Virginia City: (From AAA) With 30,000 residents and more than 100 saloons the Virginia City of the 1870's was the West's mining metropolis. The Comstock Lode had given the town unequaled prosperity. The ore extracted had an estimated value of at least $232 million, some of which was used to build San Francisco. Notable residents included Mark Twain and Bret Harte who were reporters for the Territorial Enterprise, Nevada's first newspaper. Much as been done to restore Virginia City to its 1870 boom town appearance.
Gold Mine Trolley Ride
We set out by carpool at 9AM for Virginia City, Nevada. It was cool and sunny, and we all looked forward to our "mines" day. Passing the Geiger Summit (6789 feet elevation) we began the decline to Virginia City (6200 feet). Our auto caravan arrived at 10:15AM, parked and visited the Mark Twain Museum. After the museum we were on our own until lunch at Rick’s Hungry Miner.Trolley ride
Don Harton, fellow Monaco owner narrated the tour at the Mark Twain museum
We were each given a Virginia City pass and were on our way! The Trolley and train rides were narrated and gave an in depth review of the area. The trolley gave a 20-minute trip around the town, while the 35-minute train ride concentrated on local mining history and sites. The Way It Was Museum presented pictures, videos, lithographs and models of Comstock history. The historic Fourth Ward School and Museum and the Comstock Gold Mill were popular destinations. One of my favorite destinations was the Piper’s Opera House. This narrated tour created visions and auras of an elegant near past. Although it is in the process of restoration, the opera house is filled with the memorabilia of famous stage personalities from the late 1800’s through the mid 1900’s.
Stan and Barb Jones and Gerri Cederholm waiting for the Train Ride
Beautiful church steeples rose above the mountain-crested skyline of this city that sits atop the Comstock Lode. Thought provoking cemeteries, buildings that survived the 1880’s fires, and many other sites made this a memorable trip.
It would not be a complete tour of Virginia City without visiting one of the many saloons in the heart of the city. We picked one that had a very large window giving us a lovely view of the city and surrounding area. Most of us set out to make stops for dinner in Reno or just return to the RV Park.
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