Virginia City Nevada

Virginia City is a survivor of the of the Silver Boom from the Comstock Load the the current county seat for Storey County, Nevada. The town developed as a boomtown where silver is discovered in 1859.

View of Virginia City, Nevada, from a nearby hillside, 1867–68
View of Virginia City, Nevada, from a nearby hillside, 1867–68

Following the discovery of Silver at Comstock, Virginia City grew to be the most important industrial city between San Francisco and Denver. The town boasts some 25,000 citizens at its height. The silver pulled from deep within in the Virginia Mountains helps the Union finance the Civil War.

Piper's Opera House, one of the largest venues for theater and performance on the Comstock. - - University of California, Davis. Dept. of Special Collections.
Piper’s Opera House, one of the largest venues for theater and performance on the Comstock. – – University of California, Davis. Dept. of Special Collections.

Fire

Like many of the old mining camps, Virginia City is built utilizing a lot of lumber. This made the structures very vulnerable to fire., when the wind and dry climates, dry the wood and turn the structures into tinderboxes. Virginia City survived five fires, and on October 26th, 1875, the Great Fire consumed much of the town. The Historical Marker claims the fire is started by “coal oil lamp was knocked over in a nearby boarding house and burst into flames”, however papers report at the time “The fire began in a small lodging-house kept by Kate Shay, alias Crazy Kate, a woman of ill repute.”

Samuel Clemens

Samuel Langhorne Clemens September 1-2, 1867, Pera, Constantinople
Samuel Langhorne Clemens September 1-2, 1867, Pera, Constantinople

Perhaps, Virginia City’s most famous past citizen is Samuel Clemens, better known by his pen name, Mark Twain. Twain began his career in writing by publishing news stories for the Virginia City newspaper, Territorial Enterprise.

Clemens moved to Nevada following his brother Orion. Samuel spent his first year prospecting for gold and silver. Like many miners, his success is limited. In the need to a turn of fortune and money, he accepted a job for the Territorial Enterprise and began to document the hustle and bustle of the busy frontier mining town.

In 1864, Clemens travelled into California and wrote his first published short story, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County“. The success from this one classic western tail launched the career of one of the countries greatest writers.

Virginia City Today

Today, Virginia City survives on a seasonal tourism industry. The town features many old buildings with great architectures. The  Bucket of Blood Saloon, the Delta Saloon with the Old Globe, the Bonanza Saloon with the Suicide Table, the Silver Queen, and the Red Dog Saloon are a few places to visit and have a beer or perhaps gamble some.

Town Summary

NameVirginia City
LocationStorey County, Nevada
Latitude, Longitude39.3070, -119.6553
Elevation6,150 feet
Post Office
NewspapersTerritorial Enterprise
National Historic Landmark66000458

Virginia City Map

Virginia City is located on Highway 341 about thirty miles south east of Reno. The city is found at 6,100 feet above sea level in the Virginia Mountain range.

References

Virginia City Points of Interest

William A G Brown - Owner of the Boston Saloon, Virginia City, Nevada

African Americans and the Boston Saloon – Nevada State Historic Marker

William A G Brown - Owner of the Boston Saloon, Virginia City, Nevada African Americans and the Boston Saloon - NSHM #266 is a Nevada…
"Mining on the Comstock", depicting the headframes and mills of the various mines, and mining technology used at Comstock, most prominently the method of square-set timbering developed there to work the veins. -T.L. Dawes (drawing); Le Count Bros., San Fransisco (lithographers)

Chollar Mine – Nevada State Historic Marker

The Chollar Mine is a historic gold mine and Nevada State Historic Marker Number 209, located in Virginia City, Nevada, United States. The mine was…
Piper's Opera House, one of the largest venues for theater and performance on the Comstock. - - University of California, Davis. Dept. of Special Collections.

