Wicked Virginia City

by Peter B. Mires

Overview

Perched on the side of a mountain in the Nevada desert, Virginia City existed for one reason only: to make money. The mining frenzy of the mid-nineteenth century uncovered veins of precious metals that would be expressed in billions today, attracting the enterprising madam Cad Thompson, the charismatic highwayman Nickanora and a plethora of swindlers. Miners, flush with their wages, supported a healthy economy of gambling, drinking and prostitution and even launched a few political careers. Sam Clemens, who became Mark Twain while reporting for the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise, called it "the livest town that America had ever produced." Join author Peter B. Mires as he explores the seamy side of this quintessential mining boomtown.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781439671443
Publisher:	The History Press
Publication date:	10/05/2020
Series:	Wicked
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	144
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Peter B. Mires, a Vermont native, has been fascinated with the western Great Basin and Sierra Nevada for thirty years. He received his doctorate in historical geography from Louisiana State University in 1988 and subsequently taught at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and the University of Delaware. His publications include several books and more than fifty scholarly articles, book reviews and op-ed pieces. Dr. Mires is retired and lives in Carson City, and when not reading or writing, he may be found hiking the Tahoe Rim Trail or exploring the Nevada outback.

Table of Contents

Preface 9

Acknowledgements 15

Introduction 17

1 All the News That's (Un)Fit to Print 35

2 Whiskey Mills, Beer Halls and Opium Dens 46

3 Violence and Vigilantes 61

4 Knights of the Green Cloth 76

5 Cyprians and Nymphs of the Pave 83

6 The French Connection 100

7 Stock Swindles 110

8 Crooked Lawyers and Politicians 117

Epilogue 131

Bibliography 139

About the Author 144