1859, two prospectors found their first gold. James Finney was known Name as "Old Virginny" to other prospectors in the area. Frank Comstock was his partner. The guess is that Old Virginny was not a very smart man. After he and Frank found their gold, Frank was able to buy out Old Virginny's share of the mine for about $50. Comstock then mined Virginia City - A Boom Town the area himself and earned approximately $40 million. Old Virginny died in1861, but the people of the area decided to name the town after By Jane Runyon him. When you study history, you find that The area became known as the Comstock Lode. In the earliest days, a a great many explorers of new territory miner could earn $3,000 to $4,000 for every ton of dirt he was able to did so for one reason. Many of these dig from his mine. The longest shaft dug was found to go 3,862 feet people came to unknown areas to find below the earth's surface. Silver, almost as valuable as gold, was a way to get rich. Spanish explorers found in the same area. This was a prospector's dream come true. came to the new world when they heard stories of cities made of gold. Prospectors began to flock to the area. What had once been a small, Colonists in the new America dreamed sleepy town, Virginia City now claimed 30,000 people as citizens. of breaking free from debt and earning Some said that it just seemed to explode over night. That's how the riches in the new land. As more and "boom" got into a boom town. As you might expect, there were many more people from around the world people around who decided that they could make money from these moved to the new America, more and miners without actually having to dig for gold. These miners had more moved west to find their "pot of money and needed a way to spend it. Before long, Virginia City had gold." theaters, restaurants, hotels, banks, and stores. They needed police to protect them and firemen to protect their property. Everyone was For some of these pioneers, gold was exactly what they were looking making money. for. Gold was discovered in California in 1849 at Sutter's Mill. That brought an influx of miners, called 49ers, in search of that patch of Nevada became a state in 1861. A railroad was built from Virginia earth that would make them millionaires. Most of them found very City to the state capital of Carson City in 1869. Fire destroyed about little. Some stayed around for years looking. Others moved on to 75% of the town in 1875, but the people were able to rebuild it in just search in other areas. a year and a half. From the time the first gold was discovered in 1859 until 1919, it is estimated that over $700 million worth of gold and Ten years after the California gold rush, gold was found just south of silver were mined around Virginia City. In 1920, the bottom fell out. what is now Virginia City, Nevada. The Grosh brothers were the first Gold and silver became scarcer, and the cost of mining it made it to strike it rich. It didn't take long before other miners heard of their hardly worth the effort. The population of Virginia City went from a luck and moved into the area. At this time, gold mining was still done high of 30,000 to about 1,200. by the placer method. Prospectors would find a creek with flowing water. They would place a pan into a rocky area where they believed You can still visit Virginia City today. You can take a buggy ride they would find gold. They would place the pan in the stream and through the town and hear stories of the days when the town was rich. allow the water to wash the dirt and mud off the rocks. The prospector You can even visit some of the old mines and learn about how gold would examine each rock and decide whether it was a gold nugget or and silver were mined. Who knows, maybe you'll be the next not. prospector to strike it rich. It was discovered that gold formed in veins much like the veins that carry the blood in your body. Prospectors began to dig shafts underground in order to follow and harvest these veins. Larger deposits of gold could be found using this method. In January of 6. What is a boom town? Name Virginia City - A Boom Town Questions 1. Gold was discovered in Virginia City in 1849. 7. How long did Virginia City thrive as a mining town? A. False A. About 100 years B. True B. About 10 years C. About 60 years 2. Why did many people become pioneers exploring new D. About 25 years territory? 8. Miners dug holes in the earth called shafts to follow veins of A. They wanted to become rich. gold. B. They couldn't find other jobs. C. They liked the adventure. A. False D. They were hiding from the law. B. True 3. Describe the placer method of searching for gold. Why did people move west in large numbers in the middle 1800's? What were they looking for? 4. In what state is Virginia City located? A. California B. Texas C. Mexico D. Nevada 5. Who owned the first workable mine in the area? A. Frank Comstock B. James Virginia C. Pecos Bill D. Yosemite Sam What is a "Boom Town"? How did that name come to be? Name.