Virginia City is an unincorporated community that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada, United States. It is part of the Reno–Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Virginia City is one of the oldest established communities in Nevada. Like many cities and towns in the state, Virginia City was a
mining boomtown; in fact it is one of the most famous boomtowns in the Old West,as it appeared virtually overnight as a result of the
Comstock Lode silver strike of 1859. During its peak, Virginia City had a population of over 30,000 residents and was called the richest city in America. During the 20 years following the Comstock success "about $400 million was taken out of the ground."
When the Comstock Lode ended in 1898, the city's population declined sharply. Most of the miners who came to the city were
Cornish or
Irish.
The mining operations were hindered due to the extreme temperatures in the mines caused by natural hot springs. The miners would snowshoe to work and then descend into the high temperatures. This contributed to the low life expectancy. Adolph Sutro built the Sutro Tunnel in support of the mining operations. The tunnel drained the water to the valley below (Carson City). Conceived in 1860, it wasn't completed until many years later, after much of the silver mining had already been completed. From its creation in 1859 to 1875, there were five widespread fires. The 1875 fire, dubbed the Great Fire of 1875, caused $12,000,000 in damages.
Virginia City and Mark Twain
Virginia City could be considered the "birthplace" of Mark Twain, as it was here in February 1863 that writer Samuel Clemens, then a reporter on the local Territorial Enterprise newspaper, first used his famous pen name.
Virginia City historical documents point out that Clemens was "mugged" on November 10, 1863, as he walked over the hill from the south while returning to Virginia City. The muggers relieved Mr. Clemens of his watch and of his money. The robbery turns out to have been a practical joke played on Sam Clemens by his "friends," to give him "material" to write about. He did not appreciate the joke, but at least he got his belongings back (especially his gold watch worth $300), which had great sentimental value to him.
Sam Clemens mentioned the incident in his own book Roughing It, (published Feb 1872) – and he was still sore about it.
Virginia City today
Historic District
Virginia City was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961. This in effect created a Virginia City Historic District.
Today, Virginia City is but a shadow of its former glory, however, it still draws over 2 million visitors per year. It is the nation's largest
In 2004, Zak Bagans, Nick Groff, and Aaron Goodwin filmed their paranormal investigations at reportedly haunted locations in Virginia City for their 2006 documentary Ghost Adventures.
Music
Buster Blue recorded their 2nd album
"When the Silver's Gone" at Pipers Opera House in Virginia City in January 2010.
The album was produced and recorded by
Zak Girdis and Kevin Bosley. It was the first album to be recorded at the historic opera house.
"Darcy Farrow", a folk song written by Steve Gillette and Tom Campbell mentions Virginia City and other places and landmarks in the area (including Yerington, the Carson Valley, and the Truckee River). The most popular version was performed by John Denver.
Notable residents
John Brayshaw Kaye - The poet and politician, worked in the town in the 19th century.
Albert Abraham Michelson - who became the first American to receive the Nobel Prize in Physics (1907) grew up in this rough mining town (in 1850's /1860'), where his father was a merchant.
Other
In the 1950s, two Virginia City neighbors got into a dispute. When one of the men built a new house, the other bought the lot next to it and built a house less than twelve inches (305 mm) from his neighbor's
house in spite to deprive the neighbor of both view and breeze.
The Virginia City Spite House still is standing and occupied.
Notes
References
Rinella, Heidi Knapp, Off The Beaten Path: Nevada, Guildford, CT: The Globe Pequot Press, 2007 ISBN 978-0-7627-4204-2
Thomson, David, In Nevada: The Land, The People, God, and Chance, New York: Vintage Books, 2000. ISBN 0-679-77758-X
External links
Virginia City, Nevada and the Comstock Lode website
Virginia City, Nevada official site
VisitRenoTahoe.com - Virginia City pages
Three Historic Nevada Cities: Carson City, Reno, Virginia City, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary
Virginia & Truckee Railroad: Information about the historic railroad between Virginia City and Reno
Category:Unincorporated communities in Nevada
Category:History of Storey County, Nevada
Category:Mark Twain
Category:County seats in Nevada
Category:Populated places established in 1859
Category:Reno–Sparks metropolitan area
Category:Paranormal places
Category:Storey County, Nevada
