First Presbyterian: Closer To God At 6,148 Feet

by Glenn Franco Simmons

One has to love a church whose website declares: “Closer to God at 6,148 Feet. First Presbyterian Church is a Perfect Place for Imperfect People.”  

Don’t you love the sense of humor and the biting realism of how imperfect we all are? 

I toured the church a few years back, but I was not using my smartphone for blogging then; I was using my professional-grade 35mm cameras and lenses and did not have them with me. 

Its “Welcome” on the website also says: “Located at 6,148 feet in elevation and nestled in the heart of historic Virginia City, First Presbyterian Church has been helping the people of Virginia City to get closer to God for more than 150 years. 

“Join us for a new video-based Bible Study that explores the ‘back story’ behind the disciples whom Jesus called. This study will take place following the worship service.  There will be time for discussion following the study.” 

There are also historic church tours, and I can say that from personal experience, they are worth it. If you live locally, take several. The information gleaned about Virginia City, the church and anecdotes vary and I am sure most people will love it, particularly history buffs.

“Are you looking for things to do in Virginia City? Step back in time with a tour of this historic church built in 1862,” states the church’s website. “Tours of First Presbyterian Church are available during most major community events and by appointment. Contact the church at (775) 410-1218 for more information.” 

1925 photo by Dressler. Courtesy of the University of Nevada, Reno.

You can view the church’s photo gallery at this link. 

First Presbyterian Rev. Rebecca Watkins, who lived in Ely, Nev., from 1961-64, earned a Master’s of Divinity at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wynnewood, Penn. 

According to the church’s website, The Rev. Watkins served as pastor of Lee Vining, Calif.’s Community Presbyterian Church. 

She is an ordained Presbyterian pastor and a Nevada Presbytery member.

(Note that the photos were taken 100 years apart.)

Desert Rose Ranch: A Must-see

Big Ben Franklin, a Mammoth donkey, and Amanda at Desert Rose Ranch.

 by Glenn Franco Simmons

Settle in at whimsically crafted picnic tables, hop aboard donkey-led carriage rides, try your hand at authentic gold panning, embark on artifact scavenger hunts, and admire masterful woodcarvings.

You can do all this and much more at Gold Hill’s Desert Rose Ranch.

With delights tailored for grown-ups and children alike, this enchanting Comstock oasis truly has it all.

Nestled along the historic Highway 341 on Occidental Grade, the ranch is a charming, old-school roadside gem designed to enchant visitors of all ages.

Goats, rabbits and chickens are a great way for people of any age to meet farm critters.

Even though the picturesque ranch is located a few stones’ throw from Fourth Ward School on the Truck Route (not Highway 342), this is Gold Hill, not Virginia City.

In a joint statement on their website, Paul and Amanda, a devoted husband-and-wife team, said, “We built our small ranch on top of the overburden piles from the Ward Mine which operated in the late 1800s. We are open Thursday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and we’re looking forward to sharing all of the fun on the Ranch with you!”

A beautiful vista.

From atop the mine piles, you will enjoy priceless vistas of the serene Carson River Watershed and the majestic, purple-hued Sierra Nevada peaks in the distance.

Amanda and Paul have transformed Desert Rose Ranch into a welcoming haven complete with ample parking, open picnic areas, and endless family-friendly adventures.

A beautiful vista & a place to look for gold. All photos: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Desert Rose Ranch may use any photos for any purpose.

I have covered small communities for years, and something like Desert Rose Ranch is a one-off in my journalism (now retired) career. It really is. Local schools would be wise to tour it, if they don’t already. It really is a Comstock treasure.

Walking a short distance with Amanda, I was pleased to see a first-class donkey riding arena stocked with rescued BLM burros. The donkeys all had names and stories, Amanda said. (I would like to do a full feature or two on Desert Rose Ranch, so I’ll save what I learned for a more thorough and formal interview, so I get the names and stories accurate, if Amanda and Paul are willing.)

Carriages purchased from the Amish.

