When trips to the West Coast of the United States, will surely catch your attention visit a typical western town.
One of the best examples you can find is Virginia City.
It is an old miner town located northwest of Nevada, whose name you will possibly identify as that of the town near the La Ponderosa ranch, from the historical television series Bonanza.
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But this town has another argument to visit it because you should know that Virginia City It is also known as the birthplace in 1863 of the writer Samuel Clemens, known worldwide as Mark Twain.
All the information in detail
Where is Virginia City and what is it like?
Virginia City It is located in northwest Nevada, next to the Lake Tahoe, half an hour south of the city of Reno.
Currently it is not what is known as a ghost town, since it has a population of about 1.000 inhabitants, and has also become a large tourist attraction having more than two million visitors every year.
Surely a good part of those visitors go to Virginia City looking for traces of the aforementioned television series.
What was the Bonanza series like?
"Bonanza" was a popular American television series which aired from 1959 to 1973, making it one of the longest-running television series in history.
Of the western genre and with a family style, it was one of the first television series filmed completely in color, which made it stand out in its time.
Set in Virginia City and its surroundings during the time of the Conquest of the West, and focused on the life of the Cartwright family, owner of Ponderosa Ranch.
The main theme of the series was the fight to maintain peace and order in the border territory, while facing challenges such as outlaws, indigenous tribes and other problems of the time, always with a moral and family focus.
The very popular main characters were Ben Cartwright (interpreted by Lorne Greene), the father of the family, a wise and compassionate man who seeks to maintain peace on his ranch and in the region.
Adam Cartwright (interpreted by Pernell Roberts) was the eldest son, a cultured and educated man who often took charge of the family's intellectual and legal affairs.
Hoss Cartwright (interpreted by Dan Blocker) was the middle son, a strong but kind man, who often took on the most physical and challenging matters.
And finally, Little Joe Cartwright, who was played by M, and who later starred in the also very popular series of “Little House on the Prairie”, was the youngest son, a handsome and charismatic young man who often found himself involved in romances and adventures.
Undoubtedly, "Bonanza" is remembered as one of the most beloved and enduring television series in history, and contributed significantly to the western genre on television.
The best things to see and do when visiting Virginia City
As for the town that gained fame as the film's setting, Virginia City, is one of the oldest in Nevada and, like many other towns in the west, was born due to the discovery of silver mines in 1859.
Due to this mining fever, during its greatest peak Virginia City It once had 30.000 inhabitants, but when silver extraction ended in 1898, its population suddenly declined.
En Virginia City Today, the streets and many houses from the time of its greatest heyday are preserved.
And in fact you can visit some of those houses, like the Fourth Ward School Museum, from 1876, where you can see a sample of the history of virginia city.
You can also take a steam train tour of the historic Comstock mining area, in the vicinity of Virginia City., which was once one of the largest silver mines in the world.
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Mark Twain in Virginia City
During your visit, you can also learn about the history from the stay of the famous writer Mark Twain in Virginia City, although the museum that was in the former headquarters of the Territorial Enterprise, the local newspaper where he worked.
Mark Twain, whose real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens, arrived in Virginia City in 1861, at the age of 25, a time when the city was experiencing the aforementioned boom due to silver mining.
Twain He had previously worked as a typographer and journalist elsewhere, and it was in Virginia City where he started using the pseudonym "Mark Twain" to sign his humorous columns and journalistic reports.
The experience of Twain en Virginia City, where he could closely observe life in the Wild West, silver mining and the extravagant personalities of the time, served as inspiration for his later works.
To highlight in this sense "Tom Sawyer's adventures" y "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn".
The Ponderosa in Virginia City
Of course, if your goal is visit La Ponderosa ranch, protagonist of the famous a series of Bonanza, I will tell you that in the 70s it became the Theme Park Ponderosa Ranch.
But, finally, in December 2004 it was closed after being acquired by a billionaire, and remains that way today.
In Virginia City official website You have extensive information about all the sights This historic Nevada mining town.
Map: how to get to Virginia City in Nevada
If you have interest in visit Virginia City, you will find it halfway by car on the route that connects San Francisco y Salt Lake City, as soon as you enter the state of Nevada, half an hour south of Reindeer.
Personally, I admit and love this series,
I saw it for the first time in the 90s.
But recently I found the entire chapters in Spanish on YouTube and since then I watch them over and over again every day,
Those were real men!
Even the villains were men of their word.
It hurts me that its actors are no longer alive.
Ben,joe,Adam and Hoss;
A hug, a prayer and a lot of admiration and respect for you.
When I was a teenager I didn't miss a single episode. Now there is a channel in my country that is repeating the entire series and now I appreciate it better. The message they present in each chapter is a moral, spiritual teaching (something that is totally excluded from the new programs), historical, because they relate events that occurred at that time such as the emergence of Mark Twain, the civil war, the colonization of the Indians. It also confronts the position of values on a people dedicated to all types of bandage. A lot, yes, a lot of teaching. Magnificent landscapes. Unfortunately these types of productions no longer exist these days.
I AM A COWBOY I LOVE WATCHING THE BONANZA SERIES BECAUSE IT BRINGS ME BACK TO TIMES FROM MY CHILDHOOD IT IS A BEAUTIFUL SERIES
I admire the writer of this series, what creativity, such accurate and deep dialogues, with unmatched values. Beautiful family, great actors, in each episode you learn new things.
EVEN SO IT DOESN'T STOP AMAZING ME IN THE 50'S AND 60'S THERE WERE THINGS THAT WERE USED IN THE UNITED STATES AND AFTER MANY YEARS THEY ARRIVED IN SOUTH AMERICA... LIKE THE KEROSENE OR OIL LAMPS THAT THEY USED ON THE PONDEROSA FOR LIGHTING AND MORE IMPORTANT THE CHECKED TABLECLOTHS WHICH WERE VERY POPULAR IN THE 60'S, 70'S AND 80'S
In a time where the law of the gun predominates in a town full of savages where mining work predominates and unscrupulous people arrived in the old west but also from the bad to the good, a family where father Ben Cartwright taught them the principles of training to be a better person, I think in a way it was like a message to see that life can be better. It was a TV program that gave us a message that all the people in this world can live in peace. I say this because in its program came from all races Native Americans Mexicans I think Mexicans are the same as Native Americans, Europeans and even Chinese and Afros on another occasion I will write more about this series Greetings to the people who like BONANZA.
They are all beautiful and those values are lost, I will miss them a lot. I am 44 years old and how I would have been at that time, in real life, because I love the one who was always dressed in black, PERNELL ROBERTS, HOW CUTE TO BE EXCITED ABOUT SUCH A CUTE ACTOR , GOD HAVE YOU IN THE GLORY…..KISSES FROM PANAMA
I agree with all the comments! I am sure that the vast majority thinks the same and agrees with us, however unfortunately the new generations do not adapt to the old scenery used (and, contrary to that and we surely also agree on this, it is one of the most attractive characteristics of the series) and for this reason it is difficult for them to get hooked on this beautiful series and in this way they do not give themselves the opportunity to value a lot of teachings that it offers us. I remember that I always got angry with old Ben's patience and aplomb in solving problems, but at the end of each chapter I ended up agreeing with the way he solved everything, devoid of any feeling of revenge and hatred towards his occasional enemies. …the truth is that some truly great ones that unfortunately I don't think will be repeated!! Greetings to all!!
Without a doubt one of the best series, I saw it with my grandmother, my mother, today I make my children watch it and I hope my grandchildren watch it.
The history of people reflected in cinema is interesting so the youngest people learn about their history in an interesting way.