Virginia City
Virginia City was the birthplace of Montana and the cradle of much history for the state. Though it may be best known as the rough-and-ready mining camp where vigilantes organized to rid the country of road agents and murderers, it is important to our history for many other reasons as well. more info
Virginia City Listings: (add your listing)
Cameron Cabins - 10 minutes from Ennis
In the Madison River Valley 45 mins from Virginia City, we have comfortable cabins w/kitchens and the best dining cafe, grocery store and saloon/lounge in the valley.
(406) 682-4612
Virginia City
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Virginia City, Montana sits high in the Rocky Mountains in a bowl along Alder Gulch. Gold was first discovered here in 1863, during the Civil War. Within a year the town grew to over 10,000 in population and became the Territorial Capital in 1865. Virginia City was the home of the state's first public school, first newspaper and where the first book for the state of Montana was published. Today, the town's main street provides an exceptional example of commercial architecture from the later eighteen hundreds. Many of the original structures are filled with original artifacts. The buildings are both historic and architecturally significant, especially for the Victorian era.
Gold is the force which created Virginia City, Montana and which controlled its history and made it strategic during the Civil War. Virginia City was producing enough gold to win the Civil War for whoever could capture it. Originally named "Varina" after the wife of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America, located in Union territory and occupied by a majority of avowed secessionists, Virginia City, Idaho Territory was in a vulnerable position. Emigrants flooded into Idaho and Montana from all over the world, but chiefly from the South disrupted by the bloody war. President Lincoln saw to it that emigrants from the North were brought to Virginia City to help hold the gold for the North. The steady flow of gold in Union coffers assured that the new "greenbacks" ($450,000,000 of them) issued by the Union government would be regarded both abroad and in the United States as of good value. This guaranteed that manufacturers could build their war industries and thus defeat the South. By the end of the Civil War the greenbacks had lost some of their value, while Confederate money was worthless. Most historians agree that the economies of the North and of the South were the deciding factors in the victory for the North. Virginia City, Montana gold played the winning part in the Civil War.
Because of a series of lucky circumstances in the absence of major fires, the lack of later development, and the early interest of preservation minded individuals, Virginia City today remains an historic treasure. In the early 1940s, Charles and Sue Bovey first visited Virginia City, discovering much of the town was falling down. They began outreaching to interested parties for help in funding the preservation of this historical town, but it was mainly the Bovey's money that saved the town. The couple traveled the country, collecting historical artifacts, buying buildings and reconstructing areas in order to preserve them. They assembled at Virginia City and nearby Nevada City what may be the largest collection of historical materials dealing with the American West outside the Smithsonian Institution.
The Montana Legislature voted to purchase these properties in 1997. Under the leadership of the Montana Historical Society, Virginia City and Nevada City are beginning a new future. Some interesting things to do in Virginia City include:
Heritage Days & Victorian Ball: a celebration of the Victorian era held in August. Events include a Grand Ball where guests attend in period costume. Classes on customs and the dances will be provided the afternoon of the Ball.
Opera House: the Virginia City Players' variety productions in the style of 19th-century entertainment amuse and delight visitors. Virginia City offers the oldest continuously operating summer stock theater west of the Mississippi. Check with the Chamber of Commerce for a schedule of shows.
Brewery Follies: relax with a libation at Montana's first brewery, the H. S. Gilbert Brewery, and enjoy a performance of the Brewery Follies Players.
Museums, shops, accommodations: in Virginia City you can shop, dine and sleep without leaving the atmosphere of the 1860s. Dine in the Wells Fargo Coffee House or the Star Bakery and bend an elbow in the Bale of Hay Saloon or Gilbert's Brewery. Modern, overnight accommodations in a charming, 19th-century atmosphere are available. You will find fascinating nuggets of history and memories to treasure.
Alder Gulch Short Line: take the train to Nevada City on an authentic narrow-gauge railroad. Travel between the two mining camps on the Alder Gulch Short Line Railroad. At the Nevada City end of the line, visit the Alder Gulch Short Line Steam Railroad Museum with its collection of equipment and stock from railroading's gold rush era.
The very much alive ghost town, Virginia City, Montana is frozen in time. It is a remarkably well preserved Victorian gold mining town, located 90 miles west of Yellowstone National Park. One hundred fifty buildings have been certified authentic by the Montana Historical Society. Original buildings, dating from the Territorial days, are filled with merchandise and implements used when gold camps flourised in the West. Boardwalks, mechanical music machines, a penny arcade, antique automobiles and even a two-story outhouse add to the Old West atmosphere. It is a true and original Old West gem, held within an incredibly rich area of natural beauty, recreation and history.
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Other pages you might find helpful:
Virginia City Montana
Experience the Old West Gold Rush in Virginia City, Montana!
