Virginia City
VIRGINIA CITY
VIRGINIA CITY, the largest and most famous of Nevada's early mining towns, came into existence in 1859. By 1861, when Congress organized Nevada Territory, it was a town of importance with a population of more than 3,000. It was incorporated as a city in 1864, and by the 1870s, its population had grown to about 30,000. The city declined in the 1880s when the ores of the great Comstock mining region failed. Disincorporated, Virginia City was eventually abandoned and became a ghost town. A number of buildings were preserved or restored, however, which makes Virginia City a popular tourist attraction.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
James, Ronald M., and C. Elizabeth Raymond, eds. Comstock Women: The Making of a Mining Community. Reno: University of Nevada Press, 1998.
James, Ronald M. The Roar and the Silence: A History of Virginia City and the Comstock Lode. Reno: University of Nevada Press, 1998.
Rupert N.Richardson/a. e.
See alsoBonanza Kings ; Boomtowns ; Comstock Lode ; Gold Mines and Mining ; Mining Towns ; Nevada .