Silver City's Devil's Gate Has Fascinating History

 

Devil's Gate in the 1860s

"As I passed through the Devil's Gate it struck me that there was something ominous in the name." —J. Ross Browne, A Peep At Washoe, published in 1860

  Twin walls of craggy, dark rock jut from the surrounding canyon, almost meeting in the center. A two-lane road barely squeezes through the center of the stone barricades. Welcome to the rock formation known as Devil’s Gate near Silver City.

  Almost since men discovered silver and gold in nearby Gold Canyon, Devil’s Gate has had a reputation for being a mysterious place.

  Formed from lava rock, the passage through Devil’s Gate was widened in the middle of the 19th century when part of the jagged rock wall was blasted away for a wagon road. It is located about 3 1/2 miles south of Virginia City on State Route 341, at the entrance to Silver City.

  In addition to having a somewhat scary name, Devil’s Gate gained its early notoriety in the late 1850s and early 1860s when the narrow passage was known as a hideout for highwaymen and robbers.

  J. Ross Browne, a noted 19th century journalist, wrote that the trip through the gate’s narrows was unsafe for travelers because of the “unhallowed character of the place.”

  Dozens of newspaper reports from the day mention people being relieved of their watches, wallets and other possessions as a “toll” extracted by unsavory types lying in wait at the gate.

  In addition to any involuntary toll, there was also, for many years, an official toll station at the gate. Since the passage was the easiest way to reach Virginia City, the gate saw thousands of newcomers trudging through its narrow opening on their way to the Queen of the Comstock.

  Still, despite the area’s notoriety, by 1860, a significant mining boomtown cropped up adjacent to Devil’s Gate, which was known as Silver City. Browne vividly describes the hustle and bustle of the area, with its bawdy saloons, frail wooden shacks and miners of every ethnicity crawling over the hillsides in search of a big strike.

  Nevada historian Stanley Paher notes in his “Ghost Towns and Mining Camps of Nevada,” that Silver City had a population of 1,200 in 1861. Additionally, it could claim boarding houses, saloons, four hotels and extensive stables.

  The town ultimately became an important link between the Comstock Lode mines of Virginia City and the processing mills located near Dayton and along the Carson River.

  While the town thrived for a few years, its own mills and mines proved to be less productive than Virginia City and Gold Hill. A serious decline began after 1869 with completion of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad, which reduced the town’s value as a freight center.

  Perhaps because Silver City has never gained the acclaim and attention of Virginia City, today there are significant remnants including a handful of historic structures still in use that serve as direct links to the town’s rich past.

  While the community does not have a large commercial district like Virginia City, it does have a post office, a substantial cemetery and such historic buildings as the Hardwick House, a former icehouse (and former bed and breakfast) built in 1862, and the restored Donovan Mill Museum (which is definitely worth a visit).

  For more information, go to: https://westernmininghistory.com/towns/nevada/silver-city/.

Cable Cars are a Special San Francisco Treat

  When you think about the city of San Francisco, one of the first things that comes to mind are its iconic cable cars. It’s impossible to imagine the city, one of America’s most scenic, without its unique clanging, grinding public transportation system.

  The cable car system was the brainchild of Andrew S. Hallidie, a transplanted Englishman and engineer. One day in 1869, Hallidie was watching a horse-drawn streetcar attempt to climb one of San Francisco's steep streets.

  The animals struggled, partially making it up the hill before slipping on the wet cobblestone road surface and being dragged by the heavy car back down to the bottom of the hill.

  Hallidie thought there had to be a better way. He began developing a plan for an underground system of thick metal wires, which would continually circulate. Streetcars would be designed to clamp onto these cables, and thereby be able to be pulled forward, including up San Francisco’s steep hills.

  Over the next four years, he worked on his designs for the project, and then lobbied for funds to built it. Despite considerable skepticism, Hallidie succeeded in gaining support and, on August 2, 1873, the first cable car made a run from the top of Clay Street, down Nob Hill's steep east side.

  The test was so successful that within seven years, the city had installed eight lines with more than 112 miles of cable.