Piper’s Opera House – Nevada State Historic Marker

Piper’s Opera House is Nevada State Historic Marker #235 and is located in Virginia City, Storey County Nevada. This building, the most significant vintage theatre…
Samuel Langhorne Clemens September 1-2, 1867, Pera, Constantinople

Samuel Langhorne Clemens – “Mark Twain”

Before he wrote American classic novels as Mark Twain, Samuel Langhorne Clemens was a miner and newpaper reporter in Mineral County, Nevada. Prior to picking…
Savage Mansion, Virginia City, Nevada

Savage Mansion – Nevada State Historic Marker

Savage Mansion is Nevada State Historic Marker #87 and located in Historic Virginia City, Storey County, Nevada. Virginia City is a wonderful little town to…
"Mining on the Comstock", depicting the headframes and mills of the various mines, and mining technology used at Comstock, most prominently the method of square-set timbering developed there to work the veins. -T.L. Dawes (drawing); Le Count Bros., San Fransisco (lithographers)

The Comstock Lode – Nevada State Historic Monument

The Comstock Lode – NSHM #13 is Nevada State Historic Marker #13 and located in Historic Virginia City, Storey County, Nevada. Virginia City is a wonderful…
Virginia City, Nevada in 1866

The Great Fire of 1875 – Nevada State Historic Marker

The Great Fire of 1875, in Virginia City is Nevada State Historic Marker Number 228 and located in Virginia City, Nevada. With the Comstock Load…
Built in 1872, the Virginia & Truckee No. 11, the "Reno" was the V&T's first true passenger engine. It was the pride of the fleet, and was assigned to the pull the "Lightning Express," the V&T's premier train in the 1800s. The engine was damaged by a fire in 1995, and is currently undergoing restoration by the V&T.

Virginia and Truckee Railroad

The Virginia and Truckee Railroad is a historic railway in Nevada, renowned for its role in transporting ore during the Comstock Lode mining boom of…

Aurora Nevada – Mineral County Ghost Town

Aurora, Nevada is a ghost town in Mineral County about twenty eight miles southwest of Hawthorne, near the California border. Aurora is often mentioned as a footnote to larger better preserved town on Bodie, CA located just a few miles away.  Like most unprotected ghost towns today the town site is a just a remnant of its past, having lost much through heavy damage from vandals over the years.

The road leading into Aurora was once a 4×4 road and difficult to make it back into Aurora. Often the winter snows and spring rains rutted out the road leading to the town.

Aurora, CA photograph from the 1930's
Aurora, CA photograph from the 1930’s

Aurora was founded in 1860 by J.M Corey, James N Braley, and E.R Hicks while prospecting south west towards Mono Lake.  The “Eureka” moment came when gold and silver quartz was found while searching for water and game. Soon the word was out, and a migration of miners came up from Monoville and several other California towns.  Like many boom towns, Auroras population reach about 1,400 by 1861 and just one year later was almost 6,000.  Aurora boaster an 8 position stamp mill and the ore was hauled from the town via Wells, Fargo and Company. The town was constructed mainly from brick, as wood is a scare and finite resource in the area.

Aurora, Nevada as it existed in the 1800s
Aurora, Nevada as it existed in the 1800s

The Esmeralda Star was the town paper when the town reach is maximum population of 10,000. Life is town was rough and conditions were very harsh.   The territories of both California and Nevada tried to lay claim to the newly prized Aurora and in the spring of 1861, Mono County was founded by California, which fixed the seat of the county in the little town of Aurora.  Not to be outdown, in November of 1861, Nevada setup the head quarters of Esmeralda County in Aurora.  This dual county seat arrangement lasted for two years during which time both California and Nevada maintained two different county and exercised jurisdiction concurrently.

Aurora after 1910, when the town was first connected to electrical power.
Aurora after 1910, when the town was first connected to electrical power.

