Discovering Nevada’s Unique Comstock Country

The weather managed to sidetrack our trip to Lake Tahoe. Forecasts predicted snow on Friday after we had enjoyed a beautiful Thursday. With the steep mountain pass in mind, we decided to spend Friday east of the mountains and changed our reservation to Carson City, Nevada. It’s one of those things that can happen when one travels.

We really didn’t know much about Carson City. In fact, I can’t say I could even tell you it was the state capitol. Our visit there became an opportunity to learn about this part of the state and its surrounding area.

Carson City is located in the valley below the Carson Range which one crosses to reach Lake Tahoe. The mountains provide a nice backdrop to the city. There was some snow on them which always adds to the beauty of mountains.

Much like Cody, Wyoming was named for Buffalo Bill, Carson City was named after Kit Carson. In this case, however, the nearby river was named in honor of Kit Carson first. He was the guide who brought the first exploration party through the region in 1843. The city that developed there later adopted the name as well.

As we explored activities in Carson City, we discovered the historic section of town. There is an online guide that leads visitors through this area. Mostly it identifies the original homes that are still in the neighborhood. In front of each is a marker indicating whose home it was. It was actually an interesting walk. I was surprised by the different styles of architecture used in the homes. There were a number of homes in the ornate Victorian style which surprised me. I guess in my mind pioneer homes would be somewhat simple. However, some of these were homes of the wealthier people in town, and so their homes reflect it.

One of the homes we passed was the governor’s mansion. There was a police car sitting in front of the house, but otherwise there didn’t seem to be a lot of security. There was a low wall around the property, and we could see all the parts of the back yard. It looked like a nice place to entertain, but seemed very open and not as private as I might have expected.

Part of the walking tour also included churches. There were four older churches identified, a Methodist, a Presbyterian, an Episcopal and a Catholic church. Each had its own unique style, but they were all quite close to each other so it seemed to be the church section of town. Sunday mornings must have been busy in this part of town.

The final part of the tour takes you through the capitol grounds. Like many other states, the capitol building has a dome at the top. The interesting feature here is that it is silver. Most of the capitol buildings I have noted have a gold dome of some sort. However, silver is the significant metal in this region, and so it is only appropriate to have a silver dome.

Mining and the railroads that passed through the region were the main sources of income for this region. In the nearby hills, silver was mined. The Comstock silver lode was discovered in 1859. Miners came quickly, and the town of Virginia City seemed to grow up overnight. Those who arrived early earned a great deal of wealth. At its peak the town had about 25,000 residents. However, once the mine began to dry up, the population quickly declined.

Today Virginia City is still there as a tourist attraction. It is only about a half hour drive from Carson City to Virginia City. The road also passes through Silver City. However, there’s not much to see there, and it seems a depressed area. Visitors can also take a train from Carson City. Train rides seem to be a popular activity in the region.

We visited Virginia City on our last day. The town was larger than I anticipated. The main street through town has wooden covered sidewalks on both sides through much of the town. There are some other streets besides the main one. On these you will find some of the government buildings and churches including the oldest Catholic church in Nevada. Finding an opera house on one was unexpected in this western town.

Since this is an old mining town, there are some places where one can go down and see some of the old mine shafts. We didn’t do that, but around town there are pieces of old mining equipment.

Main Street is basically one big shopping area. Shops selling western gear, old time photos, and Native American art line the street. There are restaurants and sweets shops as well. On a Saturday in mid-November, it surprised us to see how many people were in town. Apparently it is a weekend destination for many.

One of the interesting things we encountered was the presence of Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain. He lived in Virginia City from 1862 to 1864 and worked as a reporter for the Territorial Reporter. Reports say he first used the pen name Mark Twain during this time. He later returned twice to visit and speak. There are signs around as well as a museum that honors his presence there.

Virginia City was also the nearest city noted in the long running western TV show Bonanza. In fact one of the episodes made a historical connection to an event when much of the town burned down. So visitors will also see Bonanza signs around the town.

From Virginia City we continued on Hwy. 341 back to Reno. Along the way we came across an interesting but not well defined spot. It seemed to be a popular place for mountain bikers who would ride down the hill from this spot. I later learned it had been a park named Geiger Grade Lookout and Park. It was part of a work project done in 1938 by the WPA (Works Progress Administration). The men built barbecues, wells and a restroom at the location so people could enjoy views of the valley below as well as the surrounding hills. These amenities were all built from the local red rock so they are quite colorful.

The restroom is quite interesting and not really fit for use. There are two ends to it for the different genders. Inside are two seats of an outhouse with a divide between them for privacy but no doors. However, worse than that are the windows opposite the seats which one could easily look through. I took the photo through these windows. The restrooms are hardly up to today’s standards.

Before our flight home we had some time to visit Reno. Of course Reno is known as a gambling town. We did see some casinos but also indications that some of the casinos had closed down. We had heard that there was a nice walk along the Truckee River which goes through town so we headed towards that. While there is a nice trail along the river, that’s about it. We had anticipated small shops or restaurants in the area, but there were only a few. There were some interesting art pieces along the way which was nice. We did get some exercise, but it really wasn’t a very exciting area to visit.

This region of Nevada is not as well known as its famous city to the south, Las Vegas. However, it does have some great history and is worth checking out for a weekend adventure. History buffs will particularly enjoy this region.