  Fortunately, "Hallidie's Folly," as it was originally called, not only weathered the early criticism but also later attempts to remove the system in the name of modernization (the fate of nearly every other cable car system later built in America).

  Today, three cable car lines operate in San Francisco—and will in perpetuity, under the provisions of a city charter amendment adopted by the residents in 1971. Additionally, the system was designated a national historic landmark in 1964 by the National Park Service.

  The most popular routes are the two Powell Street lines, both of which can be picked up at the turntable at Powell and Market streets, in the heart of the shopping district.

  The Powell-Mason branch takes riders through Union Plaza, over the top of Nob Hill, then down to a turntable on Mason Street, about two blocks from the center of Fisherman's Wharf.

  The Powell-Hyde line is a tad more dramatic a ride, taking you from the same starting point, up to Nob Hill, then veering west through some steep terrain, over Russian Hill, before coasting to Victorian Park, at the northern end of Fisherman's Wharf.

  The latter route is probably the busiest in the system, so be prepared to wait in line at both ends of the ride.

  The third cable car line is the Van Ness-California route, which runs from the foot of California Street, near Market Street, in the financial district, then travels northwest, through Chinatown, to Van Ness Avenue at Nob Hill.

  Riding on a cable car is not only a reasonably cheap thrill— it only costs $5 to ride each way, which is a bargain in a pricey city like San Francisco—but an essential part of playing tourist in the city.

  Plus there is something magical about standing on the running boards of a cable car (for the full effect, the best place to stand is in the front, hanging onto an exterior pole), feeling the brisk ocean breeze against your face.

  The steep, somewhat frightening inclines, sharp turns, diverse sights, broad buffet of sounds and exotic odors, including the metallic smell of the cable car brakes, are all part of the experience.

  Additionally, San Francisco's brakemen, who are the guys manipulating the levers and brakes that control the cable car, are often showmen. Most have their own styles in the way they ring the car's bells and bark out the various stops along the way.

  Of course, for those not quite ready to hang on the outside, dodging the occasional automobile, there are plenty of seats within the cable car.

  A few other facts about the cable cars:

  • Despite evidence seemingly to the contrary, cable cars do not travel any faster than nine-and-a-half miles per hour.

  • Cable cars have three brakes, so they are difficult to dislodge from the underground cable.

  • Some 7 to 9.7 million passengers travel on the cable cars each year.

  • San Francisco’s cable cars operate from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

  For those wanting to learn more about the cable car system, there are excellent exhibits and tours available at the Cable Car Barn and Powerhouse, which is the nerve center for the system. The museum is located at Washington and Mason Streets and is open Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, Sunday (closed on Mondays). Admission is free.

  For more information about San Francisco's cable car system, go to: https://www.cablecarmuseum.org/.

History Found in Nearly Every Building in Genoa

Historic Genoa trading post in 1911 (before it was destroyed by fire)

  Some of Nevada’s oldest surviving buildings can be found lining the streets of Genoa. In fact, anyone who has ever studied the state’s history is aware of Genoa’s role in the state’s development. It was the state’s first town as well as home of the first printed newspaper and site of the first territorial government meetings.

  Located about 13 miles south of Carson City via U.S. 396 and Jack’s Valley Road, Genoa was settled in 1849 when Mormon traders built a crude log enclosure, without a roof or floor. The post was abandoned, but just two years later, traders returned and erected a more permanent trading post and fort, known as the Mormon Station, a short distance from the original site.

  Today’s Mormon Station State Historical Monument in the center of Genoa is a replica of the original wooden complex that provided goods to those traveling on the Emigrant Trail to California.

  The replica fort, constructed in 1947 on the site of the original, which burned in 1910, contains interpretive historic displays about the area and includes a beautiful, shaded picnic area.

  The Mormon Station, however, is only the most obvious example of Genoa’s rich past. If you wander the streets of this historic community, you can find that nearly every house and lot have a story.

  Sadly, the fire of 1910 that destroyed the original Mormon Station, also burned many of the town’s other pioneer buildings and, no doubt, signaled the end of Genoa as the seat for Douglas County. That authority was shifted to the larger town of Minden in 1916.

