Loading map...

1950 Map of Virginia City

Name: 1950 Topographic Map of Virginia City
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1966
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1966

About this map

The Comstock Lode’s enduring legacy is etched across this landscape, centered on the high-elevation settlements of Virginia City and Gold Hill. This 1950 field-checked survey reveals an intricate network of mining claims and infrastructure along the Virginia Range, including legendary names like Yellow Jacket, Chollar, and Potosi. The massive engineering feat of the Sutro Tunnel is traced from its eastern portal near Sutro (Site) westward toward the heart of the mining district beneath Mt Davidson.

Downslope, the map captures the industrial and agricultural corridors of the Carson River and Steamboat Valley, where the V & T RR once connected these silver-rich heights to the wider world. From the thermal features at Steamboat to the high peaks of the Flowery Range, the sheet documents the transition from peak mining activity to the mid-century landscape, preserving the locations of former sites like Lousetown and American Flat.