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Historical Markers in Virginia City, Montana
Virginia City is the county seat for Madison County
Virginia City is in Madison County
Madison County(125) ► ADJACENT TO MADISON COUNTY Beaverhead County(52) ► Gallatin County(130) ► Jefferson County(19) ► Silver Bow County(169) ► Fremont County, Idaho(20) ►
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Fairweather and Party Discovered World’s Richest Placer Ground May 26, 1863
Most Important Center of Notorious Road Agent Activities 1863-1864
Center of Montana’s Famous Vigilante Organization 1863-1864
Home of Montana’s First Newspaper, . . . — — Map (db m128434) HM
Alder Gulch at peak population numbered ten thousand souls and the colorful mining camps that enjoyed the limelight were so numerous that contemporaries named it the Fourteen-mile City.
Adobetown was one of the many settlements that lined the . . . — — Map (db m117000) HM
Between 1870 and 1880, Virginia City's African American population was small compared to other minorities such as the Chinese. African American freighter Jack "Jarret" Taylor was in town as early as 1866, Sarah Bickford arrived in January 1871, and . . . — — Map (db m208756) HM
The tracks of the Northern Pacific Railroad never really came to Virginia City. Although the town was the first overland transportation hum in the Territory of Montana and an important regional supply center, this status predates the railroad era. . . . — — Map (db m206347) HM
The Federal Reserve Bank of Montana identifies the Allen and Millard Bank, which opened here in 1864, as the first real bank in Montana Territory. While other businesses in the Territory called themselves banks, most were actually express companies . . . — — Map (db m128435) HM
The Montana Heritage Commission’s state-owned collection of railroad equipment represents the construction era of railroads in Montana. The wooden Soo Line cars representative of cars used by the Northern Pacific, Great Northern and Union Pacific . . . — — Map (db m128402) HM
The oldest section of this building, dating to 1863, was first a simple one-story building which housed a restaurant called the “Young American Eating House.” A butcher shop followed from 1866 to the 1880s, and then in the 1880s the building was a . . . — — Map (db m49474) HM
Martin and Anna Lyon came to Virginia City by covered wagon in 1864 and settled into this small dwelling. Martin, a successful tailor, was on his way home in January of 1865 when thieves attacked and fatally struck him over the head. A blizzard . . . — — Map (db m206467) HM
Mining is filthy work, a fact that spelled opportunity for African American barber George Turley, who opened a “Fashionable Hair Dressing and Shaving Saloon” in a narrow building on this site. In 1864, Turley advertised bathrooms for miners . . . — — Map (db m208691) HM
Virginia City boomed and land prices soared accordingly in 1863 and 1864, a trend well illustrated in the earliest ownership transactions of this choice commercial property. On May 13, 1864, George Parker paid $800 for the lot and sold it for $1400 . . . — — Map (db m49441) HM
Dr. Levinus Daems built or purchased the home on the right (West) soon after his arrival in Virginia City in 1863. Born in Belgium, Levinus Daems studied medicine and pharmacy at the University of Paris. While in Paris, he likely met his future . . . — — Map (db m117102) HM
Like the Picture Gallery, the Elling Store, and several others, this 1946 building and its neighbor to the left are a faithful reconstruction of the originals. The Elephant Auction House occupied these storefronts from summer 1863 until October . . . — — Map (db m208682) HM
This was Virginia City’s first Cemetery. There were many markers here, but only those of the road agents and Daltons remain. The road agent’s graves, which gave the Cemetery its name Boot Hill, were first marked by the city in 1907.
William & Clara . . . — — Map (db m49490) HM
Two small houses shared this choice corner location in 1866, but after 1875, photographs reveal the unmistakable steeply pitched roof and central gable of this splendid Gothic Revival style residence.