  Still, plenty of pieces of the old town have survived, including the John S. Childs building near the southwest corner of Nixon and Main streets. The first floor of this brick structure was erected in 1862 and served as a dry goods store for many years. In 1874, the local Masons Organization constructed a second floor to serve as a lodge.

  Adjacent to the Childs/Mason building is a one-story stone structure, now an antique shop, which was constructed in the 1870s as a dry goods store.

  Next door, is the Old Genoa Bar, located in a building that is said to have been built in the 1850s. The bar, which boasts uneven wooden floors and a hodgepodge of historic political posters on its walls, claims to be the “oldest thirst parlor” in the state.

  At the corner of Carson and Main streets is a brick Victorian home built in the mid-1850s by William J. "Lucky Bill" Thorington, a gambler, shrewd businessman and, allegedly, a polygamist.

  Thorington was hanged in Genoa in 1858 for aiding a horse thief, although some historians believe he was killed by those jealous of his success and unconventional lifestyle. The house was later owned by Judge D.W. Virgin, who was the county’s first district attorney.

  The Raycroft/Depot House, located near the Thorington home, can trace its pedigree to the 1850s. The original building, which has been covered-up by later additions, served as the law offices for Senator William Stewart, one of Nevada’s first U.S. Senators, and Judge Virgin. It was later used as a newspaper printing plant, a butcher shop, and a stagecoach depot.

  The Pratt House, located on Nixon Street adjacent to the Genoa Community Church, was built in 1872 by local newspaper publishers A.C. and Alice Pratt. Now known as the Genoa House Inn, a bed and breakfast, the two-story Victorian is one of the most photogenic homes in Genoa.

  The Pink House, located south of the Mormon Station Park, is one of the most historic homes in town. It was constructed in 1853 by John Reese, one of the founders of the Mormon Station trading post. In 1870, it was moved to its present location by a prominent merchant, J.R. Johnson and later was home of Judge Virgin and his family.

  The magnificent Kinsey House, located northeast of the Pink House, was built in 1856 by Stephen A. Kinsey, one of the original Mormon Station settlers and the first postmaster in Carson Valley.

  Strangely, while the Kinsey home appears to be constructed of wood because of its classic white balconies and columns, it is actually a brick building. Like many of Genoa’s historic houses, it is a private residence so be careful not to disturb the residents.

  The Genoa Courthouse Museum at Main and 5th streets, is a two-story, brick structure that was built in 1865 and served as the Douglas County Courthouse until 1916, when the county seat was moved.

  For the next four decades, the building was used as a school. After 1969, it has been a local museum. The courthouse, which has been restored, contains dozens of exhibits describing the community’s rich history.

  For more information about Genoa, go to: https://travelnevada.com/cities/genoa/.

The Tragic History Behind Virginia City's St. Mary's Art Center

   Virginia City’s St. Mary’s Art Center—celebrating its 150th anniversary this year—can trace its beginnings to a terrible tragedy in 1873. At a minute before eleven on the evening of July 29, a loud  blast rocked the mining community and killed 11 of the city’s residents.

   “The explosion was doubtless the work of nitroglycerine, as we learn that six cans of this pent-up lightning were stored in the building, under the rooms of [General Jacob] Van Bokkelen and [J.P.] Smith, on Friday last,” noted the Virginia City Chronicle on June 30.

   “Gen. Van Bokkelen was the local agent of several powder companies—is said to have been agent for black, giant and Hercules powder,” it continued. “The explosion seemed to come from General Van Bokkelen’s room.”

   The Chronicle said one possible cause was the fact that Van Bokkelen owned a pet monkey, which lived with him in his room. According to the newspaper, the general most likely had small or large quantities of powder and nitroglycerine in his room as well.

   “He entered his room only about twenty minutes before the explosion, and doubtless proceeded at once to undress,” the Chronicle noted. “While his lamp was still burning, the monkey probably got on a jamboree and upset the lamp or a can of nitroglycerine. Of course, the truth will never be known.”

   In addition to Van Bokkelen and Smith, nine other people, and presumably the monkey, were killed in the explosion.

