Monday, August 5, 2013

A walk through Virginia City

We arrived in Virginia City on 'F' street which is four blocks below 'C' street which is where the main action is and when I say below I mean below. Virginia City is built on the side of a mountain and the streets are tiered up the hill to the point that the roofs of one street are level with the street above. Here is what I saw walking the streets.

Sign on the depot.

The old depot being restored.

Climbing the hill to 'C' street.

St Mary's of the Mountains Catholic Church.





The oldest Catholic Church in Nevada.

'C' street

The buildings are historic.

Their uses have been converted

and they are now designed to separate the tourists from their money.

I love that fact that the town is preserved, it didn't thrill me that it's been converted to a tourist trap.


The firehouse.

More old.

Virginia City Merchantile is proud of the fact that nothing happened their in 1897.


More of 'C' street.

Note the many, many bikes on the street. This seems to be a destination for bikers.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that every other building seems to be a bar.










This is the building of the Territorial Enterprise newspaper. We'll explore the museum tomorrow.

Buggy rides, stagecoach rides, train rides, boutiques, restaurants, bars and a few museums is what makes up Virginia City today. The history is there, but you have to dig for it.

Today we are making plans for the next jump, but we will not leave here until closer to the weekend. More picture of me enjoying the good life tomorrow.

16 comments:

  1. I think the only way these places can survive and keep at least the facade of the old is to get the tourists to spend money.

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    Replies
    1. Probably so, I just wish they were just a bit more subtle.

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  2. What a cool town. I love the fact that there are still many original buildings. I can hear the sound of spurs hitting the wooden walkway.

    The Church is lovely. Visiting churches as we travel is definitely a weak spot in my heart.

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    1. Mostly a carnival atmosphere with marshals, dance hall girls and even a you Sam Clements walking the streets trying to drum up business. The church was a work of art.

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  3. Replies
    1. I'm still looking for the Ponderosa, all I've seen is scrum oak and pinon. I think they misled us about where the ranch was.

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  4. Hard to believe that most of the city was burned to the ground at one time. As far as Ponderosa, we visited where it was filmed. I was shocked to see how small it was. It's not there any more. Because I wasn't the driver when we went, I wasn't aware that it was near Virginia City. For some reason I thought it was up near Tahoe.

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    Replies
    1. Paul and I were just horsing around although Tahoe is just about 20 miles from Virginia City.

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  5. The Ponderosa was actually up by lake Tahoe and was a fun place to visit. There were some of the original sets from the TV Series. Unfortunately, it closed down quite a few years ago. I still have my tourist souvenirs though!! Wondered if the old Bucket of Blood Saloon was still there in Virginia City? Seems like there were plenty of tourists in town.

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    1. The Bucket of Blood is still up and running. The town was plenty busy.

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  6. Thanks for all the pictures looks like a neat place to visit. I don't mind wandering through the stores of course they pretty much carry the same stuff. Its the felling of the old that I like.

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  7. Looks like a neat place to visit. I'll look forward to hearing more details in a few weeks.

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  8. A real wild west town. Looks more sophisticated than Tombstone.

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    Replies
    1. Quite a bit busier than Tombstone was. Lots of activity.

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