A view down C Street, Virginia City's downtown, reveals buildings that date back as early as 1865. Gold was discovered in a nearby canyon in 1850, and a gold-rich quartz outcropping discovered in 1859 revealed the lode that came to be known as the Comstock. Virginia City's "bonanza" years lasted a decade, and the town's population peaked at around 25,000. Over two hundred mines produced in excess of $400 million in gold and silver, brought Nevada statehood, and helped Abraham Lincoln finance the Civil War.

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