Expansion and remodeling during the 1890s . . . — — Map (db m117044) HM
Charles W. Rank arrived on the third train into Bozeman in 1883. There he launched a career in the drug store business that would span more than half a century. In 1884, he came to Virginia City to manage a small drug store. Partnering with his . . . — — Map (db m206279) HM
Charles Argalis Bovey ("Charlie") was born May 1, 1907, in Minneapolis, Minnesota into the comfort and social status provided by his father's position as President to the company which would become General Mills. Charlie, however, would find his . . . — — Map (db m208659) HM
The history of these two false-fronted cabins, joined by the 1890s, is interwoven with Virginia City’s African-American pioneers. The two separate, 1860s log cabins served both residential and commercial purposes. Minerva Coggswell acquired this . . . — — Map (db m208760) HM
This early home, built circa 1868 by C. E. Hill, was reputedly the site of Virginia City’s first Chinese wedding. The two-story section was originally finished in vertical siding, the eaves were trimmed in fancy latticework, and a small porch . . . — — Map (db m206343) HM
During Virginia City’s mid-1860s boom, residences and businesses crowded along Cover Street. Most commercial buildings were gone by the mid-1880s and the neighborhood became primarily residential. Irish immigrant Phillip Conrey, a rancher and . . . — — Map (db m206464) HM
When Solomon Content built this commercial building in 1864, it was one of the area’s most impressive, desirable business spaces. Stucco scored to look like stone originally covered the rubble stone walls, and Gothic transoms lent a civilized . . . — — Map (db m208692) HM
The cozy placement of the Corbett and Daems houses has long been a mystery in Virginia City. The log Corbett house was likely built in summer 1863, and the Daems house by early 1864. No records exist explaining why these two middle-class homes sit . . . — — Map (db m206283) HM
Brothers John A. and Edward Creighton came west scouting the first transcontinental telegraph lines from Omaha, Nebraska, to the coast.
Temporarily settling in Virginia City, Edward hired Thompson and Griffith to construct this building, the . . . — — Map (db m117047) HM
Though simple by today’s standards, the Daems house exemplifies an upper-middle-class, early-1860s Virginia City dwelling. Dr. Levinus Daems and his wife Marie Daems, a nurse, may have been the first residents of the house. Born in Belgium and . . . — — Map (db m206284) HM
James Stuart and his brother Granville set up the first sluice boxes in the northern Rockies in 1852. Delaware native Walter B. Dance came to Gold Creek in 1862. James Stuart and Dance opened their mercantile in November, 1863. One of Virginia . . . — — Map (db m49442) HM
Two panels make up this marker:
Discovery Park - The Fairweather Party
One spring day in 1863, six men looking for their next big gold strike found it in Alder Gulch, William Fairweather, Henry Edgar, Thomas Cover, Barney . . . — — Map (db m208993) HM
Light timber framing with board-and-batten walls characterizes this early home original to the Nevada City townsite. Inside, the original, well-preserved, muslin-covered walls are a rare example of a frontier decorating technique. The cabin’s . . . — — Map (db m117035) HM
The design of this false-fronted wooden shop, built in 1863, includes hand hewn timbers and bay windows which are said to have been Montana's first "show windows.”
The Star Billiard Hall was an early tenant, followed by a shoe dealer and . . . — — Map (db m117093) HM
The livestock trade was big business in emerging gold towns across the West. In the 1860s when livestock was essential to transportation, owners of liveries (stables) and corrals stood to profit far more than any gold digger. James Gray and Justus . . . — — Map (db m208681) HM
Bankers Nowlan and Weary set up business in this brick-veneered building, one of the town’s oldest stone structures, in 1864. Three well-proportioned gothic arches with elaborate tracery, removed during 1910 remodeling, originally graced this stone . . . — — Map (db m49486) HM
Gold dust was the common currency when George Higgins built this sturdy “fire-proof stone” business block circa 1866. F.R. Merk leased the new building for his mercantile, advertising fancy and staple groceries, liquors, Queensware, . . . — — Map (db m49440) HM
J. A. Nelson built Leviathan Hall in 1863 with a "special view to the development of muscular talent." Torn down just five years later in 1868, the hall dominated Wallace Street with its impressive 28 feet wide and 100 feet long footprint.