   The land where the St. Mary’s Art Center is located today was the site of a beer garden owned by Van Bokkelen, who had served as Nevada Provost Marshall during the Civil War, and was a prominent local businessman. After his death, the beer garden was put up for sale and was purchased by Marie Louise Mackay, wife of Comstock silver baron John Mackay, the wealthiest man in the state and one of the richest in the country.

   Mrs. Mackay donated the site to a Catholic religious order, Daughters of Charity, for use as a hospital. In 1876, the new four-story, brick facility opened as the St. Mary Louise Hospital. It offered 36 rooms, which could accommodate up to 70 patients, as well as hot and cold running water in each room.

   The Daughters continued to operate the hospital for the next two decades. In 1897, Virginia City’s declining mining industry and dwindling population resulted in the order leaving the area and turning over operations of the hospital to Storey County.

   Continuing population declines in the 1920s and 30s,forced the county to close the hospital in the 1940s. For many years after, the elegant brick building sat vacant and in decline.

   In the early 1960s, however, Virginia City saw the development of a vibrant, local art scene. Several of these artists worked with Father Paul Meinecke, to reopen the building, now known as the St. Mary’s Art Center. The effort came at the right time as plans had been announced to demolish the historic building.

   According to the Art Center’s website, one of those artists was Louise Curran, who became the first director of the new center. The first artist to teach classes in the center was a California-based painter Richard Yip and he was soon followed by many others.

   In the 1990s, the center opened its doors to the public, making the facility available for a variety of uses.

   Today, St. Mary’s Art Center serves as one of Virginia City’s most well-known and popular art spaces, with a year-round resident artist program and exhibits in seven rotating galleries in the once-again elegant structure.

   Tours of the center are offered on Tuesdays through Saturdays by appointment (at https://www.stmarysartcenter.org/book-online) or 775-440-0992.

   For more information, go to: https://www.stmarysartcenter.org/.

The Stories Behind Nevada's County Names Part 2

William Ormsby

   While it’s pretty obvious who Lincoln County was named after, what about Nevada’s other counties? What are the origins of the names of Lyon, Nye or Lander counties? And what county is named for a former U.S. Senator who was accused of purchasing his seat?

   The following are the namesakes for the rest of Nevada’s counties. Part one of this story appeared last week.

   • Lyon County is named to honor General Nathanial Lyon, a Civil War-era commander who died in action during the Battle of Wilson’s Creek. Lyon was the first Union general killed in the Civil War. His efforts on behalf of the Union are said to have prevented Missouri from joining the Confederacy.

   • Ormsby County (now simply the combined city-county of Carson City) honors William M. Ormsby an early Nevada business owner and political figure who helped to establish Carson City and the Nevada Territory. In May 1860, after the owners of a trading post near present-day Silver Springs kidnapped two Paiute girls and were killed by Paiute warriors in retaliation, Ormsby led a group of about 100 armed men to Pyramid Lake to confront the tribe. Ill-equipped and poorly trained, the force was ambushed south of the lake and about three quarters were killed, including Ormsby. The encounter became known as the first battle of the so-called Pyramid Lake or Paiute War.

   • Storey County was named for Edward Farris Storey, a Nevada pioneer who, like Ormsby, was a casualty of the Pyramid Lake War. Storey was the commander of Company K of the Nevada Militia, known as the Virginia City Rifles. He and his men joined Ormsby’s campaign to attack the Paiutes and was killed in June 1860 during the second battle of the war, during which the Paiutes were routed by the combined forces of Nevada militia and regular U.S. Army troops.

   • Washoe County is the only county in the state named for a Native American tribe. The Washoe (also spelled Washo) people had resided for generations in the Truckee Meadows.

   • Lander County is named for Frederick W. Lander, a Civil War general who died of pneumonia shortly after successfully defending the community of Romney, Maryland from an assault by Confederate forces. On February 14, 1862, he led a successful charge against a Confederate encampment at Bloomery Gap but two weeks later succumbed to what was called “congestive chill.”

   • Nye County’s name honors James W. Nye, who served as Nevada’s first Territorial Governor and later was elected to the U.S. Senate representing Nevada (1864-1873).

