Virginia City Then & Now: The Comstock Chronicles in Pictures

The story of the Comstock Lode can be told in words, but communicated just as powerfully in pictures. Virginia City and the surrounding area helped give birth to modern Nevada, and anyone who knows where to look can see the unique story of the Comstock unfold before their eyes. Much has changed in a century and a half. Buildings have been destroyed and rebuilt. Fortunes have been made and lost. Mines have been carved out and abandoned. Men and women have come and gone, with the population swelling as high as 25,000 before settling down to a fraction of that, with fewer than 1,000 residents remaining.But many remnants and relics of bygone days remain, monuments to a time when silver was king and bonanzas made millionaires out of miners and bankers. Virginia City Then & Now uses hundreds of historical and contemporary photos to tell the story of the Comstock's growth, decline, and modern renaissance. Images displayed side by side show the Wild West of the Comstock boom, years of neglect in the mid-20th century, and the modern National Monument that draws thousands upon thousands of visitors each year. Virginia City Then & Now is a study in contrast and consistency, a road map of where to look for the guideposts of history and unlock the treasures they still hold. Read more