| For two years running, Virginia City and Nevada City were on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's top 10 "Most Endangered Historic Properties" list. Considered one of the nation's finest collections of 1860s—1870s "Gold Rush Era" buildings and artifacts, the historical treasures in these two communities were on the verge of being auctioned off piecemeal by their private owner. The State of Montana stepped in to save the day through a coalition of public and private sources led by the Montana Heritage Preservation and Development Commission, which purchased this important historical Montana property. |
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Virginia City served as Montana's second territorial capital, replacing Bannack in 1865 after thousands had rushed to the area following a gold strike on Alder Gulch. A city teeming with life and excitement back then, Virginia City continues to offer visitors and residents plenty to see and do. Walk the boardwalks of main street to view exhibits in historic buildings such as the H.S. Gilbert Brewery (also the home of a live cabaret theater), the Fairweather Inn and the Opera House (venue for Montana's longest-running summer theater group, the Virginia City Players). Do a little shopping or have a bite to eat at the modern local businesses inside the old storefronts. Get "cured" at a local medicine show or pan for your fortune of gold in Alder Gulch.
Virginia City residents keep up a lively pace of community festivals celebrating their rich heritage. Almost every week, people gather in Virginia City to participate in events like Gold Rush Fever Day, Victorian Weekend, antique and frontier craft sales, and cowboy poetry gatherings. Just down the road a mile, Nevada City showcases more than 100 restored frontier buildings, some of them among the oldest in Montana. As you wander through this life-size, outdoor museum, it is not difficult to imagine yourself back in time on a Montana street during the gold rush days. Because of its authenticity, Nevada City has been a popular location for feature films and commercials requiring a "wild west" look.
Nearby:
- Bannack State Park, a carefully preserved ghost town that was the area's first territorial capital
- Many Lewis & Clark sites, including Beaverhead Rock and Missouri Headwaters state parks
- Lewis & Clark Caverns in Three Forks, a two-hour tour through immense and beautiful limestone caverns
- Madison Canyon Earthquake Area Visitor Center, a memorial center interpreting the 1959 earthquake which shook loose half a mountain and created Quake Lake
Want more info?
- Montana Heritage Preservation & Development Commission, 406-444-9682 (for lodging reservations, 800-648-7588)
- Virginia City Chamber of Commerce, 800-829-2969