. . . — — Map (db m117055) HM
Construction layers of this original homestead tell much of Nevada City’s ‘boom and bust’ history. In 1864, miner Frank Finney and his bride, Mary, moved into a cabin on this property that had been constructed the previous year. The cabin forms the . . . — — Map (db m49567) HM
Like the blacksmith shop next door, this early building was probably a dance hall or saloon in the mid-1860s run by owner John Trollman. In 1865 Trollman was one of Virginia City’s seventy-three licensed retail liquor dealers. By the 1870, a larger . . . — — Map (db m49410) HM
The Frisch/Ferguson cabin escaped collapse twice and survives as an excellent example of a one-room log dwelling meant to provide short term, basic shelter for prospectors. The cabin’s early history is unknown, but by 1874, miner Fred Frisch and his . . . — — Map (db m206356) HM
This 1863 building features a classic Greek Revival style storefront with French doors, typical of the 1860s frontier. The lintel above the door still bears the name of G. Goldberg, who ran the Pioneer Clothing Store Company prior to 1866. The . . . — — Map (db m49469) HM
Built in the 1890’s for the White Sulfur Springs Sheriff’s Department. In the year 1917 this barn had a legal gallows installed for the execution of three men. These men robbed a train south of White Sulfur Springs and murdered a trainman on January . . . — — Map (db m49569) HM
Christen Richter, Henry Gilbert’s partner in the brewing business, built a home on this site in 1864 and soon added a stone wing. Gilbert purchased both Richter’s interest in the business and the house, moving his own dwelling to adjoin it on the . . . — — Map (db m206537) HM
George Gohn, a butcher by trade, came to Alder Gulch with the first rush in June of 1863. A member of the vigilance committee and later elected to several county offices, Gohn ran a local meat market. The Gohn family lived in the house next door . . . — — Map (db m206553) HM
Alder Gulch, located between Virginia City and Alder, is one of the most significant placer mining districts in the U.S., having produced over 2.5 million troy ounces of gold between 1863, and 1889. In total, miners recovered over $40 billion . . . — — Map (db m117023) HM
These two adjoining log houses were probably built by Calvin Holly and William Douglas as dwellings in the late 1860s. By 1890, the two buildings were operated as “female boarding houses” or house of prostitution run by madames Myrtle . . . — — Map (db m49385) HM
Look for something to eat, and find it in the water, in the ground, on the surface; whose bill of fare ranges from grass-seed, nuts, roots, grasshoppers, lizards, and rattlesnakes up to the antelope, deer elk, bear, and buffalo... Randolph . . . — — Map (db m208748) HM
Virginia City supported three brewing operations in the 1860's. Eventually only the H.S. Gilbert Brewery would remain. There is no finer intact historic example in the West, possibly even the country, that exemplifies the 19th century brewing . . . — — Map (db m206536) HM
On January 14, 1864 , the Vigilantes used the heavy center support beam of this building, then under construction, to hang five of Henry Plummer’s road agents: Frank Parish, Boone Helm, Jack Gallagher, Haze Lyons and Club Foot George Lane. Druggists . . . — — Map (db m49487) HM
In the mid-1860s stores, hotels, and businesses lined both sides of Jackson Street near Idaho. The road was bustling with pedestrians and noisy teams of horses and wagons traveling on the toll road that led South to Summit. The Tootle, Leach & Co. . . . — — Map (db m209178) HM
John Henderson’s painting business occupied this humble log building beginning in 1864. In addition to painting buildings, Henderson also offered decorative painting and sign writing. In Virginia City’s boom days, when new buildings on Wallace . . . — — Map (db m206458) HM
In 2009, the Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad (the Friends) and the Montana Heritage Commission (MHC) engaged in partnership whereby the MHC loaned some unused railroad trucks (axles, wheels, and suspensions systems of rail cars) to . . . — — Map (db m128403) HM
When in the hills, prospectors often constructed temporary shelters called wikiups. Minters stood poles in a half circle and bound smaller ends together at the top with a cord. Evergreen boughs were planted against this conical frame work forming a . . . — — Map (db m208999) HM
Virginia City's booming gold mines provided economic opportunities for a small number of African Americans after the Civil War. By 1866, at least thirty African American men and women resided in Virginia City. Aside from working in the mines, they . . . — — Map (db m208755) HM
