Home >
The Virginia City Great Fire...
The Virginia City Great Fire...
Item # 699960
October 28, 1875
NEW YORK TRIBUNE, Oct. 28, 1875
* Virginia City NV Nevada
* The great fire disaster
* Comstock Lode fame
The front page has 1 1/2 columns taken up with considerable detail on what is known as the Virginia Great Fire of 1875, a quite notable event in the history of Virginia City.
Considered one of Nevada’s fastest growing cities in its day, Virginia City quickly became a pile of rubble after the October 26 fire ravaged the city for nine hours, leaving more than 2,000 structures destroyed, and hundreds homeless.
The column heads include: "The Burning Of Virginia City" "A Blow to Gold Mining" "Probable Stoppage of Any Heavy Gold Production for Several Months..." "Total Loss Over $3,000,000..." "Insurance Losses In New York Small" "Aid For The Inhabitants of Virginia City" plus more.
Eight pages, nice condition.background: The Great Fire of 1875 in Virginia City, Nevada, began on October 26 in a boarding house on A Street, likely caused by a knocked-over coal-oil lamp, and was rapidly fanned by the strong local winds known as the Washoe Zephyr. The blaze destroyed 33 blocks, consuming major landmarks such as St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Piper’s Opera House, the Storey County Courthouse, the International Hotel, and much of the commercial district, resulting in the loss of over 2,000 structures. Despite the immense destruction, only a few fatalities were reported, but the financial damage was enormous, estimated at $12 million at the time, equivalent to over $500 million today. Virginia City, the hub of the Comstock Lode, saw not only homes and businesses destroyed but also mine offices and infrastructure, shaking national confidence in the silver-rich region. The city rebuilt quickly with improved fire-fighting systems, and many of the historic buildings that stand today date from this post-fire reconstruction, cementing the event as a defining moment in the town’s boom-era history.
Category: Post-Civil War
Available Now
$38.00