   • Elko County takes its name from the city of Elko, which was named by Charles Crocker superintendent of the Central Pacific Railroad. The name, it is said, came from Crocker’s fondness for taking animal names and adding an “o,” but there’s no evidence to support that claim. Another version of the story is that Elko is a Shoshone word for either “white woman” or “beautiful” or “white elk.” Basically, no one knows where the name came from.

   • White Pine County derives its name from the many stands of limber pine (also called white pine) trees said to be found in this part of eastern Nevada.

   • Eureka County derives its name from the mining town (and district) of Eureka, which was established in 1864. The name is a Greek word meaning “I found it.”

   • Clark County is named to honor William A. Clark, owner of the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad, which founded the city of Las Vegas (in 1905). Clark made his fortune in copper mining in Montana and in 1899 was chosen to serve as one of the state’s U.S. Senators (at the time, state legislatures appointed U.S. Senators). However, the U.S. Senate refused to seat him after it came out that he had bribed Montana legislators to gain the post. He was finally elected to the Senate in 1901 and served one term.

   • Mineral County’s name is pretty easy to understand. The name reflects the multitude of mineral resources found in the region.

   • Pershing County was named in honor of John J. “Black Jack” Pershing, a much decorated and highly-respected Army general who led the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I.

Who Are Nevada's Counties Named For? Part 1

 

Sylvester Churchill — namesake for Churchill County

  In the beginning, there were nine. Three years later, there were eleven. A little more than decade later, their number had grown by four more, and eventually there were 17.

  They are Nevada’s counties, and while few in number compared to states like Texas, which has 254, or Georgia, which has 159, they include several of the largest counties in the nation in terms of size, such as Nye, which is 18,147 square miles (third biggest in the U.S.), and Elko, which is 17,182 square miles (fourth biggest).

  The original nine counties were established in 1861, when the Nevada Territory was created. These nine jurisdictions included Churchill, Douglas, Esmeralda, Humboldt, Lake (renamed Roop a year later), Lyon, Ormsby, Storey and Washoe.

  Three years later, when Nevada gained statehood, two additional counties, Nye and Lander, were created (carved from Esmeralda). Over the next decade four more counties were organized including Lincoln (1866), Elko and White Pine (1869) followed by Eureka (1873). In 1889, Lake/Roop was dissolved because of its tiny population and consolidated into Washoe County.

  The early 20th century saw the creation of three more counties, Clark (1909), Mineral (1911), and Pershing (1919). The last major change in terms of county structures occurred in 1969, when Ormsby County merged with Carson City to become the state’s only consolidated city-county government.

  There was, also, a unique county that only existed for brief time, which was Bullfrog County. This tiny square of land carved out of Nye County was a political jurisdiction created by the Nevada legislature in 1987 in order to maximize the state’s ability to extract funding from the Federal Government in case a national nuclear waste facility opened at Yucca Mountain (which was inside Bullfrog County).

  Nye County officials, however, filed a successful lawsuit to stop the county’s creation and two years later the legislature repealed the law that created Bullfrog County.

  Looking at the names of the state’s 16 counties and 1 combined county-city, at least one is pretty easy to place. Lincoln is obviously named for President Abraham Lincoln, who approved Nevada’s statehood but who or what were the others named after?

  The following are the stories behind the names for a handful of the rest of Nevada’s counties:

  • Churchill County was named in honor of Sylvester Churchill (1783-1862), who served during the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War of 1846-48. He was cited for his actions during the Battle of Buena Vista during the latter and promoted to the rank of brevet brigadier general. He served as Inspector General of the Regular Army for two decades.

  • Douglas County was named to honor Illinois Senator Stephen A. Douglas, who was the Democratic Party nominee against Abraham Lincoln (the Republican Party nominee) in the presidential election of 1860. In spite of his defeat, Douglas rallied his supporters to the Union (Lincoln’s) cause when the Civil War broke out in April 1861 but died a few weeks later of typhoid.

  • Esmeralda is the Spanish and Portuguese word for emerald and the county’s name was derived from the successful Esmeralda Mining District. According to some sources, an early miner, James Manning Cory, named the mining district after the Gypsy dancer, Esmeralda, in the Victor Hugo novel, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”

  • Humboldt County was named after the Humboldt River, which winds through the county. The river, in turn, was named after Alexander Von Humboldt, a famous German naturalist who had explored South and Central America. Explorer John C. Fremont named the river in honor of a man he admired.