This property
contributes to the
Virginia City
Historic District
•
Listed in the
National Register
of
Historic Places
By the United States
Department
of Interior
•
In cooperation with . . . — — Map (db m49471) HM
Retail liquor dealer J.F. Stoer operated here from the raucous 1860s until about 1890. From that time until 1908, Smith and Boyd who ran the livery next door ran this establishment, aptly renamed the “Bale of Hay.” After 1908, the . . . — — Map (db m49390) HM
Virginia City’s first stone building, constructed during the summer of 1863, originally housed three stores on the ground floor and a meeting hall upstairs. Popular legend has long designated this as the meeting place of the Vigilantes, who . . . — — Map (db m49473) HM
Carpenter Julius Kohls purchased this property in 1882, where he built a one-room log cabin and a combination wood shed and outhouse. In contrast to most of the town’s 1860s-era gold-rush log buildings, Kohls’ cabin does not have hand-notched logs . . . — — Map (db m206350) HM
The hasty construction on this remarkably preserved early dwelling reflects the excitement of the gold rush to Alder Gulch during the summer of 1863. Its original dirt-covered pole roof predates the first saw mills; the roof was later covered over . . . — — Map (db m49443) HM
Dentist-turned-miner Leander W. Frary came to Virginia City with the gold rush to try his luck. He and his wife Alice owned interests in a number of lode claims. Frary, a prominent citizen, was among the founders of the Grand Lodge of Masons in . . . — — Map (db m206470) HM
During restoration of this modest dwelling, built in 1864 by J. M. Lewis and later owned by the Gohn family, its unusual construction came to light. Hand-planed planks finely crafted with key joints in between, posts of hand-hewn timbers, and . . . — — Map (db m206554) HM
Courthouse and the original Beaverhead County Courthouse in Bannack (later the Meade Hotel) in 1875. Among the earliest architect-designed buildings in the territory, they both feature dramatic, gracefully curving interior staircases with beautiful . . . — — Map (db m206556) HM
The gold rush to Alder Creek in 1863 spurred settlement of the Madison Valley, and among the first families to settle here were the Jeffers, the Switzers (whose home is preserved here in Nevada City) and the Careys. Irish-born Nick Carey walked to . . . — — Map (db m49565) HM
Virginia City witnessed Montana’s first Methodist services in 1864. By 1874, however, too many residents had succumbed to “depraved and wicked conditions.” Well-known itinerant ministers Revs. W. W. Van Orsdel and T. C. Iliff, then resident pastors . . . — — Map (db m206340) HM
George Gohn was one of the first to arrive at Alder Gulch in 1863 where he and Conrad Kohrs set up a meat market in a log cabin. Alkali dust sifted through the chinks and covered the meat prompting Gohn to experiment with various other locations . . . — — Map (db m49479) HM
This little log building is Montana’s Oldest Standing Public School, built in 1867 in Twin Bridges, Montana, about 30 miles north of here. It served Twin Bridges until 1873, when the Masons built a two-story building with the first floor for use as . . . — — Map (db m49568) HM
Nine booming gold camps sprawled along remote Alder Gulch in 1863. Nevada City and Virginia City were the largest. In December, 1863, Nevada City’s main street was the scene of the miner’s court and hanging of George Ives. This event was the . . . — — Map (db m49563) HM
In the top story of his building the Grand Lodge of A.F. & A.M. of Montana was formed on January 24th to 29th AL. 5866
Virginia City Lodge No. 43 of Kansas
Montana Lodge No. 9 of Colorado
and
Helena Lodge No. 10 of Colorado
Which are now . . . — — Map (db m49485) HM
Madison County was one of the original nine counties created by the first territorial legislature in 1865. This building, constructed in 1866, served as the county courthouse during Virginia City’s stint as territorial capital (1865-1875). When the . . . — — Map (db m208754) HM
Paris Pfouts, Vigilante president and Virginia City’s first mayor, was instrumental in laying out the town. He and his partner, Samuel Russell, built a log store on this site in summer, 1863. Local hell-raiser Jack Slade was arrested here on March . . . — — Map (db m49484) HM
Eighteen-year-old Winthrop Raymond arrived in Virginia City from Missouri in 1865. He and his brother, Hillhouse, began a business hauling wood and building materials. Winthrop built this home soon after, perhaps on speculation. First owner B. F. . . . — — Map (db m206280) HM
