Legacy of the Comstock Lode

Because Carson City is the state capitol, that’s the site of the biggest Nevada Day parade, set for Oct. 30. Carson City has its own worthwhile attractions, including the Nevada State Museum with its exceptional collections such as Indian baskets, unusual firearms and the original branch of the Nevada State Railroad Museum. It has comfortable accommodations and great restaurants, making Carson City a logical base camp for exploring this region.

But little Virginia City, with only 1,000 people or so, is what recently drew me and two of my daughters to visit. The principal town of the Comstock Lode boom, it remains legendary and makes sure visitors enjoy encountering that legend.

The Virginia City National Historic Landmark is the largest federally designated historic district in the United States, but a 10-minute walk from the center of town will get you just about anywhere you want to go. And walking is clearly the best way to experience the covered wooden sidewalks and welcoming shop windows. In the 1860s and ’70s, Virginia City’s buildings and streets were designed for pedestrians.

After rich deposits of gold and silver were discovered in 1859, fortune seekers swarmed over the hills and established the town on the slopes of Mount Davidson. Its population reached 20,000 by the mid-1870s, Even in such a remote area, the original tents were soon augmented by dozens of wood-and-stone saloons, stores, restaurants and whatever other establishments were needed for a prospering city. There were opium dens and, of course, a flourishing red light district.

Soon named the Comstock Lode, the ore body here was the richest silver district ever found in the United States. Over about 20 years, it produced more than $400 million in silver and gold. It would be worth billions today, but it’s hard to translate into modern dollars because the value of those metals kept changing as the miners dug. The Comstock’s vast production drove down the price of silver, which not only contributed to the demise of other Nevada mining towns but was also a factor when, for about five years beginning in 1873, the United States abandoned silver as one of the two metals backing its currency.

The best place to start any visit is at the Virginia City Convention and Tourism Authority on C Street, Virginia City’s main drag. Not only does it provide information on what’s going on but will also get you discounts on tickets for tours as well as at various stores. If you are fortunate to visit when "Diamond Jim" is working, you will get a taste of what to expect from many town folk, welcoming and charming, and clad in high leather boots and other attire of the boom era.

Each volunteer in the local "Living Legends" docent program dresses as a character from Virginia City’s past or invents one who could have existed in that time and place. Of course, you’ll find plenty of salty prospectors, but you’ll also see elegantly attired "Silver Kings" and all grades of costume between. One woman we saw had accessorized her low-bosomed dress with a pistol, carried at the ready in her decollete.

Don’t be shy in talking to any of these volunteers. Answering your questions is why they are there.

Our first stop was the Virginia & Truckee Railroad Depot. One train was loaded to the brim with passengers for its 35-minute round-trip to nearby Gold Hill. Just minutes later, steam engine No. 18 chugged its way into the station after a 16-mile trip from Carson City, pulling two beautifully restored 1914 Pullman cars. As passengers from the sold-out trip unloaded to waiting trolleys and golf carts, we met the railroad’s operator, Tom Gray. He showed us around inside one of the Pullman cars. "Each car took about one year to refurbish," he said. "It was a labor of love." He was especially proud of the wicker seats and the old baggage racks above.

While in the area, it’s worth visiting the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City, a mecca for railroad buffs. We had been there the previous day, seeing a fine collection of about 65 railroad cars and locomotives, including 31 pieces that operated on the famous V&T. We got to see the newly restored Mckeen Motor Car out for a short and rare excursion. The V&T purchased this gasoline-powered rail car in 1910 to provide passenger service from Carson City to Minden. It features round portholes and a "wind splitter" design in the front. Only about 150 were built, and few still exist.

During the boom, between 1873 and 1881, close to 50 trains a day came in and out of Virginia City, hauling ore from the mines to quartz reduction mills at Silver City and Carson River locations. Some of that silver was turned into coins at the Carson City Mint, which operated between 1870 and 1893. The mint building now houses the Nevada State Museum, which still contains a press that made the coins.

After talking with Gray, we headed back up to the main area of town but stopped to visit a young camel named Buddy in a small corral by the depot. We bought two paper cups of camel food, but when Charlotte approached to offer him the snack, Buddy thought her colorful neck scarf looked tastier. Much to her chagrin, he bit a small piece from it.

