Virginia City celebrates 50 years of camel races

Virginia City continues to celebrate its birth 150 years ago in the hills overlooking Washoe Valley between Reno and Carson City. As a year filled with many observances winds down, Virginia City still offers special events in upcoming weeks such as the 50th Annual Virginia City Camel Races, Sept. 11-13, and the first round-trip excursions in 70 years of the Virginia & Truckee Railway between Virginia City and Carson City. The V&T Railfest trains began running Aug. 15, continuing on Saturdays trough Nevada Day, Oct. 31.

The center of the mining frenzy generated by discoveries of silver and gold in 1859, Virginia City rapidly grew from a rough camp into a city of thousands built atop mines that honeycombed the mountains. From unpaved streets, rowdy crowds and more saloons than it needed, Virginia City changed into a livable county seat with many amenities, including an opera house, churches, schools, a railroad, several newspapers and residential streets lined with mansions built with Nevada silver.

Well preserved despite the toll taken by the years and the fires that plagued the early boomtown, Virginia City thrives upon its history. The whole town enjoys National Historical District status. The National Trust for Historic Preservation recently named Virginia City among the top 12 most distinctive destinations in America.

Tourism powers the economic engine today instead of mining. Tourists flocking to Virginia City experience something of the Old West as they stroll the steep streets, exploring the old downtown where vintage buildings house many shops, bars and restaurants, as well as several museums. The informative Silver Line trolley ride from downtown gives an overview of the town. Visitors then go back to those attractions that interest them. A visit to the old Fourth Ward School Museum provides historical perspective. An underground mine tour gives an appreciation of miner's lives, while visiting one of the mansions demonstrates what fine living was like for those who struck it rich.

Many a fine tale or outright fabrication circulated in early Virginia City, often the tongue-in-cheek work of journalists like Mark Twain. Continuing that tradition, the local newspaper 50 years ago invented and reported upon a fictitious camel race supposed to be in Virginia City, challenging competitors to appear. The paper's bluff was called when an actual event did occur with riders competing upon camels borrowed from as far away as the San Francisco Zoo. With international competition, the event has grown in size and popularity over time, now including ostrich races, as well, for added hilarity.

During the 50th Annual International Camel Races, crowds will gather at the track on E Street. Gates open at 1 p.m. Races take place from 1:30 to 3 p.m. all three days of the meet. General admission is $10. Juniors, seniors and military personnel pay $8. Children 4 and younger enter free of charge. Families save a little by purchasing a family pack for $25 for two adults and two children. Many camel race veterans prefer the VIP package for $40, which provides entrance to the shaded seating, food and two drinks.

The hard work and planning of many Nevadans resulted in the restoration of enough track to get a train from Carson City to Virginia City and back on a route roughly paralleling the original V&T Railway abandoned in the late 1930s. Rebuilding trestles, adjusting the route and extending the line four miles to the State Railroad Museum in Carson City remain as ongoing and future projects.

During the Railfest excursions this fall, passengers ride round-trip or one-way on a train made up of restored vintage cars powered by a venerable locomotive. Start in either Carson City of Virginia City. One-way tickets cost $29 for passengers over age 12, $25 for senior citizens and $23 for children aged 4 to 12 years. Round-trip fares cost $48 for adults, $40 for seniors and $36 for children. Children 3 and under ride free. Staggered departure times leave a few hours for touring either town. Arrange for Railfest tickets by phone at (800) 718-7587 or online at visitvirginiacitynv.com.

Margo Bartlett Pesek's column appears on Sundays.