Virginia City, Montana

Coordinates: 45°17′39″N 111°56′28″W / 45.29417°N 111.94111°W / 45.29417; -111.94111
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Virginia City, Montana
FIPS code
30-77125
GNIS feature ID0778036

Virginia City is a town in and the

2020 census.[4]

History

Founding

Thomas Francis Meagher House, Virginia City

In May 1863, a group of prospectors were headed toward the

First Lady of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. Verina, although in Union territory, was founded by men whose loyalties were thoroughly Confederate. Upon registration of the name, a Connecticut judge, G. G. Bissell, objected to their choice and recorded it as Virginia City.[6]

Within weeks Virginia City was a

vigilantes in December 1863 and January 1864, including the sheriff of Bannack, Montana and alleged leader of the road agent gang, Henry Plummer.[7]

Virginia City, Montana from Alder Gulch in the late 1890s by Charles Roscoe Savage

The

President Abraham Lincoln on May 26, 1864.[8] Although Bannack was the first territorial capital, the territorial legislature moved the capital to Virginia City on February 7, 1865.[9] It remained the capital until April 19, 1875, when it moved to Helena, Montana.[10] Thomas Dimsdale began publication of Montana's first newspaper, the Montana Post, in Virginia City on August 27, 1864.[11] Montana's first public school was established in Virginia City in March 1866.[12]

Gilbert Brewery, Wallace Street, Virginia City, founded in 1866 by Henry S. Gilbert (1833-1902)[13]

Preservation

Virginia City's population dwindled starting in the 1880s as the easily-extracted placer gold played out and miners moved away. Federal monetary policy in the 1930s reduced the gold content of the U.S. dollar, making gold relatively more valuable, which led to some gold mining revival across the west. However, in 1942, The National War Labor Board's Limitation Order 209, made nearly all gold mining in the United States illegal, practically shuttering the gold mining industry in the United States. By the mid- to late-1940s, the town's gold rush-era buildings were being abandoned or dismantled for their lumber.

Old West period displays and information plaques stand next to presently active restaurants, gift shops, and other businesses. The town received National Historic Landmark status in 1962, and many of its buildings have been added to the National Register of Historic Places.[15]

The National Park Service (NPS) considered adding the town to its system, conducting studies in 1937, 1980 and 1995. In the end, the state of Montana bought most of the historic buildings after the legislature authorized the purchase of the Bovey properties. Today, the Historic District of Virginia City and Nevada City is operated by the Montana Heritage Commission with financial and technical assistance from the NPS.[15] The commission operates gold panning, the Nevada City Music Hall and Museum, and the Alder Gulch Railroad.[16][17]

Virginia City also has a

narrow gauge Alder Gulch Short Line Railroad transports passengers by rail to the nearby ghost town of Nevada City, Montana
, and back.

The backdrop as well as the staged bar photos used in fine art pieces by David Yarrow is located in Virginia City at the Pioneer bar.[19]

Filmography

The film The Missouri Breaks (1976) was partly filmed in Virginia City.[20] The bar scenes in Little Big Man (1970) were filmed in the Bale of Hay Saloon, a landmark and watering hole in Virginia City.

Notable people

  • Sarah Bickford, African American businesswoman, former slave, and first African-American woman owner of a utility company in Montana.[21]
  • John Bozeman, prospector, merchant, founder of Bozeman, Montana and Bozeman Trail.
  • Calamity Jane lived here for some time.
  • Helen M. Duncan, geologist and paleontologist, grew up in Virginia City.
  • Hezekiah L. Hosmer, first Chief Justice of Montana Territory Supreme Court, held court here.
  • Nathaniel P. Langford, prospector, vigilante and first superintendent of Yellowstone National Park.
  • Thomas Francis Meagher, Irish nationalist, Civil War general, Secretary of State and acting governor of Montana Territory
  • Joseph Millard, later a United States Senator from Nebraska, lived and opened a bank here.
  • Jack Slade
    , Pony Express co-founder and gunfighter, was lynched here.
  • Nelson Story, prospector, merchant and cattleman, famous for 1866 cattle drive from Texas to Montana.
  • Wilbur F. Sanders, founding member of the Vigilance Committee and United States Senator from Montana, lived here.[22]
  • Governor of Idaho
    , moved here after the Civil War.
  • Sam V. Stewart, Governor and Supreme Court justice of Montana, practiced law here.
  • Granville Stuart, prospector, vigilante, merchant, operated a store in Virginia City during the gold boom.
  • Newmont Mining
    , was born here.
  • A. A. Townsend, prospector, miner, farmer, Captain of the Townsend Wagon Train who arrived in Virginia City on Aug 25, 1864.
  • Boone Helm, notorious gunfighter, serial killer and cannibal was hanged in Virginia City on January 14, 1864, and is buried in Boot Hill Cemetery.

