Nevada's Virginia & Truckee Railroad
Nevada's Virginia & Truckee Railroad

Author: Stephen E. Drew

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 128

ISBN-13: 1467131059

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The Virginia & Truckee is the most famous short line railroad in American history. Brainchild of William Sharon and the Bank of California, the V&T hauled the silver and gold ore, the cordwood, and the mining timbers that made the 1870s "Big Bonanza" a reality. From the state capital at Carson City, V&T rails stretched 66 miles to Virginia City, Reno, and Minden, Nevada. Serving the transportation needs of the Comstock's nearly 40,000 inhabitants, the V&T remained in operation until 1950. The enormously successful railroad paid its early owners handsome dividends. The V&T's ornate locomotives and cars have starred in hundreds of Hollywood productions and are now preserved in US museums. Since 1976, fourteen miles of the railroad have been restored to operation. The Virginia & Truckee has become an enduring legend.

Virginia & Truckee Railroad: Railroad to the Comstock
Virginia & Truckee Railroad: Railroad to the Comstock

Author: Stephen E. Drew

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2021

Total Pages: 128

ISBN-13: 1467107417

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The Virginia & Truckee (V&T) was once the richest and most famous short line railroad in America. Created in 1869 to provide transportation for the Comstock Lode, the V&T transported gold and silver ore to the quartz reduction mills. On the return trip, it brought back cordwood for fuel, timbers for mining, lumber for building communities, and all the goods needed by the area's nearly 40,000 inhabitants. The V&T also supported passenger transportation between Virginia City, Gold Hill, Carson City, and Reno. At its peak, this "bonanza railroad" ran 50 trains per day and paid stockholders more than $130,000 in monthly dividends. Over the next 80 years, operations dwindled to a trickle, and the last train ran in May 1950. Today, the V&T is immortalized in motion pictures, its locomotives and cars are exhibited in museums, and 14 miles of the V&T have been returned to operation.

The Roar and the Silence
The Roar and the Silence

Author: Ronald M. James

Publisher: University of Nevada Press

Published: 2012-05-30

Total Pages: 617

ISBN-13: 0874174171

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Nevada’s Comstock Mining District has been the focus of legend since it first burst into international prominence in the late 1850s, and its principal settlement, Virginia City, endures in the popular mind as the West’s quintessential mining camp. But the authentic history of the Comstock is far more complex and interesting than its colorful image. Contrary to legend, Virginia City spent only its first few years as a ramshackle mining camp. The mining boom quickly turned it into a thriving urban center, at its peak one of the largest cities west of the Mississippi, replete with most of the amenities of any large city of its time. The lure of the area’s fabulous wealth attracted a remarkably heterogenous population from around the world and offered employment to dozens of trades and thousands of people, both men and women, representing every one of the region’s diverse ethnic groups. Ronald James’s brilliant account of the Comstock’s long and eventful history—the first comprehensive study of the subject in over a century—examines every aspect of the region and employs information gleaned from hundreds of written sources, interviews, archeological research, computer analysis, folklore, gender studies, physical geography, and architectural and art history, as well as over fifty rare photographs, many of them previously unpublished.

Sara Lost and Found
Sara Lost and Found

Author: Virginia Castleman

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2016-02-09

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 1481438735

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Sisters Anna and Sara must rely on each other for strength as they face being separated by the foster care system in this heartwrenching tale of sisterhood, family, and survival. Sara and Anna Olsen face an uncertain world. Their mother left home and may—or may not—be coming back. Their father is a drummer in a band and comes home long after the girls go to sleep—if he comes home at all. Too often, ten-year-old Sara and twelve-year-old Anna are left to fend for themselves. Then one night, three loud knocks at the door change everything: their father is in jail and social services has come to take the girls away. Rather than risk being split up, Sara and Anna decide their only option is to run away. But the girls don’t get very far, and when the authorities catch up with them, Sara and Anna are forced back into the foster care system. Along the way, the girls encounter good people who want to help them but they also meet people who have no patience for mistakes or accidents. As Anna begins to act out or withdraw completely, Sara knows that it’s up to her to take care of her older sister. But what if she can’t anymore? What if she finds a forever home that may not include Anna? Will Sara keep the promise she made to her mother to stay with her sister or will she find the courage to do what’s best for herself? In a starred review VOYA said “Sara’s story will tug at heart strings; Readers will cheer for her to succeed.” Inspired by true events, this heartrending and hopeful novel of survival, friendship, and sisterhood, tells the tale of two sisters who must find the strength to face anything that life may throw their way.

Early Reno
Early Reno

Author: Nevada Historical Society Docent Council

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2011-01-31

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13: 1439625425

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In 1868, Reno was a rough railroad town located on the new Central Pacific railroad line and quickly became the transportation hub for the greatest silver strike in the world, the Comstock Lode in Virginia City. By the early 1900s, Reno was the states financial and industrial center. The automobile and the arrival of the Lincoln and Victory Highways made Reno a convenient place for a quick divorce, and between 1910 and 1970, it was known as the divorce capital of the world. Gaming thrived in Renos back rooms and alleys since its earliest days, and became the states major economic force after it was legalized in 1931. Known as the Biggest Little City, Reno was famous as a place where one could do things that were difficult to do anywhere else.

Virginia City
Virginia City

Author: Nicholas Clapp

Publisher:

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781941384152

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From the prologue - Whether by stagecoach or ankle express, frontier writer and rambler J. Ross Browne explored the nineteenth century West and penned droll accounts of visits to Virginia City. On his first, heading east from San Francisco, he crossed the Sierra Nevada Mountains into the most barren, blasted and horribly desolate country that perhaps the light of heaven ever shone upon. Hed set foot in Territorial Utah, presently to become the Territory, and then the Silver State of Nevada.

Haunted Carson City
Haunted Carson City

Author: Janet Jones

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2012-09-11

Total Pages: 125

ISBN-13: 1614236801

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Journey through this Nevada town filled with nineteenth-century history—and hauntings. Includes photos! The Kit Carson Trail in Carson City, Nevada, is haunted by history: The footsteps of Abe Curry, the first superintendent of the Nevada City Mint, still echo in the halls of the building. Mark Twain’s niece, Jennie Clemens, died of a fever when she was nine; her spirit peeks from the upstairs window of the family home and is said to visit the Lone Mountain Cemetery. In the 1800s, V&T Railroad baron Duane Bliss built his home on a burial ground. Today, the house occasionally chimes with laughter and music as spirits gather in the parlor in evening finery . . . Take a walk through Carson City’s haunted history with author Janet Jones and meet the spirits that linger in the city's historic district. “Explores 19 legends of haunting in Nevada’s capital city: Historic mansions; hotels; the Stewart Indian school; the Virginia and Truckee Railroad and more.” —Reno Gazette-Journal