Virginia City, Montana and beyond
Virginia City is a town in and the county seat of Madison County, Montana, United States.[1] In 1961, the town and the surrounding area was designated a National Historic Landmark District, the Virginia City Historic District. The population was 130 at the 2000 census.
In May 1863, a group of prospectors were headed towards the Yellowstone River and instead came upon a party of the Crow tribe and were forced to return to Bannack. Gold was discovered on the retreat trip when Bill Fairweather stuck a pick near Alder Creek joking he might find something to fund some tobacco.
The prospectors could not keep the site a secret. They were followed on their return to the gold bearing site and set up the town in order to formulate rules about individual gold claims. On June 16, 1863 under the name of Verina the township was formed a mile south of the gold fields. The name was meant to honor Varina Howell Davis, first and only First Lady of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. Verina, although in Union territory, was founded by men whose loyalties were thoroughly Confederate. Upon registration of the name, a Connecticut judge, G. G. Bissell, objected to their choice and recorded it as Virginia City.
In 1864, the Montana Territory was carved out of Idaho Territory. Virginia City, claiming 10,000 citizens, was made the capital of the new territory in 1865. The first public school was built in 1866, but already the most easily accessible gold from placer mining had been exploited and development and population in the territory was moving towards Helena.
wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_City,_Montana
music by 01 - zero-project - 01 - Land of legends
Baldwin Steam Locomotive Fireman Cab Tour
Your engineer/fireman James explains the fireman's cab control manifold on Nevada City's No. 12 Baldwin steam locomotive. James would be happy to give you the same tour if your ever visiting our majestic Nevada or Virginia cities in Southwestern Montana. Close to great fishing, Yellowstone park and incorporating the historic Virginia City and the Nevada City open air museum.
Please come and visit our Alder Gulch mining town.
Find other fascinating things to do in the area by visiting:
Virginia and Nevada Cities...
Where History Lives!
Backroads of Montana: Episode #19 - Alder Gulch to Plentywood (2003)
Backroads of Montana: Episode #19 - Alder Gulch to Plentywood (2003) hosted by Montana TV & Radio personality, William Marcus.
Host William Marcus takes us along for a tour of the Christenot family mill near Alder Gulch and for a ride on the steam train between Virginia City and Nevada City. After a stop to tempt our sweet teeth at the Parrot Confectionary in Helena, we marvel at snow geese flocking in their thousands to Freezout Lake, near Choteau, and at the creations of Plentywood inventor Pat Tange. Finally, we tour the historic Northern Pacific railroad depot in Livingston.
Episode Up-Date -
Dave Duensing, whose family owned the Parrot Confectionery in downtown Helena for 50 years, died after undergoing heart surgery on March 2, 2010. He was 56. The family sold the shop to Brian and Kelly Ackerman in 2009 but agreed to stay on for a year to help them learn the ropes.
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Virginia City, Montana - Bonanza Hotel:The Haunting
Virginia City,Montana - Bonanza Hotel:The Haunting - Ghost Walk. Thank you to our wonderful hostess who took us on a tour of this historical gold mining town of the old west. The original capital of the Montana Territory in 1865 is celebrating its 150th anniversary of the big gold strike at Alder Gulch in 1863. Rich in history, scandal and ghostly stories.
a planetJanet Creation 2013
Nevada City - A Montana Ghost Town - near Virginia City, Montana, MT
Nevada City - A Montana Ghost Town - near Virginia City, Montana
Walk with us through historic Nevada City and Virginia City, Montana spaced only one mile apart. The towns have been restored as an outdoor historical museum, linked by railroad. They are mostly owned by the State of Montana and operated by the Montana Heritage Commission, with more than 90 historic buildings from various places around Montana. Most structures are original but some are re-created. Tour the town in a genuine vintage fire engine complete with warning bell.
Nevada City, Montana [HD] & the infamous music hall!
Nevada City is an old placer mining camp 1½ miles west of Virginia City, Montana.