To settle the issue, Nevada and California jointly commissioned a survey to finally settle the issue and established the location of the border.  During the elections held in September 1863 Aurora had the distinction of voting in two elections.  The Mono County voting was held in the police station and voters could walk over to Armory Hall to vote in the Esmeralda county elections for Nevada.  Three weeks after the election, the survey results came in and Aurora was officially 4 miles inside the state of Nevada.  The Mono County Officials loaded up their records and assets into Wagons and moved the seat to Bodie, CA some 10 miles to the south west.

Samuel Langhorne Clemens September 1-2, 1867, Pera, Constantinople
Samuel Langhorne Clemens September 1-2, 1867, Pera, Constantinople

1862 found a young Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) in town for several months looking the make his fortune.  During his stay he worked as a laborer in the stamp mill for $10 a week including board.  The young Mr. Clemens quickly gave up mining and sent several lively sketches to the Territorial Enterprise located in Virginia City.  Several weeks later Samual Clemens was hired by the Enterprise where he adopted his pen name, and Mark Twain was born.

Today there is not much standing at Aurora
Today there is not much standing at Aurora

In 1863 Aurora is pictured as a cluster of huts made of stone, sheltered by canvas or tin roofs, with streets of wooden buildings , and many substantial brick structures near the center of town, and uncountable tents and dugouts in the surrounding hils. About 5,000 persons lived in these makeshift shelters and in the 700 houses, and enjoyed the services provided by the hotels , churches, 20 stores, 22 saloons and 16 quartz mills .

National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form – July 30, 1974

As with many gold towns, Aurora life was bright and short. Shallow mines could not support the town of 22 saloons and 20 stores and mismanagement and poor investments doomed the small town.  There was virtually no family life in the town. Prostitutes made up over 50% of the female population and by 1870 the gold and silver was gone, and the town soon faltered officially closing the post office in 1897.

A resurgence of Aurora started in 1906 when mining resumed in the area.  A post office was again opened to serve several hundred people, and a weekly called the Aurora Borealis was the paper of record.  During the revitalization of Aurora, the Aurora Consolidated Mining Co. claimed 1.8 million dollars in gold during World War I.  However, in 1919 the post office closed again and the town faded into history.  After World War II much of the brick town was demolished to satisfy the demand for the used brick market in 1946.

Remains of Aurora bricks found deep in the undergrowth.
Remains of Aurora bricks found deep in the undergrowth.

The site of Aurora is all but gone and consisting of little more than a cross roads, a cemetery and a few foundations.

Aurora Town Summary

NameAurora
LocationMineral County, Nevada
Latitude, Longitude38.2871421, -118.9006963
GNIS858760
Elevation7400 feet
Post Office – 1919
NewpapersEsmeralda Star May 17, July 5, Sept 20, 1862; Nov 18, Dec 30, 1863
Aurora Daily Times Nov 27, 28, 30, Dec 1, 9, 11, 12, 1863; July 11, Oct 7, 1864
Esmeralda Daily Union Mar 23, 1864 – Mar 15, 1865; Nov 27, 1867 – Oct 3, 1868
Esmeralda Herald Oct 20, 1877 – July 29, 1882; Aug 18, 1883 – Apr 19, 1884
Aurora Borealis Dec 3, 1905

Aurora Trail Map

Aurora Personalities

Samuel Langhorne Clemens September 1-2, 1867, Pera, Constantinople

Samuel Langhorne Clemens – “Mark Twain”

Before he wrote American classic novels as Mark Twain, Samuel Langhorne Clemens was a miner and newpaper reporter in Mineral County, Nevada. Prior to picking…

Further Reading

Aurora, Nevada 1860-1960: Mining Camp, Frontier City, Ghost Town

This expanded Second Edition of Aurora, Nevada 1860-1960 chronicles the history of one of Nevada’s earliest and most important mining boomtowns. It is a reference-oriented…
Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps - By Stanley W. Paher

Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps

Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps - By Stanley W. Paher Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps is a wonderful book written by Stanley W.…

Resources