The stagecoach route between Bannack and Virginia City was a dangerous one. Many robberies and murders happened here. Crime eventually got so bad that a group of citizens organized a vigilante group to administer justice. Among those hung were Henry Plummer, the sherriff of Bannack (story under Bannck section), and numerous others.
As happens in many gold rush communities, the easy gold was gone in a few years of the towns establishment. Many of the people moved on to the next big strike. By the 1870's, most of the population ws gone. By 1875, the territorial capital was oved to Helena and the gold fields of Last Chance Gulch. New mining technology of the early 1900's renewed mining efforts for a while. By 1940, Virginia City and Nevada City were nearly ghost towns. There were less than 100 citizens. Many of the old building still stand today.
In the 1940's, Charlie and Sue Bovey, avid history buffs and antique collecors, stepped in to help preserve the towns. They exists today largely due to their preservation efforts.
Virginia City has had a few historical first in Montana history. It had the first newspaper ever published in Montana. It was the place that the first book in Montana was published. And it also was the site of the first public school in the state.
Virginia City and Nevada City can be reached from Dillon or Yellowstone. From Dillon, take highway 41 northeast for 26 miles to Twin Bridges. From here, take highway 287 southeast for 28 miles. Or take highway 287 northwest out of Yellowstone. Go about 71 miles to Ennis. Stay on 287 as it heads west 15 miles to Virginia City.