It began at the same time when gold was discovered in Alder Gulch in 1863. In was one of numerous settlements established along Alder Gulch, surrounding Virginia City, including the camps of Summit, Adobetown, Central City, and Junction scattered up and down the gulch for some 14 miles, was also known as Fourteen-mile City.
Today, the town has been restored as an outdoor historical museum, linked by railroad to the Virginia City Historic District with numerous historic buildings, artifacts, and furnishings. It is owned by the State of Montana and operated by the Montana Heritage Commission, with more than 90 historic buildings from various places around Montana, original Nevada City structures and re-created buildings.
Nevada City is about 27 miles southeast of Twin Bridges, Montana on Highway 287.
wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada_City,_Montana
Train Ride - Montana
Train ride from Virginia City to Nevada City MT
Virginia City, Montana.. Ghost Town
By definition, Virginia City, Montana is a ghost town, yet it is very much alive. Frozen in time, this historic city provides one of the best-preserved examples of the many mining camps of the American West.
Perched high in the Rocky Mountains in a bowl along Alder Gulch, Virginia City got its start when gold was discovered in Alder Gulch in 1863. Planning on keeping their discovery a secret, the men traveled to Bannack, some 60 miles to the southwest, for supplies. However, several sharp-eyed prospectors noticed their gold-filled sacks and when the men returned to Alder Gulch, some 200 miners were following them. News spread quickly and before long the area was flooded with prospectors living in makeshift shacks, tents, caves, or simply sleeping beneath the trees.
In the meantime, the nation was in the midst of the Civil War and though the gold brought emigrants from all over the world, overwhelmingly the influx of miners were rebels” from the South. Just weeks later, on June 16th, a town company began to plat the settlement. The intended on naming the town Verona, a misspelling of Varina,” the wife of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America. However, the newly elected miners' court judge, Dr. G. G. Bissell, was an equally stubborn Unionist who submitted the name Virginia instead.
The majority of avowed secessionists living in the camp, which was then part of Idaho Territory and therefore belonging to the Union, made it primarily a southern” town, with its residents’ sympathies lying with the Confederates. Furthermore, the camp was producing enough gold to win the Civil War for whoever could capture it. Due to this strategic position, President Lincoln soon sent northern emigrants into the mining camp to help hold the gold for the North. This of course caused all kinds of tension in the new city, which quickly became one of the most lawless places in the American West.
Virginia City, Montana With in a year, some 10,000 people were living in a number of mining camps lining the gulch and in 1864 Congress created the new territory of Montana, separating it from Idaho Territory. Bannack, the site of the first gold strike in the area, became the territory’s first capitol. However, just a year later, Virginia City had gained so much influence that the capitol was moved. Rapidly becoming the territory’s social center and transportation hub, the shanties and tents were replaced by permanent buildings and Virginia City became home to Montana's first public school, newspaper, and telegraph.
Virginia City and nearby Nevada City became known as the site of the richest placer gold strike in the Rocky Mountains. In the first three years alone, an estimated $30 million worth of gold was removed from the gulch.
Sheriff Henry Plummer Though a few of the miners made their fortunes in the gold fields, and even more businessmen became wealthy, there was yet another group who planned on gaining riches another way. These were the many road agents operating in the area Though historians dispute this today, the robbers and thieves were said to have been led by none other than the Sheriff, himself – Henry Plummer.
Time after time, miners, freight haulers, and stagecoaches lost anything of value to the bandits lurking about the trails to and from Virginia City. As a result, a secret society of vigilantes was formed to stop the outlaws. Lynchings became the common event of the day as the vigilantes hunted down the road agents, one by one, and stringing them up in the streets of Virginia City and Bannack. Though history now questions whether the many crimes were committed by highwaymen or perhaps the vigilantes, themselves, their is no question that the settlement was extreme in its lawlessness and violence.
No sooner than Virginia City had began to boom, when the city began its gradual decline. When gold was discovered in Last Chance Gulch in what is today Helena, the fickle miners began to move. Though gold continued to be found in the area, by the early 1870’s Virginia City's population had been reduced to only a few hundred. In 1875, the territorial capitol was moved to Helena and Virginia City was on her way to becoming a ghost town.