Nearby is the gentle giant Big Ben Franklin ~ a huge but gentle and Mammoth donkey ~ plus chickens, rabbits and really friendly goats.

“All donkeys but our Mammoth Jack Donkey have been adopted from the Bureau of Land Management, gentled and trained to pull wagons,” they noted on their website. “We have a smooth path that meanders around the ranch that our donkeys pull a wagon on. This is a safe, contained space to experience a wagon ride with your family and learn a little about donkeys, wagons and the Ward Mine that is also on the property.”

And those wagons? Ordered from the Amish in Pennsylvania. No, kidding. Quite amazing, isn’t it? What a special place.

Julia Bulette.

When I was there, I also saw goats, chickens and bunnies.

“All of our farmyard animals were adopted, rescued or donated and provided a safe and loving existence here at the Ranch,” they noted. “All of our small barn animals were born and/or raised around people and are very gentle. There is an intimate small barn corral where the pigs, goats, chickens and bunnies enjoy being petted and fed. The animals like to be petted and fed to each person’s comfort level.”

That corral is the perfect place for anyone of any age to go in and interact with traditional farm and/or ranch animals. Worthy of school trips, for sure.

In terms of gold prospecting, Paul found a piece of ore with some gold and gave it to me. He kindly looked at some rocks I had gathered earlier on Six Mile Canyon Road, and he said they had gold in them. He was able to tell by a small magnifying glass, but I couldn’t see it because of my eyesight. But I am sending the rocks to my twin grandsons.

The V&T, always a welcome site.

He also demonstrated how to break ore down, so be sure to ask him to show you how to do that.

Their commentary on the website also explains why such ore can be found: “We are located on a mountain of old mine tailings and overburden piles that contain quartz crystals, placer gold and a vast assortment of other rocks and minerals,” they noted. “We provide a small kit, rock identifier map of the Ranch and instructions on how to prospect on the Ranch. It is self-guided, and we are bordered on all sides by BLM land, so you have an unlimited area to explore. It is not hard to find assorted minerals including gold, but it does take some intention and patience, but it does pay off. Yes, gold is found and yes you get to keep all that you find.”

“Placer gold is a form of naturally occurring gold that has been eroded from its original hard rock (lode) source through weathering, water flow, or glacial action, and deposited in loose sediments like riverbeds, stream gravels, or alluvial plains,” according to Grok AI. “Unlike lode gold, which remains embedded in quartz veins or ore bodies, placer gold appears as flakes, nuggets, or dust in these unconsolidated deposits, making it easier to extract without heavy machinery.”

Paul is also a talented woodcarver who carved the beautiful wooden sculpture of Julia Bulette at the yummy Virginia City Canvas Café. There is an excellent Press-Democrat article about Paul that is worth reading. You may also view some of his sculptures on his Instagram page.

Blog Changed

This blog, so shortlived, is being retired to Virginia City & The Comstock Lode on Tumblr because the mobile layout is better. Google has not done an adequate job of maintaining, updating and modernizing Blogger, in my opinion. While I do appreciate the free platform, I'm afraid Google will axe it like so many other Google offerings in the past. So, please visit me at the new blog.

Gold Hill Had Masonic Silver Star Lodge No. 5

This image (courtesy of the University of Nevada, Reno) has been digitally edited to make it lighter for publication. The stereograph shows Gold Hill's  Masonic Lodge.

by Glenn Franco Simmons

Masons have helped shaped the state of Nevada's history since before its territorial status.

In mining communities bustling with Masons, there was a selfless desire to construct Temples in each community that could sustain an active membership.

Masons in Gold Hill felt such a calling and were responsible for the establishment of Silver Star Lodge No. 5.

“The brethren at Gold Hill were led in their undertaking {to establish a Lodge} by Bro. Charles E. Ollney and Duane L. Bliss. ... ,” according to “History of Masonry in Nevada” (©) by C.W. Torrence (Western Printing & Publishing Co., Sparks, Nev.).

