants very rich in the process. This in turn stimulated further economic growth and allowed the town to expand further.
Life in Virginia City was hectic; the town was constantly bustling with activity. Hotels and saloons were abundant all over town and provided a much-needed reprieve for miners and travelers. They provided a place for people to gather and share news of events that were happening. Brothels were another establishment that were very prominent in Virginia City. There were various storefronts selling various types of goods that were needed for life in the desert.
Bank Of California Bank Vault
Virginia city is famously haunted, the entire area experiences paranormal activity and has some interesting case studies. These events have been documented on TV in the show Ghost Hunters. There is a tourism industry based around ghost hunting in the town. People can rent detectors to look for paranormal anomalies, some areas are particularly haunted. Many stories circulate through town about paranormal events that people have experienced.
There is no shortage of things to do and explore when visiting Virginia City. Museums, saloons, historic monuments, mine tours and beautiful scenery are just a few things you can experience when exploring Virginia City. These places have a unique architecture which is found in frontier North America. The many historic building around town have crazy and thrilling stories to tell of life in the old west.
Traveling through the desert is a surreal experience at times. The environment is hostile and unforgiving. There is vast sections of nothing but sage brush and dust which makes traveling through, an intense experience even for the modern-day traveler.
Reno is the closest big city which is located near of Virginia city as well as Carson City which is smaller but has hotsprings! I would highly recommend taking a trip to Virgina City to check out the history and culture.