The series is narrated from the Virginia City newspaper office – in a town built at the crossroads of old and new, a locale defined by the daily influx of new people and money. Just east of Lake Tahoe, Virginia City was awash with cash created by the silver rush prospectors. Itโs location between Salt […]
setting
Ghost Towns
As prospectors dispersed from Austin, several of them discovered rich placer sands located in what is now Elko County. It was in 1867, shortly after the Civil War, and one of the miners called the place Tuscarora to honor a Union gunboat on which he had served. Area underground deposits attracted some attention, but surface […]
Treasure Hill
A case of good marketing for a town, Hamilton was also known as Treasure Hill. A mineral strike in January 1867 resulted in the “White Pine Excitement” and the founding of Treasure City (originally Tesora) perched on Treasure Hill. Silver ore assayed at as much as $15,000 per ton. The astounding figure was over three […]