“On the 11th of April, 1863, Wm. G. Alban, R. R. Barnes, Levi W. Lee, M. Frankenheimer, Lewis B. Frankel, Sigmund Ettinger, A. C. Hollingshead, Hugh McLeod, Henry Donnelly, N. A. H. Ball, Robert Webber, Charles E. Olney, Duane Bliss, Samuel Robinson, and H. H. Veasy framed a petition to the Grand Lodge of California asking permission to establish a lodge at Gold Hill. On the 20th of June, 1863, the document for which they petitioned was issued, and on July 11th the dispensation was delivered, and W. G. Alban was installed Worshipful Master; E. R. Barnes, Senior Warden; L. W. Lee, Junior Warden; S. H. Robinson, Treasurer; S. Ettinger, Secretary; L. B. Frankel, Senior Deacon; A. C. Hollingshead, Junior Deacon; H. McLeod and M. Frankenheimer, Stewards; H. N. Veasy, Tyler. …”

Sadly, as Mr. Torrence noted in his excellent book, the decline in Comstock mining led to the demise of numerous Lodges.

(Photograph of Masonic building; stereograph; UNRS-P1386-1.tif collection_4968. Courtesy of University of Nevada, Reno).

Virginia City's Savage Mansion Victorian Splendor

© GTFS. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. 2019.

(Reprint from Silver State Backroads, 2019)

by Glenn Franco Simmons

Hidden below the main street of Virginia City is an example of Victorian splendor.

It's a refined beauty painted in a beautiful yellow that would make envious two of California's cities with significant preserved Victorian structures — The Victorian Seaport of Eureka and The Victorian Village of Ferndale (located on the isolated Redwood Coast closer to Oregon than San Francisco and where I grew up and worked most of my life).

Rising out of a steep hillside at 146 D  St. in the epicenter of the richest U.S. silver ore discovery is the Savage Mining Building, also known as the Savage Mansion.

"This magnificent 21-room Second Empire Style building was constructed by the Savage Mining Co. in 1861," according to the National Park Service's webpage about what is often referred to as the Savage Mansion.

"The ornate building is an excellent example of the architectural elegance associated with the offices and residences of the mining elite," the NPS states. "The top two floors of the building served as the mine superintendent's residence, while the ground floor was the mine office."

Example: Lincrusta frieze. Courtesy of Wikipedia. Public domain.

The beautifully adorned building is privately owned. I'm not sure of its current status, but it remains well-preserved.

"{It} has been restored with attention to its distinctive architectural features, such as the mansard roof, dormer windows and delicate gingerbread trim," according to the NPS. "The interior boasts 14-foot-high ceilings, a seven-foot copper bathtub, a {Lincrusta} frieze in the main hallway and early Victorian furnishings."

Aside from its architectural important, the Savage building is also historically important — perhaps most notably because a U.S. president once spoke there to a gathered crowd who must have been impressed that so distinguished a person would make a stop in the Comstock capital.

"Ulysses S. Grant is said to have stayed in the house in 1879 and addressed crowds in a speech from the porch. During this time, a Mrs. Monoghan, whose husband had been killed in one of the mines, served as a housekeeper to the superintendent.

"When the mines closed down in 1918, the Savage Mining Co. deeded the land, house and furnishings to Mrs. Monoghan."

In the rough-and-tumble and oft-greedy world of The Comstock Lode, such a gesture was probably not too common.

When I was there in 2019, a very nice woman came out of the building and moved her car for me so I could get some better shots, which I appreciated a lot.

© GTFS. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. 2019.

"The term 'mansion' has been liberally applied in the Comstock to include any large and vaguely residential building," the NPS sates. "This has been done for promotional purposes and is far from being an accurate characterization. Even the most elaborate dwellings in Virginia City would be considered no more than ordinary houses in any urban setting.

"In the case of the Savage, Gould & Curry and Chollar properties, all referred to as mansions, the term is a complete misnomer, having been applied to buildings that served primarily as offices for major mining companies."

