Two Moro's Travels

* “Walking through a ghost town is like stepping back in time and witnessing the remnants of lost dreams.”

What is about ghost towns that are so alluring? Is it the emptiness? The curiosity of the lives of the people that lived there so long ago?

Who were they?  What drew them to this place? What drove them away?  It feels like you are capturing a piece of who they were as you walk through the same streets and enter their homes. Feels like you are invading their privacy in a way, but still many are captivated by ghost towns and visit them daily

My husband’s bucket list item was to visit some ghost towns this summer while we were exploring national parks out West. (upcoming blogs on those) We struck the jackpot; no we did not find gold. But we did come across a dual ghost town location: Nevada City and Virginia city. They are not located neither in Nevada nor Virginia; actually they are in Montana.  They are located 20 miles west of Yellowstone National Park as the crow flies, but 90 miles driving distance.

Virginia City was founded on June 16, 1863, during a western gold rush. When the gold ran out,  its population dropped to only a few hundred, and it collapsed and never recovered.  In 1900, some new buildings were constructed, but they maintained the true meaning of the Old West towns. Today it is home to a population of 127 people and is designated a national historical landmark.  One of our favorite things about Virginia City was that there were current  businesses incorporated  into  historical buildings with actual people living and working there. The town is as if history came alive; it mixes the past with the present in an unforgettable way. People walking alongside ghosts of long ago down Main Street.

Virginia City was originally named Verona after Varina Davis, the wife of Jefferson Davis.  Politics got in the way.  The town’s metal plating business was owned by the Varina Town Company; they supported the Confederacy and Jefferson Davis. The newly elected court judge was a hard core Unionist. In a bold move, he submitted the name Virginia instead when it came time to file the official documents. Do you know how your city or town was named?  RobWords on YouTube has many videos on some silly names from around the globe. I have attached one here.

The problem with the increase in population during the old west days was that  unsavory characters were coming out of the woodwork and with no real law and order in place, gangs emerged. One local unlawful gangs was known as ‘Road Agents’ (Highwaymen.) George Ives was a prominent figure in this gang. He would ride up and down the main road on his famous white horse and threaten and steal from all.

One day a dead body was discovered; he was identified as a popular, orphaned, young man between the ages of 17-22 by the name of  Nicholas Tiebolt. It turns out that Tiebolt was on an errand to collect some mules. He had gold dust to pay for the livestock. Ives took his gold and then shot him. Ives was found hiding nearby and was arrested and brought back to Nevada City for trial.  The jury deliberated for less than an hour and came back with the verdict of guilty by 23 to 1. After the trial, the crow was asked, “What should the sentence be?”  It was important to get the matter settled quickly before Ive’s band of  Highwaymen became aware of the situation. There was a short silence and then people started shouting, “Hang him!”  One of the guards grabbed the rope, hung it over a beam between two cabins, and placed a box below him. When asked if he had any last words, he replied “Tell my mother I died an innocent man.” The box was kicked from under him and the spot where he was hung today has a sign. The hanging of George Ives sent a clear message to the Road Agents – the people of Montana were implementing law and order. 

Nevada City is a preserved ghost town that may have been named after the mining prospectors from the Nevada gold camps; it requires an entry fee to visit. We arrived there after it closed, so we only got a few external shots;  no trespassing signs were clearly posted.  It is located 5 minutes away from Virginia City, technically dual ghost towns. Some say the Nevada City Hotel is haunted by the apparition of a road agent who was hanged nearby, and visitors have reported hearing footsteps and seeing shadowy figures. We did not run into him, but if you spot him in the reflections in our pics, please notify us. 

Both towns are tourist attractions that offer a glimpse into the history of the area. The Montana Heritage Commission owns both of these cities and a total of 248 buildings. They were once centers of commerce during the 1860s gold rush in the Rocky Mountains. As the gold ran out and prospectors left, the towns gradually became ghost towns and today tourist attractions.

Final thoughts:

Are Virginia City and Nevada City worth visiting?

If you are in Montana or near the Yellowstone or Grand Tetons area, you should take the time to step into the past and visit.

If you are into ghost towns, this one is a little gem with a few of the amenities of present day: hotel, place to eat, tours to take…

If you are on a time schedule; you get two for the price of one.

Two Moro’s Travels by Alina Moro

* quote from the novel Ghost Town written by Alina Valuer (have not known many people with my name) This information is according  to BookKey; I myself only found the quote not the novel.