  • Lake County was named because of the many lakes in the region, including Honey Lake, Pyramid Lake, and Winnemucca Lake. It originally included Susanville, California, since the boundary between Nevada and California was poorly delineated in the act that created the Nevada Territory. The matter wasn’t resolved until 1864, when a joint California-Nevada boundary survey determined that the Honey Lake area, including Susanville, were located inside California’s boundaries.

  • Roop County was the name given to Lake County in 1862. The new name honored Isaac Roop, first provisional governor of the proposed Nevada Territory, who was the leader of an unsuccessful effort to join Honey Lake Valley with the Nevada Territory.

  Next week: the stories behind the names for the rest of Nevada’s counties.

Virginia City Has Never Shied Away From a Good Tall Tale

 

  According to a popular legend, the historic Nevada mining town of Virginia City earned its name when one of its founders, Old Virginny stumbled, broke a bottle of whiskey he was carrying, and christened the town in honor of his home state of Virginia.

  The story probably isn’t true but it illustrates that a large part of what makes Virginia City such a colorful places is because the line between fact and fiction is often blurred. In Virginia City, if a story is repeated often enough, it becomes the truth.

  Consider the story of the Suicide Table in the Delta Saloon at 18 South C Street. A sign posted above the dusty green felt table somberly noted that in the 19th century about a half dozen people died by their own hand as a result of gambling losses while playing cards at the table.

  The Suicide Table was featured on several national television shows, including “Ripley’s Believe It or Not,” and the legend has been repeated in just about every travel article and book about Virginia City.

  Is this tale true? Most likely it is not—but since no one alive can refute the story it has become the accepted version of reality.

  There’s not even agreement on the name of the allegedly clumsy, inebriated fellow who broke the bottle of whiskey that got the town started. Some history books call him James Fennimore while others refer to him as James Finney. All, however, agree that his nickname was “Old Virginny” and he hailed from the Old Dominion State.

  Additionally, some historians believe the whole christening story is a concoction and that the city was named in honor of “Old Virginny” because he was one of the earliest and most respected residents.

  Not even Henry Comstock—the man who gave his name to the Comstock Lode, the big mining discovery that sparked the Virginia City mining boom—is immune from the legend-makers. In many books he is referred to as “Old Pancake,” although he was apparently never called that during his lifetime and no one is certain he even liked pancakes?

  Over the years, the mines of Virginia City would produce millions of dollars in gold and silver. During its heyday in the mid to late 19th century, Virginia City was one of the more cosmopolitan cities in the West. In addition to having thousands of residents, the town had an opera house, elegant hotels, banks, businesses, restaurants and churches.

  Despite a disastrous fire in 1875, which destroyed much of the community, Virginia City has survived into the 20th century with most of its 19th century charm and appearance intact. Walking its uneven wooden sidewalks under drooping awnings, you can imagine you’re retracing the footsteps of Old Virginny or some other Comstock legend.

  The false store fronts and Victorian-style homes on the steep hills of the town haven’t changed much since the days when a young Sam Clemens began writing for a local newspaper under the pen name Mark Twain (of course, there are so many versions of the story of how he came by that name that no one will ever know the real story behind that one).

  Wandering Virginia City, you can find plenty of other places of legend. For instance, there’s one about two houses built so close together that one is known as the Spite House because, it is said, the owner was angry at his neighbor and wanted to block his view (this story is apparently also not true).

  There are also tales about a prostitute named Julia Bulette, who was murdered (true) but over the years was transformed into a Comstock icon. According to some of the legends, she had royal blood, traveled the city in a fine carriage, tossed gold coins to orphans and ministered to the sick—kind of a red light district Queen Florence Nightingale.

  In the end, the real fun about visiting Virginia City isn't just learning about its fanciful legends. It’s being in a place that has managed to hang on to so much of its history and character—which is saying something these days when nearly every community has begun to look the same as all of the others.