Mining areas historically pass through an evolution of boom, dramatic growth, and then decline. By the mids it had become apparent that the Comstock Lode had been played out. Fewer and fewer large strikes were being made and a series of events including an incorrect estimation of the amount of ore in new veins in two of the large mines, the collapse of the Bank of California and crash of the San Francisco Stock market in , and the Virginia City Great Fire of , all contributed to the decline of the Comstock District.
In , a rich lode was discovered in Bodie, CA and thousands of people in the District began to leave for better opportunities elsewhere.
By , the Comstock Lode had been exhausted and ore production was at its lowest level in 20 years. Mining continued on a smaller scale in the Comstock District during the 20th century, but never again reached the levels of the boom period of Virginia City shrank into a town of several hundred people who became the custodians for hundreds of 19th-century buildings, abandoned mine shafts and tunnels and countless documents and photographs pertaining to the Comstock District's boom period.
The Comstock Mining District left an indelible imprint on U. Today, the Virginia City Historic District is a remarkable collection of over buildings — most dating from the 19th-century, abandoned mine shafts and adits horizontal entrances to mines , and historic roads and streets. A once-bustling mining town in the late s, Virginia City, Nevada was heralded as the most important settlement between Denver, Colorado and San Francisco , California in the time of its heydays.
Soon, another miner named Henry Comstock, stumbled upon their find and claimed it was on his property. However, the Comstock Lode would not be known for gold, but rather, for its immensely rich silver deposits. Though silver had initially been discovered in in Nevada by brothers, Ethan and Hosea Grosh, they died before they could record their claims. Though the miners rushed in after the discovery of gold, they were unable to get to it because of the heavy blue-gray clay that clung to picks and shovels.
Word of the discovery spread like wildfire and lured California gold miners in a reverse migration back over the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range and within no time, a ramshackle town of tents and shacks was born. It was later changed to Virginia City. By , the population had soared to some 4, and would continue to increase over the next decade and a half. Grubby prospectors became instant millionaires.
Soon mansions, imported furniture and fashions from Europe, and the finest in food, drink, and entertainment were commonplace. Virginia City quickly rivaled San Francisco in size and excess. Construction of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad began in The railroad was a huge boon to the district as the cost of transportation of goods was drastically reduced. The ability to ship large volumes of ore facilitated the construction of many mills miles away at sites with room to grow and better access to water, allowing industry to expand and grow into new areas.
This water system consisted of over 20 miles of flumes and pipes, and was another major technical innovation to emerge from the Comstock. That water system is still in use today, over years later. In disaster struck Virginia City. The census put that number at just over 16,, a dramatic reduction. Census records from the following decades would report at 8, in , 3, in , and by there were just residents in the entire county.
By , placer deposits and surface outcroppings of ore had been mostly exhausted, and the opportunities for individual miners to strike it rich had mostly run out. The comstock deposits were proving to be extensive and deep, and only through organized capital could they be exploited. One of these early entrepreneurs was George Hearst, who purchased part of the Gould and Curry mine.
Curtis shaft of the Savage mine ca. Numerous technological advances were conceived of and implemented in the Comstock mines, including square-set timbering which would revolutionize how mine stopes were stabilized throughout the world. The Bank of California later to become the Bank of America would come to dominate the Comstock mining industry, owning most of the mills and many of the mines in the district. The era of big-capital mining got its start in Virginia City, but would dominate the mining industry in the West for decades to come.
Ophir Mine. The size and nature of each district's ore body define the duration of prosperity. The Comstock was remarkable both for the amount of wealth it produced and for the number of years it was able to thrive. By the early s, it was becoming clear that the good times were over. It had been years since miners had discovered any new bonanzas, and thousands of people were leaving for better opportunities.
By the time of the Great Depression of the s, Virginia City had declined, shrinking into a town of only several hundred people. These residents became custodians of a remarkable inheritance that included countless documents and photographs, hundreds of 19th-century buildings, and abandoned shafts and adits an almost horizontal entrance to a mine.
In addition, thousands of historic archeological sites are part of the rich heritage of a remarkable mining district, which the National Park Service recognizes as one of the larger National Historic Landmarks in the 50 states. Aerial view of Virginia City in Photo courtesy of Terri McBride The Comstock was unusual and will always be famous for the presence of silver as well as gold, and especially for the spectacular amount of wealth it generated.
Comstock Lode "King" John Mackay made a fortune in the Comstock mining boom Photo courtesy of Terri McBride Part of the 19th-century interest in the Comstock resulted from the millionaires it propelled into the international limelight. Essay by Ronald M.
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