Hmmm. Not where I come from. Call it what you want, it's a true beauty.

Silver City's Amity Lodge A Grand Icon

Amity Lodge, Silver City. © Glenn Franco Simmons. Taken several years ago. CC BY-NC-ND. 4.0.

by Glenn Franco Simmons

Travelers might notice the well-cared-for white building with blue trim in Silver City, Nev., without realizing it is part of a living history that dates all the way back to the origins of The Comstock Lode.

Silver City's Amity Lodge No. 4 F. & A.M. — located at 175 Main St. — was chartered in 1863. The Lodge's regular communication will take place on Thursday, May 2. Dinner is at 6 p.m., followed by Lodge opening at 7 p.m.

"Amity Lodge No. 4 had its beginnings as Silver City Lodge No. 163," according to Amity Lodge's website. "Sojourning Masons living in Silver City, Nevada, under the guidance of Brother John C. Currie expressed their desire to organize a lodge, by framing a petition to the Grand Lodge of California.

"A dispensation was granted by Grand Master William C. Belcher on March 20, 1863, to the sundry Brethren at Silver City, Nevada Territory, and a charter was granted by the Grand Lodge of California on May 15, 1863, as Silver City Lodge No. 163.

Amity Lodge in Silver City. © Glenn Franco Simmons. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

"The officers and members included — John C. Currie, W. M.; Charles F. Brant, S. W.; William B. Hickok, J. W.; August Koneman, Treasurer; Henry W. Arnold, Secretary; James A. Cowden, S. D.; Moses J. Rourke, J. D.; Henry Lun, Tyler. Other members included Master Masons M. J. Henley, R. P. Kerr, and Robert H. Watson.

"Lodge membership increased to 36 Master Masons, 4 Fellow Craft, and 12 Entered Apprentices in 1865, when the Lodge severed it connection to the Grand Lodge of California, and united with other Lodges in the organization of the Grand Lodge of Nevada, from which it received a charter at the time as Amity Lodge No. 4 on January 16, 1865.

"Its first Master, Brother John C. Currie, withdrew, and united with Virginia City Lodge at Virginia City, and was elected Grand Master of Masons of the State of Nevada, and also served as Mayor of Virginia City. Brother Richard T. Mullard was the last Master under California jurisdiction, and Master under newly formed Amity Lodge No. 4, he would later became Deputy Grand Master."

There is a stated meeting first Thursday of each month at Amity Lodge.

There are many misconceptions about Free & Accepted Masons, so I refer readers to an excellent rebuttal to common fallacies regarding Freemasonry that the Grand Lodge of Virginia published: "Myths of Freemasonry."

(Photos taken by Glenn may be used without restriction by Masons. For Masons, photo credit is not required. Masons may use these photos in any of their commercial publications.)

Gold Hill's 1937 Ford Dump Truck

An old Ford dump truck in Gold Hill, Nev. CC BY-NC-ND-4.0

"Based on the truck's distinctive features — like the slanted hood line, separate fender-mounted headlights, horizontal-bar grille, suicide-style doors, and stake-sided dump bed — this is a Ford Model BB series heavy-duty dump truck from 1937," according to Grok. "These were common in mining areas like Gold Hill, Nev., often painted yellow for visibility and safety."

If that analysis is incorrect, please let me know in comments. 

An old Ford dump truck in Gold Hill, Nev. © Glenn Franco Simmons. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

Lady Justice Has Eyes Wide Open

© Glenn Franco Simmons. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Photographed in 2010. 

by Glenn Franco Simmons

One of the most-impressive buildings in Virginia City, Nev., is the ornate — by Wild West standards — Storey County Courthouse at 26 South B. St.

Located near the equally historic Piper's Opera House, the courthouse is an impressive structure that must have magnificent views of Virginia City northward, from its second-story windows. Whether standing inside or outside the courthouse, which features a jail and courtroom, it is easy to imagine the destinies of lives forever changed in this building.