For the next couple of hours, we guided ourselves around town. The Territorial Enterprise Building, built in 1876, served as the home of Nevada’s first newspaper. The Territorial Enterprise got started in Genoa in 1858 but moved to Virginia City in 1860.

Samuel L. Clemens came to town in 1861 and wrote for the newspaper. It was here that he first used the pen name Mark Twain. His humorous book "Roughing it" contains great tales of Virginia City, including his experiences as a newsman and his unsuccessful career as a prospector.

The brick three-story Mackay Mansion, built in 1860, is named after John Mackay, one of the area’s "Silver Kings." Here you will find mining artifacts, original furniture and silverware from Tiffany.

When tired of walking, one can take a popular horse-drawn carriage ride or a narrated trolley tour. But we chose a stagecoach.

This is one of Virginia City’s newest attractions and fearlessly authentic. Don’t expect a laid-back, narrated tour. This is a 10-minute toothrattle over rough terrain, in a 3,000-pound vehicle designed in the 19th century and pulled by four strong horses.

As soon as we were seated and the door closed, off we went with a jerk, turning to the right up a steep rise. At the zenith of this grade, the driver made a hairpin turn, and back down the hill we went, as fast as 16 stocky legs could haul us. The driver said we were probably going about 25 mph. That figure doesn’t look big in print, but imagine how it felt, seated on barely-padded bench seats in a cramped vehicle without shock absorbers. And imagine how it sounded, with wooden doors rattling, reins and whips popping, horses whinnying and snorting and striking sparks from stony earth. And imagine the emotion when I looked out my window and saw a sheer drop that looked to be about 500 feet, with the rim only a couple of feet from the wheels. I am not sure if there are such things as safe driving rules for stagecoaches, but I am pretty sure this trip wouldn’t have met them. Once we’d survived all this perceived danger, however, it made the memory more fun.

With a renewed appreciation of pedestrian travel, we strolled off in search of a few more historic buildings. Pipers Opera House was built in 1885 and is still in use. An extensive renovation has brought it back to its former elegance, and perhaps the state in which President Grant, Al Jolson or Mark Twain might have seen it.

The Storey County Courthouse, finished in 1877, is the oldest continuously operating courthouse in Nevada. It is interesting to ponder why the statue of Justice here, unlike all others I have seen, is not blindfolded.

The Historic Fourth Ward School and Museum is another highlight. This impressive four-story building with a mansard roof was built in 1876 in the Second Empire architectural style and if necessary could accommodate more than 1,000 children. It was used as a school until 1936. Closed, it fell into disrepair, but preservation groups and a concerned community — with the help of some grant money — renovated it. It reopened in 1986.

One 1870s classroom contains 50 original desks, a pot-bellied stove and an organ. The floor shows wear from the constant tread of children’s shoes, made of hard leather in those days. Other rooms featured historic displays about mining, and one featured historic photos and memorabilia of the school’s alumni.

The Chollar Mine was our next stop. We joined our guide and about 10 others to travel single file into the tunnel. The floor was muddy, and ceilings were so low in places you had to duck down. With so many people, it was a bit claustrophobic. The most interesting part of the tour was being able to see the system of timbering, developed in 1860, to support a wider area and access to more veins. A young German engineer, Philipp Deidesheimer, was behind this invention, and it became an international standard for decades. Unfortunately, he never patented it, so he never profited from it.

There are plenty of annual events in Virginia City, some of them offbeat Americana you won’t find elsewhere. The World Championship Outhouse Races takes place in October. Costumed racers in decorated outhouses are pushed, pulled or sometimes dragged down the track. For more absurd fun throughout the year, there are also camel races and the town’s Mountain Oyster Festival, where cooked sheep testicles are the specialty.

Life on the Comstock was cruel for most, but one thing made it bearable: hope. A given newcomer probably would remain poor but had at least a small chance to strike it rich.

And for those who didn’t get rich, there was sometimes fame. The two most important names here are Virginia and Comstock. The town was named for his home state by James "Old Virginny" Finney. And the rich body of silver ore took its name from Henry H.P. "Pancake" Comstock. Both sold their claims too early, for a couple of thousand each. But 150 years later, millions know their names, while some of the silver kings lie in forgotten graves.