Wells Fargo Overland Stage Coach Station
Elena and I tour Virginia City, Montana
Alder Gulch Steamer NO. 12
I worked for the state several years ago, this is a video I took of their steam engine.
Virginia City, Montana ~ Territorial Capitol
You might not be asked to sign a paper pledging allegiance to the Union when you enter Virginia City, Montana, but then again you could be. Born during the throes of the Civil War, Virginia City originally had the name Varina, for the wife of Con-federate President Jefferson Davis, and there was real contention in 1864 as Confederates tried to control the gold coming out of Alder Gulch and get it to the South. The Northern supporters rallied, however, and preserved the gold for the Union.
In 1863 when miners found gold in Alder Gulch, the region was a part of the Idaho Territory, but Virginia City became the territorial capital of Montana Territory shortly after it was established on May 26, 1864. (The town replaced Bannack, Montana’s first territorial capital and served until being replaced by Helena, the third territorial and eventual state capital.) Virginia City’s business district grew quickly with the establishment of stores and saloons to serve the 10,000 miners who flocked to the gulch in search of gold.
Geo Talks at Alder Gulch, Montana
This is a just a very short visit to the Alder Gulch region of Montana. It is a fascinating place to visit if you are interested in learning more about placer mining in the Old West.
pictures of Virginia City Montana
Virginia City Montana is one of the gold rush cities. Its a place for any old west history buff. these are pictures I took on one of my trips there in August of 2009.
All of Montana has the deepest pride and affection for Virginia City. No more colorful pioneer mining camp ever existed. Dramatic tales of the early days in this vicinity are legion. Rich placer diggings were discovered in Alder Gulch in the spring of 1863 and the stampede of gold seekers and their parasites was on! Sluices soon lined the gulch and various cities blossomed forth as trading and amusement centers for free handed miners. Virginia City, the best known of these and the sole survivor, became the Capitol of the Territory.
The very much alive ghost town, Virginia City, Montana, is frozen in time. It is a remarkably well preserved old west Victorian gold mining town just 20 miles west of Yellowstone National Park (90 miles by road). When the gold ran out, there was still enough left so that homes and businesses were occupied, but there was not enough wealth to remodel the buildings. So it froze, and now represents the whole Victorian era. It is the true and original Old West. It is a gem, held within an incredibly rich area of natural beauty, recreation and history.
Enjoy! RATE COMMENT SUB!
Trip to authentic Virginia City Montana
We took a trip to an authentic western town (buildings were original from the the 1800's). On the way, we saw the effects of an earthquake in 1959 that toppled the side of a hill and dammed up a river to form 'Quake' Lake. On the way back, we saw some panoramic views of the mountains.
Nevadacity
This summer our family came across a little town called Nevada City in Montana. If you haven't seen this place yet you need to check it out. I put the video together without editing the photos. This will be much better but for now its just to figure out youtube. I will upload something much better soon.
Exploring VIRGINIA CITY, MT (old west town)
we explore virginia city, mt which is set up like an old west town.
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Top 10 Mysterious Abandoned Cities In America
Check out these top 10 abandoned cities in America! From haunted ghost towns to mysterious and creepy deserted places, these cities are absolutely bizarre!
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10. Virginia City & Nevada City in Montana
Virginia city and Nevada city are about a mile apart from each other, along the Alder Gulch in Montana. They are at the site of one of the most valuable deposits of gold that have been located in the Rocky mountains, with an estimated one hundred million dollars worth having been found throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. In the first three years alone, about thirty million dollars worth of gold was recovered, which made the two cities popular places for gold seekers.
When the gold ran out, however, people left- and there was only enough wealth to just about keep Virginia City running, with no chance of upgrading the infrastructure. Today, it is still the way it was then. A ghost town, a frozen reminder of the Old West. In a turnaround of fortune, it’s now a popular tourist destination where you can go to experience the thrill of the gold rush, albeit without any gold, for yourself.