The National Park Service's "Three Historic Nevada Cities" series features historically important information about Carson City, Reno and Virginia City.

"The Storey County Courthouse was built in the high Italianate style that embodies 19th-century ideals of decorative opulence as well as law and order," according to the NPS."

It replaced the first courthouse, which was destroyed the catastrophic Virginia City Great Fire of October 1875.

"Reconstruction began in 1876 and the present building, designed by the San Francisco architectural firm of Kenitzer and Raun and built by contractor Peter Burke, was completed in February 1877," according to the NPS. "The total cost of construction, including fixtures and the jail, was $117,000, a remarkable sum even for the Comstock boom years."

It even features a memorable and iconic sculpture.

© Glenn Franco Simmons. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

"A life-sized figure of Justice stands as sentry at the entrance, but she is not blindfolded, a rare occurrence in our national symbology," according to the NPS.

The Comstock Historical Marker (No. 8) that is located outside the courthouse (at the time this photo was taken) states that "over the years, a legend has evolved that she {Justice} was one of only a few created not blindfolded."

"The courthouse's statue of Justice is the only one to grace the exterior of a Nevada building," according to OnlineNevada. "The full-sized, zinc figure came from New York and cost $236, including shipping. Local folklore maintains it is one of two or three in the nation without a blindfold, presumably because the Wild West needed Justice to pursue crime vigorously. In fact, Justice with eyes exposed was a common option in the nineteenth century, and over twenty examples survive throughout the country."

In Virginia City, all enforcement had to have its eyes wide open because it was the epitome of Wild West skulduggery.

"The façade of the building was decorated with elaborate ironwork, painted contrasting colors, and a pediment that included the date of construction, 1876, also the national centennial," the NPS states.

The NPS also said the Storey County Courthouse is the most opulent of all Nevada courthouses built in the late 19th century.

© Glenn Franco Simmons. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Photographed in 2010.

"Far exceeding the cost of its counterparts, the building served the state's richest community," the NPS states. "Ironically, the county built the courthouse at a time when the boom economy of Virginia City was on the verge of collapse. Perhaps due to the inevitability of a downturn, local leaders rebuilt their town following the devastating 1875 fire in grand style.

"The Storey County Courthouse remains a vivid example of this community's rebirth in the face of economic decline. A portion of its restoration was funded through a grant from the National Park Service's Historic Preservation Fund."

It is a building that needs to continue to be kept up because of its historical significance as not only a courthouse, but also a jail.

"Storey County's two-story Italianate structure includes a two-tier jail, a spacious courtroom, and large iron-sheathed vaults for records," according to OnlineNevada. 

"Electrified during The {Great} Depression, the courtroom features Art Deco style light fixtures. The building is one of two 19th-century courthouses (the other being in Eureka) still serving local government."

According to another Comstock Historical Marker (No. 17) outside the courthouse, "This two-story jail was completed in 1877, and featured 10 individual cells, each of which had bunkbeds and 'state-of-the-art' plumbing for the day."

Men and women were jailed there.

"Women were housed on the second level and men on the first floor until 1963, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that males and females could not occupy the same facility without being physically separated," according to the marker. "There was heavy wire mesh strung between the posts of the second level to prevent falls and mingling of the inmates.

"The jail operated continuously from 1877 until September of 1986, when the county's insurance carrier decided it was unwise to operate it with only one fire exit in the event of a fire. Inmates were then housed at the Carson City Sheriff's Jail, for a fee, until the current jail was opened in 1992 on the outskirts of town on Truck Route, SR341."

Security was built into the jail.

© Glenn Franco Simmons. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Photographed in 2010.

"The walls of the jail were covered in boiler plate, after a successful escape in 1897 by an alleged murderer who had worked on the building as a bricklayer," according to the marker. "'Red Mike' Langan knew the walls had not been properly filled with rubble material as required and was able to dig his way out and escape. The county went to great expense to see that this did not happen again."

