Virginia City is located southeast of Reno and northwest of Carson City, Nevada. In 1859 Pat McLaughlin and Peter O'Reilly discovered gold at the head of Six Mile Canyon. Henry Comstock claimed that their discovery was on his land. Shortly after this discovery, James Finney made another gold strike nearby. Finney, born in Virginia, was known locally as "Old Virginny." One night, after imbibing a considerable amount of whiskey he christened the community Old Virginny Town. Mining for Finney's gold was made difficult by a sticky omnipresent blue mud which at first discouraged the miners. Within a short time, however, it was determined that the blue mud was very rich silver ore. Enthusiasm for gold turned into a wild rush for silver and turned Virginny Town into Virginia City. In its prime, Virginia City was the most important city between Denver and San Francisco and boasted a population of 30,000 very active citizens. The Comstock Lode produced many millions and made men like Lucky Baldwin, William Ralston, George Hearst, Leland Stanford and many others wealthy men. Comstock investments fueled the construction of the City of San Francisco. Comstock wealth helped President Abraham Lincoln finance the Civil War and led to Nevada becoming a state in 1864 even though there were not enough people living in the territory to qualify for statehood. Today the core of Virginia City is maintained as a National Historical District. it should be on your short list of Must Visits.
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