The Greatest Disaster in Nevada in the 1870s

By the mid 18 seventies, virginia city had over 25 thousand people. The potential for getting rich and the buzz of life around those looking for it was attractive to a lot of people. But with larger groups of people come much bigger risks. A fire started in a lodging house in the early morning hours on october 20 fifth of that year caused an estimated 300 million dollars worth of damage.