Virginia City, Montana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Virginia City, Montana
Town
Virginia City from a nearby hillside
Location in Madison County and the state of Montana
Country	United States
State	Montana
County	Madison
Area
• Total	0.95 sq mi (2.46 km2)
• Land	0.95 sq mi (2.46 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	5,761 ft (1,756 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	219
• Density	230.53/sq mi (89.05/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain (MST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
ZIP code	59755
Area code(s)	406
FIPS code	30-77125
GNIS feature ID	0778036

Virginia City is a historic town in Madison County, Montana, United States. It is also the county seat. In 1961, the town and its nearby areas became a National Historic Landmark District. This means it is a very important historical place. In 2020, 219 people lived there.

History of Virginia City

How Virginia City Started

Thomas Francis Meagher House, Virginia City

In May 1863, a group of gold seekers was traveling. They met members of the Crow tribe and had to turn back. On May 26, 1863, Bill Fairweather and Henry Edgar found gold near Alder Creek. They could not keep their discovery a secret. Others followed them back to the gold site.

Miners quickly set up rules for gold claims. On June 16, 1863, a town was formed. It was first called "Verina." This name was meant to honor Varina Howell Davis, the First Lady of the Confederate States of America. Even though the area was in Union territory, many founders supported the Confederacy. A judge from Connecticut, G. G. Bissell, changed the name to Virginia City when it was registered.

Life in a Gold Rush Town

Within weeks, Virginia City became a busy boomtown. Thousands of people came looking for gold and fortune. This remote part of the Idaho Territory had no official police or justice system. Only miners' courts existed.

By late 1863, there was a lot of gold, but also a lot of crime. Robberies and murders happened often on the roads. These criminals were called "road agents." They caused many deaths in 1863 and 1864. Because of this, a group called the Montana Vigilantes formed. They worked to bring order to the area.

Becoming a Capital City

The Montana Territory was created from the Idaho Territory. President Abraham Lincoln signed this into law on May 26, 1864. At first, Bannack was the capital. But on February 7, 1865, the capital moved to Virginia City. It stayed the capital until April 19, 1875, when it moved to Helena, Montana.

Virginia City was also home to Montana's first newspaper, the Montana Post. It started on August 27, 1864. Montana's first public school also opened here in March 1866.

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

Virginia City Today

In the 1940s, Charles and Sue Bovey started buying parts of the town. They wanted to fix up the old buildings. In the 1950s, Virginia City began to be restored for tourism. Today, the state government owns most of the city. It is like an open-air museum. Almost half of the nearly 300 buildings were built before 1900.

Visitors can see buildings in their original condition. They have displays and information about the Old West. There are also modern places to eat and other services.

The Montana Historic Commission manages the Historic District of Virginia City and Nevada City. It is a top tourist spot in Montana. You can try gold panning, stay in a historic hotel, and watch live summer theater.

Virginia City also has a Boothill Cemetery. There is also a narrow gauge train called the Alder Gulch Short Line Railroad. It takes passengers to the nearby ghost town of Nevada City, Montana, and back.

People from Virginia City

Many interesting people have lived in or been connected to Virginia City:

• Sarah Bickford: An African American businesswoman who owned a utility company.
• John Bozeman: A gold seeker and merchant who founded Bozeman, Montana. He also helped create the Bozeman Trail.
• Calamity Jane: A famous frontier woman who lived here for a time.
• Helen M. Duncan: A geologist and paleontologist who grew up in the town.
• Hezekiah L. Hosmer: The first Chief Justice of the Montana Territory Supreme Court.
• Nathaniel P. Langford: A gold seeker, a member of the Vigilance Committee, and the first superintendent of Yellowstone National Park.
• Thomas Francis Meagher: An Irish nationalist and Civil War general. He was also the Secretary of State and acting governor of Montana Territory.
• Joseph Millard: He lived here and opened a bank. He later became a U.S. Senator from Nebraska.
• Wilbur F. Sanders: A founding member of the Vigilance Committee and later a U.S. Senator from Montana.
• George Laird Shoup: He moved here after the Civil War and later became the governor of Idaho.
• Sam V. Stewart: A governor and Supreme Court justice of Montana who practiced law here.
• Nelson Story: A gold seeker, merchant, and cattleman. He is famous for a cattle drive from Texas to Montana in 1866.
• Granville Stuart: A gold seeker, a member of the Vigilance Committee, and a merchant. He ran a store during the gold boom.
• William Boyce Thompson: The founder of Newmont Mining, a large mining company. He was born here.
• A. A. Townsend: A gold seeker, miner, and farmer. He was the captain of the Townsend Wagon Train that arrived in Virginia City in 1864.

Geography of Virginia City

Virginia City is located in Montana. The town has a total area of about 0.95 square miles (2.46 square kilometers). All of this area is land.

Population Information

The population of Virginia City changes over time. In 2010, there were 190 people living in the town. There were 102 households. Most residents were White (91.6%). About 15.3% of residents were under 18 years old. The average age in town was 51.3 years.

Education in Virginia City

The Thompson-Hickman County Library is a public library in Virginia City. It serves the community.

See also

In Spanish: Virginia City (Montana) para niños