Geography

Virginia City is located at 45°17′39″N 111°56′28″W / 45.29417°N 111.94111°W / 45.29417; -111.94111 (45.294107, -111.941230).[23] Montana Highway 287 passes through town.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.95 square miles (2.46 km2), all land.[24]

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification system, Virginia City has a borderline humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) bordering on a cold semi-arid climate (BSk) and a subalpine climate (Dfc).[25] The data below are from the Western Regional Climate Center over the years 1893 to 2016.[26]

Climate data for Virginia City, Montana (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 65
(18) 		64
(18) 		71
(22) 		81
(27) 		91
(33) 		100
(38) 		103
(39) 		98
(37) 		99
(37) 		85
(29) 		74
(23) 		63
(17) 		103
(39)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 36.9
(2.7) 		38.9
(3.8) 		47.2
(8.4) 		54.3
(12.4) 		64.2
(17.9) 		72.6
(22.6) 		82.6
(28.1) 		81.3
(27.4) 		71.4
(21.9) 		57.6
(14.2) 		43.8
(6.6) 		35.3
(1.8) 		57.2
(14.0)
Daily mean °F (°C) 26.0
(−3.3) 		27.1
(−2.7) 		34.7
(1.5) 		41.4
(5.2) 		50.4
(10.2) 		57.9
(14.4) 		66.2
(19.0) 		64.9
(18.3) 		56.3
(13.5) 		44.5
(6.9) 		32.6
(0.3) 		24.6
(−4.1) 		43.9
(6.6)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 15.0
(−9.4) 		15.4
(−9.2) 		22.1
(−5.5) 		28.5
(−1.9) 		36.6
(2.6) 		43.1
(6.2) 		49.8
(9.9) 		48.6
(9.2) 		41.2
(5.1) 		31.4
(−0.3) 		21.3
(−5.9) 		13.9
(−10.1) 		30.6
(−0.8)
Record low °F (°C) −40
(−40) 		−39
(−39) 		−22
(−30) 		−11
(−24) 		12
(−11) 		23
(−5) 		27
(−3) 		24
(−4) 		8
(−13) 		−10
(−23) 		−25
(−32) 		−38
(−39) 		−40
(−40)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.67
(17) 		0.59
(15) 		0.93
(24) 		1.75
(44) 		2.37
(60) 		2.74
(70) 		1.33
(34) 		1.14
(29) 		1.19
(30) 		1.35
(34) 		0.82
(21) 		0.77
(20) 		15.65
(398)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 11.2
(28) 		8.0
(20) 		6.6
(17) 		10.7
(27) 		4.3
(11) 		0.2
(0.51) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.2
(0.51) 		3.6
(9.1) 		7.7
(20) 		12.2
(31) 		64.7
(164)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 5.9 5.7 6.4 9.7 11.4 11.7 7.6 8.2 6.3 6.7 6.5 6.8 92.9
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 5.5 4.9 4.0 3.9 1.8 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.1 1.7 5.1 6.1 33.3
Source: NOAA[27][28]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1880624—
18906758.2%
1900568−15.9%
1910467−17.8%
1920342−26.8%
1930242−29.2%
194038057.0%
1950323−15.0%
1960194−39.9%
1970149−23.2%
198019228.9%
1990142−26.0%
2000130−8.5%
201019046.2%
202021915.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[29][4]

2010 census

As of the

Latino
of any race were 1.6% of the population.

There were 102 households, of which 17.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 46.1% were non-families. 42.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.86 and the average family size was 2.49.

The median age in the town was 51.3 years. 15.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 3.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.1% were from 25 to 44; 39.6% were from 45 to 64; and 18.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.5% male and 50.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

Latino
of any race were 0.77% of the population.

There were 72 households, out of which 18.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.3% were married couples living together, 1.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 54.2% were non-families. 47.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.81 and the average family size was 2.52.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 14.6% under the age of 18, 0.8% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 46.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 117.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $30,000, and the median income for a family was $46,250. Males had a median income of $37,500 versus $19,167 for females. The

poverty line
, including those under eighteens and over 64.

Education

Thompson-Hickman County Library is a public library located in Virginia City.[32]

References

  1. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ "Virginia City Historic District". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
  4. ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  5. ISBN 0-295-97129-0
    .
  6. ISBN 9780874219197
    .
  7. ISBN 9780874219197
    .
  8. Thirty-sixth United States Congress. May 26, 1864. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on January 12, 2007. Retrieved January 20, 2007.
  9. ISBN 0966335562
    .
  10. ISBN 156044956X
    .
  11. ISBN 156044956X
    .
  12. ISBN 156044956X
    .
  13. ^ "Gilbert Brewing Company records - Archives West". archiveswest.orbiscascade.org.
  14. ^ Gruen, J. Philip (Winter 2011). "Staging the Past in Montana's Alder Gulch: Ruminations on History, Tourism, and Preservation". Montana The Magazine of Western History. 61 (4): 22. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  15. ^
    JSTOR 40543651
    . Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  16. ^ "Stay and Play in History - Explore Legendary Virginia City and Nevada City Montana". www.virginiacitymt.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  17. ^ "The Virginia City Players".
  18. ^ Rail, Maggie (July 5, 2004). "Boothill Cemetery - Madison County, Montana". Interment.net. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  19. ^ Photography, David Yarrow. "THE LAST CHANCE SALOON - David Yarrow Photography". David Yarrow Photography.
  20. ISBN 9781476625492
    .
  21. ^ "Celebrating Sarah Gammon Bickford". montanawomenshistory.org. August 14, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  22. ISBN 9780874219197
    .
  23. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  24. ^ "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 25, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  25. ^ "Virginia City, Montana Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)". Weatherbase.
  26. ^ "VIRGINIA CITY, MONTANA - Climate Summary". wrcc.dri.edu. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  27. ^ "NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  28. ^ "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  29. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  30. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  31. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  32. ^ "Thompson-Hickman County Library". Madison County. Retrieved April 13, 2021.

External links

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