The marker makes no mention of Mr. Langan being caught, and I have not been able to determine if he was re-imprisoned.

© Glenn Franco Simmons. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Photographed in 2010

"The doors of the jail were built by C.F. Nutting of San Francisco, the same company that supplied the vaults in the rest of the courthouse," the marker notes. "The stone floors are made of 'Kate's Peak Andesite," a very dense and heavy granite which was quarried from the hills a short distance to the east of Virginia City."

V.C. 'Flag On Fire' Poem A Masterpiece

An American flag used from 1861-63. Public domain.

by Glenn Franco Simmons

Torn from a wooden pole on top of Mount Davidson, an American flag was carried by the fierce wind when it suddenly became illuminated by the setting sun peaking through storm clouds over the rugged Sierras.

The pioneer Virginia City residents could not believe their eyes.

The spectacle was so profound that a famous American female poet took up the challenge and put the experience ~ which captivated countless Comstock Lode onlookers ~ to inspiring patriotic poetry.

This post reveals her long-lost poem, as well as the four American flags, any one of which may have been the flag torn asunder, because all were in some form of use at the time.

C.C. Goodwin* mentions, in passing, the poem titled “The Flag On Fire” by Anna M. Fitch in his literary fictional masterpiece titled “The Comstock Club.”

He notes that in July 1863, a heavy storm with thunder descended upon the pioneer mining outpost. One can almost imagine it happening.

“… As the sun was disappearing behind Mount Davidson, the clouds broke and rolled away from the west,” writes Goodwin of the fictional event, “while at the same time a faint rainbow appeared in the East, making one of those beautiful spectacles common to mountainous regions.

“At the same time the flag on Mount Davidson caught the beams from the setting sun and stood out a banner of fire. This, too, is not an unfrequent spectacle in Virginia City, and long ago inspired a most gifted lady to write a very beautiful poem, ‘The Flag on Fire.’”

Mount Davidson, July 24, 2011. © Glenn Franco Simmons. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

“From the summit of Mount Davidson, looking westward from Virginia City, Nevada, float the stars and stripes,” Ms. Fitch writes. “On the evening of July 30th, 1863, upon the breaking away of a storm, this banner was suddenly illuminated by some curious refraction of the rays of the setting sun. Thousands of awe-struck persons witnessed the spectacle, which continued until the streets of Virginia, 1500 feet below, were in utter darkness.”

At a time when there were sympathizers of The Union or the Confederacy in Virginia City, the poem was sure to inflame the pride of patriotism in the hearts of those who supported The Union and not in those who supported The Confederate States of America.

The poem is cast in a reverential, almost religious, style that seems to indicate a feeling among some observers that the illumination of the Stars and Stripes was somehow divinely ordained and proof that the United States of America would continue to prosper and be victorious in The Civil War.

What no writer mentioned was which American flag was atop Mount Davidson.

The Flag On Fire

by Anna M. Fitch

Up the somber

Silent chamber

Of the silver-seamed Sierra,

Where the Pi-ute

Roams in quiet

And the eagle spreads her eyrie ~

Climbed on our flag, and sat in splendor

Climbed our flag, and sat in splendor

Thronged with elemental wonder.

Flushed with warning,

Dawned the morning,

O’er Nevada’s gold-girt canons

While momentous

Clouds portentous

Beat aloft their dusky pinions,

And the lengthening day slow wheeling

‘Neath its swarthy height was reeling

Now the marring

Lightning scarring,

Cleaves the mailed front of heaven,

Sifting, shifting,

Drifting, rifting,

Clouds capricious course till even,

So the swarthy army marches,

Conquering through the shadowy arches.

An American flag used from 1861-63. Public domain.

Cloud-bemantled,

Storm-ensandled,

Droops the flag, all gloom-encompassed,

Now unfurling,

Waltzing, whirling,

To the music of the tempest —

While aloft the dark-browed legion

Marshals through the storm-wrapped region.

