VIRGINIA CITY: THE WILDEST TOWN IN THE WEST

Most of the time my posts focus on Wyoming, but today I thought we'd take a trip up north to Montana. When I started writing my first historical Western, Home Fires, I turned my sights to one of the first capitals of Montana and a boom-town that went bust, Virginia City. I think the reason for this was Virginia City was the last place I visited before moving from Montana to the East Coast. But enough rambling lets get into the good stuff.  

Virginia City sprung from the Rocky Mountains in what was then Idaho Territory, and boomed like most gold towns.  In 1863, six men found gold in a natural bowl along Alder Gulch.  They tried to keep the find under their hats by traveling to Bannack, 60 miles southwest, for supplies, but they could not fool some sharp-eyed prospectors.  They returned to Alder Gulch with 200 new friends.  News spread like fire and before long the area was flooded with prospectors.  

Virginia City from Boot Hill (picture courtesy of Kirsten Lynn)

What is different about Virginia City is the gold was found during one of the most disruptive periods of American history, the Civil War.  The gold brought emigrants from around the world, but by an overwhelming majority Southern “rebels” outnumbered any other emigrant. These misplaced Confederates intended on naming the town “Verona,” a misspelling of “Varina,” Jefferson Davis’ wife. However, the miners’ court judge was a stubborn unionist, and would not submit the name. Those proposing a town charter hastened to explain the name was a compromise as Mrs. Davis was born in New Jersey. Not convinced, Judge Gaylord Bissell crossed out Varina and submitted Virginia.

The town remained a primarily Southern town. Disturbing to most Unionists, the camp was producing enough gold to win the war for whoever could secure the find!  This turned the eyes of President Lincoln square on the gold camp. Northern emigrants were encouraged to flood Virginia City to hold the gold for the North. As you can imagine, this didn’t go over too well with the current residents and Virginia City soon became one of the most lawless places in the West.

One of the first houses in Virginia City, many of the houses were ordered from Sears & Roebuck (courtesy of Kirsten Lynn)

By 1864, 10,000 people were living in and around Virginia City, and Congress created the new Montana Territory (the intent, Lincoln could send his man to serve as territorial governor and keep the gold out of the South).  In 1865, Virginia City became the territorial capitol. Tents and shanties were replaced by permanent buildings and the town became home to Montana’s first public school, newspaper and telegraph and theater.  Virginia City and nearby Nevada City became the site of the richest placer gold strike in the Rocky Mountains, an estimated $30 million worth of gold being removed from the gulch.

Boot Hill, Virginia City (courtesy of Kirsten Lynn)

As in all gold booms, few miners became rich. More businessmen benefited from the gulch. But the men who benefited the most were those who planned to gain their riches the old fashioned way…steal it. Robbers and thieves haunted the roads preying on miners, freight haulers and stagecoaches.  With the rise of bandits came the birth of an even deadlier group, vigilantes.  Lynchings became a daily event. Today, historians ponder who the real criminals were in an area fraught with extreme lawlessness and violence?

With all booms there comes a bust, and Virginia City no sooner boomed when things started to fall apart. Miners started moving to a new find near Helena (which would become the capitol of Montana), and by 1870 Virginia City’s population was reduced to few hundred.  Dredge mining continued in the area until World War II when all mining, except for a few hobbyists, ceased in the Gulch.

Fire truck tours (watch out for the crazy driver)

All was not lost, and Virginia City remains the most preserved ghost town in the West.  Visitors can step back in time, visit the Wells Fargo, see a melodrama at the Opera House, ride a train, visit Boot Hill, or ride south out of town a piece and into the mountains.

Writing this brings back memories of my visit to Virginia City and of HOME FIRES. Cord and Olivia's story will always hold a special place in my heart.

Cord Matthews sets his sights on the open Montana Territory when the War Between the States rips everything from him. Olivia Bartlett, the only woman he's ever loved, has been killed--a cross marks the place where she lies buried. Cord builds a new dream, but a ghost from his past won’t let him forget what his heart wanted most.

Olivia, forced to flee her Virginia home, finds new purpose as a nurse to the wounded at Fort Laramie, Wyoming Territory. War and separation haven’t diminished her love for Cord Matthews, or her stubborn belief that he is coming for her. Danger threatens once more with the impending arrival of a new commander at Fort Laramie--a man who has already tried to kill her once. Olivia flees to Montana Territory, seeking refuge.

Reunited on the Montana frontier, can Cord and Olivia hold tight to their love and defeat the man who seeks to destroy them both?

AMAZON

SOURCES:

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/mt-virginiacity.html

Barsness, Larry. Gold Camp: Alder Gulch and Virginia City, Montana.

Dimsdale, Thomas J. The Vigilantes of Montana.

Forney, Gary R. Finding El Dorado.

Langford, Nathaniel P. Vigilante Days and Ways.

Kirsten Lynn is a Western and Military Historian. She worked six years with a Navy non-profit and continues to contract with the Marine Corps History Division for certain projects. Making her home where her roots were sewn in Wyoming, Kirsten also works as a local historian. She loves to use the history she has learned and add it to a great love story. She writes stories about men of uncommon valor…women with undaunted courage…love of unwavering devotion …and romance with unending sizzle. When she’s not writing, she finds inspiration in day trips through the Bighorn Mountains, binge reading and watching sappy old movies, or sappy new movies. Housework can always wait.

