Virginia City was the first “ghost town” I visited in Nevada. I was there twice - in 2015 and in 2017. This post will contain photos from both trips.
Don’t think Virginia City can be concidered a ghost town - there are a bunch of people still living there and a lot of local businesses - bars, shops, etc.
Mark Twain is arguably Virginia City’s most famous early resident. He developed his writing style and adopted his famous penname in an almost two-year stay in booming Virginia City from late 1862 to May, 1864. (2) He worked for the local paper and his novel “Roughing It” is set in and around the city.
Some people are malicious enough to think that if the devil were set at liberty and told to confine himself to Nevada Territory, he would…get homesick and go back to hell again.
Mark Twain, a Biography
Virginia City was known as the Queen of the Comstock, the internationally famous mining district. Founded in 1859, the settlement was the focus of a gold rush and within a year, it became the region’s largest community, a status it maintained in Nevada into the 1890s.
It grown very fast during the silver boom and had much more residents than other towns in the region - Virginia City population increased from 4,000 in 1862 to over 15,000 in 1863 and 25000 in 1873. Obviously, population was highly dependent on the mines output, as majority of the residents were coming here to build up their wealth.
Found an old photo where you can see the church:
And moder one for comparison:
Town’s name origins
According to folklore, James Fennimore, “Old Virginny Finney,” christened the town when he tripped and broke a bottle of whiskey at a saloon entrance in the northern section of Gold Hill, soon to become Virginia City.[6]
In another story, the “Ophir Diggings”, were named in honor of “Old Virginny” by the miners, in recognition of James Finney being “one of the first discoverers of that mining locality, and one of the most successful prospectors in that region.”
Red Dog Saloon
The Red Dog Saloon is a bar and live music venue located in the isolated, old-time mining town of Virginia City, Nevada which played an important role in the history of the psychedelic music scene. I was interested in this place, as I heard that Janis Joplin was singing here with Big Brother and the Holding Company.
Virginia city today