Now the crumbling

Shadows, tumbling

Into silver-skirted showers

Lo! Upbuildered

From the gilded

Eastern crags, a rainbow towers;

Linked with Carson’s purple fountain,

Circling the desert, vale and mountain.

Fire! Fire!

Fire! Fire!

Who has set the flag on fire?

What vile traitor

By Creator

Spurned, thus dare defy despair?

God of prophecy and power,

Stay the omen of the hour.

An American flag used from 1863-65. Wikipedia. Public domain.

Oh! the splendor,

Oh! The wonder,

To the worshipping beholder!

Gathering, glowing

Flaming, flowing

Skyward — fiercer, freer, bolder

Burn the beating stars of empire,

Lit by traitor-torch, nor camp-fire.

Blood nor palette,

More than all that,

Mid those starry embers linger;

Tis an omen

Sent to no man —

Signet on an unseen finger —

Prophecy from heaven’s own portal,

Borne by winged worlds immortal.

Now circling

Darkness purpling,

Plumes the rock-ribbed mountain hoary;

Yet the hallowed,

Flag unpillowed,

Burns aloft in stilly glory;

Wonder-mute, no man inveigheth;

Peace, be still! a nation prayeth.

An American flag used from 1863-65. Public domain.

Anyway, V.C. fans, more about Mrs. Fitch, if you are interested. In an obituary about Ms. Fitch published in “Paradise of the Pacific” Vols. 16-18 (Jan. 1, 1903), her literary accomplishments were noted.

“… She had literary tastes, and in the exercise of her talents displayed genius,” according to the publication. “One particular poem she wrote, … titled ‘The Song of the Flume,’ was regarded by William Cullen Bryant as classic. She also wrote ‘The Flag on Fire,’ ‘Over the Hill,’ ‘The Loves of Paul Fenly,’ and ‘Bound Down’ — a book of Fate.

“She caught a good deal of her inspiration from the scenes, the incidents and the romances of the great Pacific Slope, where most of her life was spent. With her husband she wrote ‘Better Days,’ or a ‘Millionaire of Tomorrow,’ a tale of the present period dealing somewhat with the labor interests.”

I encourage you to visit the Nevada Women's Project to read more of Mrs. Fitch’s bio, as well as others’ stories.

“How did she acquire such literary stature?” the project asks? “Anna’s most important influence was her husband, Thomas Fitch. Fitch was a wanderer searching for his life’s goal; that of a U.S. Senator or Territorial Governor, a pinnacle of political success which he never seemed to find. He was fortunate in his searching that he met a young San Francisco author, Anna Mariska Shultz, and he married her there on January 1, 1863.

“At this point her geographical world expanded far beyond her wildest imagination. She moved with Tom to all the Western territories (including Hawaii) and numerous states well over 20 times as he sought that elusive U.S. Senator position or governorship of a territory. Even though he attained the high rank of a U.S. Congressman from Nevada, that wasn’t enough. An orator with a keen mind, he seemed to have no equal, and he became known far and wide as the ‘Silver Tongued Fitch.’

“However, by the prestige Anna achieved in the literary field, it seems to prove that he met his match intellectually. Anna achieved her success as she relentlessly moved from one home to another, for Tom felt it was necessary to purchase a home and establish residency in every move to show that he was serious about being a permanent resident. Setting up one household, or even several, could be considered average for a married couple. Setting up the number of households she had to and still making time for writing, as well as anti-suffrage activities and other social involvements, would be considered superhuman, even by today’s standards.”

(*Editor’s Notes: C.C. Goodwin’s book has some racial epithets in it. However, society has advanced and matured. My post is not an endorsement of such views but an endorsement of Mr. Goodwin’s masterpiece, “The Comstock Club.”

(The 1860 black-and-white Virginia City and Mount Davidson photograph was taken from the Gould and Curry Mine. It is part of the Lawrence & Houseworth Series titled: “Album Views of Nevada.” Courtesy University of Nevada, Reno. Photo of Mrs. Fitch, public domain, courtesy of Wikipedia.)