Julia Bulette of Virginia City, Nevada

By Paisley Kirkpatrick

More has been written about Julia Bulette, both fact and fiction, than any other woman of the Comstock era. She was a member of the ''fair but frail'' sisterhood and a prototype of all the fancy women in the Early West.

While other women of easy virtue drifted into obscurity, Julia was destined to remain a part of Virginia City's colorful history. It may be that Julia became a legend because of her brutal murder, not for her many generous deeds.

Virginia City sprang up in 1859 following the discovery of the fabulous Comstock Lode. It became an overnight boomtown, with the busiest saloons in the mining area. The inhabitants, mostly men under 20 years of age, were robust and free-living. There were very few women, single or married.

At the center was C Street, which consisted of businesses, saloons, and hotels. On the streets above C Street, the newly-made millionaires and elite lived in fine homes. Most of the unmarried miners, the prostitutes, and assorted working men lived below on D Street. The majority of the ''ladies'' could be found on the west side of D Street, in a five block area known as ''The Red Light District'' -- possibly the first use of the now-famous description. The women were required to keep red-colored oil lamps hanging in their front windows.

Julia's cottage was located at a prime spot on the corner of Union and D Streets where the miners and workmen passed daily. It consisted of a parlor and bedroom. The parlor could accommodate as many as a dozen visitors and had lace curtains at the windows, a Brussels carpet, comfortable furniture, and cheery stove. Her bedroom was dominated by a large bed and was darkened by heavy curtains. It also had a trunk for her clothing, a wash basin, and a spittoon. None of the other girls on the ''row'' had such elaborate furnishings. The cottages did not have indoor plumbing or kitchens.

She was exceptionally kind-hearted and had many friends on the ''row,'' but none worked for her. She was an attractive woman and considered a good sport. Very little is known about her personal life. She did know many men intimately and was considered a middle-class prostitute. Julia lived alone in her cottage, and like the rest of the girls, made no plans for her future. She usually saw but one customer a night and did not have to solicit. Men sought her out. Julia chose who she pleased and often received as much as $1,000 a night for her services. Many of her clients were wealthy and appreciated her charms to the extent that they gave her expensive jewelry and furs. A good part of her earnings were spent on clothing, fancy lingerie, and parties.

Julia always had a friendly word for the workers who passed her cottage. Her many kind acts for the hard-working miners and donations to charity earned her a measure of respect and gratitude. She was never too busy to sit by the side of an injured or ill man and help nurse him back to health. Julia cared about them at a time when they had no one else.

The day before Julia Bulette was murdered, in January 1867, was like any other in her life. She slept late, visited with friends, and went to see a performance at the opera house. Women of her class were required to sit in one of the boxes with the curtains drawn so they could see the entertainment and not be seen by the proper ladies. Julia was denied admission because she refused to sit in the section reserved for the ''red-light women." She returned to her cottage early to wait for an appointment with a client.

The next day her body was found lying on her left side with her feet halfway out of the bed. Sometime during the night, she was strangled, shot, suffocated, and severely beaten. Her trunk with all her jewelry, furs, and personal possessions was stolen. Julia was only 35 years old.

The press called her murder outrageous and cruel. The men and women she had befriended mourned her death and sought revenge for the brutal slaying. Her funeral was one of the largest and most expensive Virginia City had ever seen. Even the saloons closed.

Several months later, John Millian, a French drifter, was arrested for her murder. He was eventually found guilty and hanged.

Taken from the Women of the Sierra by Anne Seagraves

Early Entertainers and Theaters of the West

Everyone likes to be entertained. The arrival of a theatrical troupe or a famous personality has always been exciting, and the early days of the West were no exception. Entertainers were always a welcome sight, especially in the mining towns and camps of the Mother Lode where the audience was mostly masculine. The miners wanted pleasing performers, and they were happy to reward them.

The early entertainers were a hardy group. They traveled long, uncomfortable miles over rugged mountains, dangerous trails, and arid deserts to see the glitter of gold and to achieve fame.

Once the actors and actresses reached their destination, they often had to perform under primitive conditions. There were no dressing rooms or sanitary facilities. Many times their stage would be the floor of a blacksmith’s shop with a wagon canvas for a curtain. They would appear in a tent, schoolroom, or a saloon. The orchestra was usually a flute, violin, and guitar played by musicians who had never read a note.

They offered medicine shows, drama, and variety. There were special rooms with cheap decorations, where the patrons could meet an actress for a price. Many times a miner would pay $100 for a seat and toss more gold on the floor when the show was over.

In Virginia City, the Queen of the Comstock, the first theater, opened in 1860. It was called the Howard Street Theater and ladies were not admitted. Business was good so Maguire’s Opera House opened its doors in 1863. It was an opulent establishment. The auditorium was carpeted, ornate crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, spectators were seated upon gilt chairs and there were velvet railings for the boxes. The enthusiastic audiences were wealthy, but not necessarily elite. They came for entertainment and had the money to pay for it. The shows ranged from Adah Isaacs Menken in the “Mezeppa” to minstrels and dog fights.

Born Charlotte Mignon Crabtree in New York City to British immigrants,

Lotta Crabtree would go on to become one of the wealthiest and most beloved American entertainers of the late 19th century. From her beginnings as a 6-year-old until her retirement at the age of 45, she entertained and was named "The Nation's Darling".