Not far from Reno sits the little town of Virginia City.  Not only is it the "City" in the show "Bonanza", it was also the site of the greatest silver strikes in the US... the venerated "Comstock" strike, which is named for a person who erroneously claimed to be the discoverer.

The entire town is a historic national landmark... for good reason!

A little bit of historical trivia surprised me when I visited... Mark Twain, then still known as Samuel Clemens, lived in this town, and made a living here as a reporter for the local newspaper, and started his writing career from this wild west town.  He moved away after being robbed at gunpoint while heading home after work. 

As you pull into town, you can't help but see the cemetery... at the height of the silver boom days, two men a day were being buried here... Virginia City was a VERY rough town! 

The city has managed to preserve its 'old style' look... these buildings, when they were built, were the best that money could buy.
 

Over 700 miles of mine shafts snake under the city.  So much silver was being mined, that the Federal Reserve set up a mint in nearby Carson City, which became the capital city of Nevada.

A lot of the silver mining lore remains in the town... everything from powder carts to Assay kilns. 
 

Outside the museum in the center of town, the old water mains are stacked up in an old wagon.

Doesn't seem like it'd have worked... but apparently, these were replaced after nearly 70 years of operation... 
 

The museum is a lot of fun... lots of history, and lots of exhibits of equipment that you don't run across very often... like this rock crusher... I could have spent a whole day looking around in there...

Horsing around on the boardwalks...

Even with the cars, you get a feeling that you're in the old west when you walk along the sidewalks...

The history is amazing!  The various tidbits you get are quite incredible, also... like did you know that Virginia City had the first Elevator between California and Chicago?
 

 
This train takes you on a tour of the city, and the surrounding area.  I didn't have the opportunity to ride on it... all the more reason to go back - as if I needed one! 

Added in 2008

 < back to NV