Rounded arches and a tall false front characterize Virginia City's first brick building, built by clothing merchant E. J. Walter in 1875. It is said that construction using locally produced bricks was accomplished as a test before the building of . . . — — Map (db m117100) HM
This narrow frame building may be one of Virginia City’s earliest structures, dating to the summer of 1863 when buildings like this were rented for up to $175 during the initial gold rush. Its odd-sized door appears to have been locally handmade. . . . — — Map (db m49412) HM
The murder trial and subsequent hanging of outlaw George Ives in 1863 won the courageous young prosecutor, Wilbur Fisk Sanders, an indelible place in Montana history. Sanders went on to play a key role in the creation of Montana Territory and served . . . — — Map (db m206281) HM
A notorious dance hall was the original occupant of this 1863 building which encompasses a small cabin of V-notched logs, one of the first built in June of that year. Tall French doors and a few dentils clinging to the facade recall its former dance . . . — — Map (db m49407) HM
Many people have called Virginia City their home and many thousands of others have had the pleasure of visiting this unique town. This would hardly be a place worth visiting, were it not for the tireless efforts of a man unpretentiously known . . . — — Map (db m208661) HM
The Simon (Sim) Ferguson Cabin is a Virginia City prospector's cabin dating back to the 1870s. Likely constructed from logs salvaged from another building in the area, the cabin underwent several modifications during its history, Historic evidence . . . — — Map (db m206355) HM
This Monument Marks The Site Wherein Virginia City Lodge No. 43 Of Kansas And Montana Lodge No. 9 Of Colorado Held Their First Meetings. Virginia City Lodge Held Its First Meeting February 27th, AL. 5864. Montana Lodge Held Its First Meeting May . . . — — Map (db m89478) HM
This false-fronted rubble stone barn was constructed by Smith and Boyd circa 1900, replacing a log livery stable. The stone part of the building and the front doors and windows remain as they were at the turn of the century. The barn was converted . . . — — Map (db m49387) HM
The home on the left (East) belonged to John L. Corbett, a civil engineer who drafted the original plat of Virginia City in 1868.
Records indicate that Corbett owned the home only briefly in 1875-76. The Corbett side of the dwelling is . . . — — Map (db m117104) HM
Following the death of her husband, Henry Elling, in 1900, Mary Elling donated $20,000 to build a new St. Paul's Episcopal Church in his honor. An influential merchant and banker, he had been a stalwart supporter of St. Paul's. The church was . . . — — Map (db m206282) HM
From 1865 to 1875 when Virginia City was Montana’s territorial capital, the Territorial Legislature met on the second floor of this stone building. Constructed in 1864, it is Montana’s oldest standing capitol building. The second floor also housed . . . — — Map (db m49439) HM
This property contributes to the
Virginia City
Historic District
•
Listed in
the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the
United States Department of the Interior
•
In cooperation . . . — — Map (db m49470) HM
The small-scale simplicity of Susie Marr’s house belies the owner’s rich life. Marr emigrated from Scotland in 1870. In Virginia City, she managed household affairs for banker, William Morris, his wife, and their six children. In turn, Morris took . . . — — Map (db m209172) HM
Virginia City grew up almost overnight after William Fairweather found color in Alder Creek. Miners rushed to the rich diggings, leaving Bannack, Montana’s first major gold camp, practically a ghost town. Among the Bannack merchants to follow their . . . — — Map (db m208683) HM
When President Grant named Benjamin F. Potts of Ohio governor of the Territory of Montana in 1870, it was to this modest home that the new governor came to begin serving his appointment. Virginia City was then the territorial capital, and this small . . . — — Map (db m206555) HM
Built in 1899. one can see that this imposing structure was the pride, not only of Virginia City, but also of Montana – being, according to history the largest mercantile store in the state at that time. Hardware, hay, grain, salt, and . . . — — Map (db m117101) HM
In its first five years, Alder Gulch produced between 30 and 60 million in gold. By 1874 about 35,000 people lived in the gulch. Times ran out but the gold never did. You can still find it here in the hills and streams of Alder Gulch.
