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| E Cover St, Virginia City, Mt 59755, USA (Virginia City, Montana)
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Virginia City
Virginia City is located high in the Rocky Mountains of Montana. It was originally registered as the town of Varina in the then-Idaho Territory on June 16, 1863 in the middle of the Civil War. Because the town was full of Confederate sympathizers, the name Varina was chosen in honor of the wife of the President of the Confederate States, Jefferson Davis. This did not settle well with Northern officials, as the property was still in Union territory, so those officials quickly renamed the town Virginia City.
The main draw of Virginia City was the discovery of large supplies of gold in the nearby hillside, which drew a wide-variety of prospectors, as well as criminals, hoping to cash in. Like other Old West towns, Virginia City was lawless and crime was abundant. Because of the amount of gold that was being discovered in a town full of Confederate sympathizers, the Union wanted to stop the South from obtaining it. As such, some believe today that the Federal government might have had a hand in introducing a brutal faction of "law enforcers" into Virginia City that called themselves the Vigilance Committee.
The Vigilantes enforced the law in a sometimes brutal and violent fashion, often hanging men they claimed were guilty of some crime, while in truth the majority of their "victims" might have been nothing more than Confederate sympathizers. It is often said that Virginia City's gold played a major part in helping finance the Civil War on the Union's side and ultimately aided in securing their victory. If true, the Vigilantes did their part in securing it for them.
Like most towns founded around a gold rush, the gold returns started to trickle and the populations began to move away. While there was enough gold still being uncovered to keep those that stayed fed and happy, there was little to expand their houses or other buildings in the city - in essence, freezing the town in time. Today, the town is still populated but maintains the frontier/Victorian style it was built as - making it a living ghost town in the heart of the Rockies.
Virginia City Ghost Walks
With its past-crime as an Old West town, it is not surprising to find that it has its ghost stories too. As such, Ghost Walks that tour the town's past as well as its reputed paranormal activity, are offered today by The Brewery Follies. The troupe performs a comedy cabaret act at a nearby brewery, but takes the serious approach the ghosts and legends of this small gold town. Please visit their site below for more information. |
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| Related Sites |
Virginia City Ghost Walk
The official Web site of the Brewery Follies - a comedy cabaret act that also hosts ghost tours of the living ghost town, Virginia City, Montana. |
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| Similar Destinations |
| Ghost Tours of Billings |
| Cedar Grove Mansion Inn & Restaurant |
| Blue Orb Ghost Tours, Savannah, GA |
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| See Also on TheCabinet.com |
| Blog: The Haunted Old West Ghost Town (06/16/09) |
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| Available from Amazon.com |
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Ghosts & Hauntings, 2nd Edition (The Complete Idiot's Guide) |
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