Welcome to Storey County!
Virginia City sprang up as a boomtown with the 1859 discovery of the Comstock Lode, the first major silver deposit discovery in the United States, and numerous mines were opened. At the city's peak of population in the mid-1860s, it had an estimated 25,000 residents. The mines' output declined after 1878, and the city declined. As of 2010 Census the population of Virginia City was about 855, with 4,000 living in Storey County.
Peter O'Riley and Patrick McLaughlin are credited with the discovery of the Comstock Lode. Henry P.T. Comstock's name was associated with the discovery through his own machinations. According to folklore, James Fennimore, "Old Virginny Finney," christened the town when he tripped and broke a bottle of whiskey at a saloon entrance in the northern section of Gold Hill, soon to become Virginia City.
After the discovery of the Comstock Lode in 1859, the town developed seemingly overnight on the eastern slopes of Mount Davidson, perched at a 6200-foot elevation. Below the town were dug intricate tunnels and shafts for silver mining. The Comstock Lode discovery and subsequent growth of Virginia City was unequaled by the history of other precious metal discoveries. By 1876 Nevada produced over half of all the precious metals in the United States.[6] The Comstock produced silver and gold ore valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars. The wealth supported the Northern cause during the American Civil War and flooded the world monetary markets, resulting in economic changes.
Virginia City's silver ore discoveries were not part of the California Gold Rush, which occurred 10 years before. At the time of the discovery of the Comstock Lode, silver was considered the monetary equal of gold, and all production was purchased by the federal government for use in coinage. In 1873, silver was demonetized by the government, in large part due to the flood of silver into international markets from the silver mines of Virginia City.
Samuel Clemens, worked as a reporter for the local Territorial Enterprise newspaper in the early '60's and it was here he first used his pen name Mark Twain. His book "Rough It" covers this period of his life.
The Virginia & Truckee Railroad's northern terminus is located at Virginia City. The first section constructed from Virginia City to Carson City was constructed commencing in 1869 to haul ore, lumber and supplies for the Comstock Lode.
Organized in 1861, Storey County is named after Captain Edward Storey who died during the 1860 Pyramid Lake War. Virginia City has always been the county's seat of government. Officials initially operated from a variety of structures, the last of which stood on B Street, one block above the main commercial corridor. The Great Fire of 1875 destroyed this building and many of its records.
Places in Storey County are Gold Hill and Virginia City.
Census Links
Neighbors - Washoe County ~ Lyon County ~ Carson City
Sources
Storey County website
onlinenevada.org
Wikipedia
The background tartan in the footer logo is the Nevada State Tartan, adopted in 2001.
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