Virginia City-In 1859 gold was discovered by two miners. Another miner, James Finney, nicknamed "Old
Virginny" from his birthplace, is reported to have named the town during a drunken celebration. He dropped a
bottle of whiskey on the ground and christened the newly-founded tent-and-dugout town on the slopes of Mt.
Davidson "Old Virginny Town," in honor of himself.
Gold mixed with high quality silver ore was recovered in quantities large enough to catch the eye of President
Abe Lincoln. He needed the gold and silver to keep the Union solvent during the Civil War. On October 31,
1864 Lincoln made Nevada a state although it did not contain enough people to constitutionally authorize
statehood.
The resulting boom turned Virginny Town into Virginia City, the most important settlement between Denver and
San Francisco; and the grubby prospectors into instant millionaires At the peak of its glory, Virginia City was
a boisterous town with something going on 24 hours a day both above and below ground for its nearly 30,000
residents. There were visiting celebrities, Shakespeare plays, opium dens, newspapers, competing fire
companies, fraternal organizations, at least five police precincts, a thriving red-light district, The International
Hotel was six stories high and boasted the West's first elevator, called a "rising room.
The largest federally designated Historical District in America is maintained in its original condition. "C"
Street, the main business street, is lined with 1860's and 1870's buildings housing specialty shops of all kinds.
Virginia City, Nevada
In late October, 2007, OPI Team traveled to Virginia City, Nevada to investigation the alleged
haunting of the Silver Queen Hotel, Gold Hill hotel and the alleged ghost lights of the Virginia City
cemetery.
Click the links below to see our observations and experiences.