Modern Mining: An Interactive Exhibit Available in the Mining Gallery
This exhibit tells the story of the various steps in modern mining. Click on the link to see the text and images. Come and visit the Historic Fourth Ward School Museum to play with the exhibit and to see more.
On Silver Mountain: Chinese on the Comstock
“Virginia City was one of the largest communities west of the Mississippi. People settled there from all over the world, but we do not always give enough credit to each of the various groups as we form our image of the Old West. Among the people who helped build Virginia City were Chinese immigrants, arriving with the dream of improving their lives. Virginia City in its heyday had one of the largest concentrations of Chinese in Nevada, and their many crucial contributions continue to echo to this day. Without them, the Comstock would have been a very different place. This exhibit honors all of the Chinese who struggled to make a better life for themselves, leaving indelible footprints in the sands of Nevada history.”
From Rags to Riches to Rags: The Exhibit and Related Activities
Susan James and Summer Kay
The following text is from the Rags to Riches to Rags exhibit on display at the Historic Fourth Ward School Museum in Virginia City, Nevada, during it’s 2004 open season. Click on the title above for the complete text.
“The gold and silver discoveries of the American West captivated those who dreamed of fabulous wealth. A timely mineral strike might turn a poor prospector into a millionaire. A twist of fate could replace affluence with poverty. Mining, with its opportunity for immense prosperity or complete ruin, was the nineteenth-century version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire.
In Nevada, the familiar rags to riches stories found a home on the Comstock Lode, where fortunes were made ~ and lost ~ overnight.”
Overview – Craig Rock
The Comstock: A Historic Overview – Ron James
“In 1859, placer miners and prospectors in the western Great Basin made two remarkable strikes of gold and silver ore breaching a mountain’s slope. It was the culmination of regional discoveries and excitement that began a decade before with the famed California Gold Rush of 1849. That earlier phenomenon transformed North American society and politics, forever changing the center of gravity of the maturing nation.”
Lessons
Teaching English in the 19th Century – Christine Prater
Steam Power – Camille Stegman (with intro by Ron James)
Sierra Timber on the Comstock – Craig Rock
Medical Practices in the late 19th Century – Christy Ann Strange
Geology, Discovery and Development of the Comstock – Bernard Young