There were 5 . . . — — Map (db m49570) HM
Born a slave in 1852 near Jonesborough, Tennessee, Sarah Bickford would become an iconic Montana businesswoman.
Separated from her parents during the Civil War, upon conclusion of the war Sarah then moved to Knoxville, Tennessee.
In 1870, . . . — — Map (db m117050) HM
A steeply pitched roof and windows with pointed arches reveal Gothic Revival style influence in this finely-crafted 1884 residence, built by George Thexton. The style, often adapted to the frontier in wood, is here expressed in stone as was the norm . . . — — Map (db m206266) HM
Blacksmith George Thexton and his first wife Nancy emigrated from England in 1855 and settled in Wisconsin. Golden opportunity prompted him to leave Nancy and their four children for Montana Territory in 1964. George returned east and brought his . . . — — Map (db m206457) HM
Born Waterford, Ireland, August 3, 1823
Died Fort Benton, Montana Territory, July 1, 1867
Irish Patriot, American Civil War General, Acting Governor of Montana Territory, Soldier, Statesman, Orator, Journalist, Lawyer, Patriot, American . . . — — Map (db m209174) HM
General Thomas Francis Meagher, political activist in his native Ireland and American Civil War hero, stepped into a political maelstrom when he came to Montana in September 1865. As the first territorial secretary appointed by President Andrew . . . — — Map (db m209173) HM
William Boyce Thompson and his wife, Gertrude Hickman, were born in Virginia City to parents of early pioneers. The couple moved to New York City, but retained local ties. The Thompsons provided the funds to build this facility housing a public . . . — — Map (db m117107) HM
Thomas Tootle and Richard Leach formed a partnership, operating with various other partners in mercantile stores in Denver, Kansas City, here in Virginia City, and later in Deer Lodge. Tootle and Leach was one of Virginia City’s first businesses, . . . — — Map (db m209175) HM
The formation of a vigilante group in 1863-1864 was not new to the frontier of America West, Over forty vigilante movements occurred between 1850 and 1879 during the period of Civil War violence and the uneasy settlement of the western frontier. . . . — — Map (db m209011) HM
Prospectors found placer gold along a streambed choked with alder trees in May, 1863.
Thousands came from every corner of the world to try their luck in the placer mines and, perhaps, to garner a piece of the far-famed treasure.
A brief but . . . — — Map (db m117029) HM
In 1864 the U.S. Congress passed the Organic Act that created Montana Territory and provided a basic government structure for the new territory, including a territorial governor, secretary and three judges appointed by the president of the United . . . — — Map (db m209002) HM
To truly appreciate the scale of the Boveys' accomplishment in Virginia City, it's important to understand what they found when they first visited in the mid-1940s.
After more than 80 years, Alder Gulch's legendary gold deposits were . . . — — Map (db m208660) HM
The spectacular gold discovery in Alder Gulch on May 26, 1863, led to the rapid growth of this colorful and legendary gold camp town. Thousands of fortune-seekers rushed to the area, and by 1864 the Virginia City area boasted 30,000 residents. Rough . . . — — Map (db m49382) HM
Professor Thomas Dimsdale, author of The Vigilantes of Montana, opened the first school in the gold camp in fall 1863. In 1864, a log cabin, built where the Methodist Church now stands, served for preaching on Sundays and school during the week. . . . — — Map (db m209181) HM