9. Bodie, California
The Californian gold rush between 1877 and 1888 spawned its own series of towns full of gold seekers, with one of the largest being Bodie, in the eastern Sierra. In its heyday the town was home to more than 10,000 people; all reliant on the nearby treasures of which more than thirty five million dollars worth of gold and silver were found.
Of course, as happened with many places like this, when the gold became scarce the people began to move in search elsewhere. This soon left Bodie as an abandoned town, one that has been kept in a state of “arrested decay” for visitors to explore. The 170 wooden buildings haven’t been touched since they were abandoned, with bottles and desks still sat where they were left in the schoolhouse, saloon, church and barbershop.
8. Kennecott, Alaska
In 1900, copper had become a valuable commodity for the use in wiring as electricity became popular. Two prospectors found an area with the richest concentration of copper that had ever been found; the only problem being it was on a glacier in Alaska. Wealthy investors were brought in who provided the machinery and a railroad track and built a town called Kennecott. All they needed to do was hire a workforce, which they had to offer far higher salaries to, to make the job appealing.
By 1938, however, the mines had run dry. They were shut, along with the railroad, and Kennecott soon became a ghost town. It was later sold into private ownership, and then purchased by the park service in 1998, who have turned it into a National Historic landmark, and one of the most popular destinations in Alaska.
7. South Pass City, Wyoming
As a small gold rush town, South Pass city may seem no different to the others, but it was the site of two important historic events while the gold seekers were in town.
The city was founded in 1867 after Mormon prospectors found gold in the nearby Wind River mountains. Within a year more than 250 buildings had been built, with over 1,000 residents moving in. The half mile long main street featured hotels, restaurants, a bowling alley and dozens of saloons, but the success wasn’t to last long. After growing to around 3,000 inhabitants in 1868, the numbers began to dwindle by 1869 due to the small quantity of gold being found, and by 1872 there were only a few hundred people left.
During this successful time for the city, it also became the first place, in 1869, to introduce a women’s suffrage bill, which led to Wyoming being the first state where women could vote. Soon after that, Esther Hobart, a resident of the city, became the first woman in the country to hold a position in public office when she was appointed as the justice of the peace.
Despite all of this, South Pass city would eventually become a ghost town, with the last few people leaving for good in 1949. In 1966 it was bought from private landowners by the state of Wyoming as a present to its residents, and now is run as a tourist attraction.
ABANDONED GOLD MINE GHOST TOWN - MONTANA
Hello everyone, hope your day is going well! My name is Liz and today I will be showing you footage of a gold mine ghost town I visited on August 21st, 2018. This ghost town is near Virginia City, Montana and is very isolated in the hills. There are no signs to get to it and I was only informed of its existence by a local tour guide.
These buildings were built and used around the early 1900s, but I am not clear on exact dates. If any of you recognize the equipment or structural patterns and can trace it to a certain time period, that would be very helpful! I am not well educated in gold mining and would love to learn more about the structures and objects I have filmed.
Alder Gulch Summit Tours:
Youtube Channel with additional footage of ghost town:
*Music used*
Intro: Angelo Badalamenti - Laura Palmer's Theme from Twin Peaks
Dialogue: Formula - Scary Thoughts + Scary Dreams
Main music through video: Dragiode - ambient_beta
Ending: Laura's Theme from the movie Brick
*Social Media*
Website:
Instagram: ellectrifyingelle
Twitter: ellectrifying7
No Sculpting - Just a Tale of Henry Plummer
Just had to much that took my time today. Didn't get into the clay today.
I was asked to edit a discription of How Virginia City Montana got it's name and the story of Henry Plummer, the criminal sheriff of Bannock County and Virginia city, in the 1860s. So I tell a brief bit oh his story in this video. Hope you enjoy it.
Stagecoach ride in Virginia City Montana.
This is the stagecoach that offers tourists a guided tours throughout Virginia City. The clopping of the horses feet really adds to the old western mystique felt in this old ghost town...