July 13, 2004 4:35 P.M.

Virginia City, Nevada

I love this picture. We approached Virginia City from Carson City in the valley below, with the Lake Tahoe area of the Sierras in the distant background.

Having grown up in Kentucky which is rich with early American history and the adventures of settling the wilderness frontier, I have often felt that California had a history quite disconnected from the eastern half of the nation. And to some degree, this is true. However, Virginia City, the Gold Rush, the Comstock Lode, all formed a connecting link with the unfolding panorama taking place �back east�. One such link was a young man who, in his late twenties, couldn�t seem to get his life together. At one point, after many adventures which are well known to us now, he joined the soldiers engaged in the struggle of the Civil War. It was not long, however, when the news of fortune and adventure taking place in the gold and silver strikes of the far west, enticed him to desert, and he set out for the Sierra foothills of California and Nevada. His brother had just been appointed Secretary of the territory, by president Abraham Lincoln. This connection brought him to the Virginia City/Comstock Lode area, and he hoped to finally make his fortune. Before long, being unsuccessful in this venture, he heard that the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise newspaper was looking for some good writers, to publish news of local happenings for the world to read. He felt he had indeed struck his fortune, when he was offered the generous sum of $25 a week to write for the newspaper. It was there, in this western hillside encampment, that the mid-westerner, Samuel Clements, first assumed the literary pseudonym of Mark Twain. And now we know the rest of the story. From my last visit there years ago, I had remembered Virginia City as a �ghost town�. This really is not the case. Not only are its streets and small shops teeming with tourists, but there are small businesses, historic - but occupied homes, active churches, and a local school, all still very much inhabited by the living. Any town which boasts a specialty coffee house, even if located in a structure built almost 150 years ago�is not a ghost town.

Main Street, Virginia City

Can�t you just envision the Cartwrights riding up to this house?

Virginia City is about half an hour�s drive from Reno�less from Carson City. It is a bit of western history carefully preserved and restored to give the visitor a taste of the circumstances, which brought adventurers from all over the world, to this lonely inaccessible spot of ore-rich high desert. And a whole new section of the west was opened up.

During our visit to Reno, thunderstorms moved through the area on several occasions. The clouds were dark and low during our foray up to Virginia City. Of course, this just added to the ambiance and when a few showers fell, our experience was not diminished. Especially for two people who are from Las Vegas and southern California. Rain, even just a little�is a rare treat.

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