Virginia City | Montanakids

Question 1

1. Why did Virginia City grow so quickly in 1863?

It was chosen as the first U.S. state capital. Miners discovered a very rich placer gold deposit at Alder Gulch. A railroad was built through the town. Farmers moved there for good soil.

Question 2

2. What made Virginia City different from many other gold rush towns?

It was completely torn down and rebuilt in the 1900s. It became a ghost town with no people at all. Many families and businesses stayed, so its original 1860s buildings survived. It was never used for mining.

Question 3

3. What was the Vigilance Committee in Virginia City and nearby camps?

A group of teachers who started the first school. A company that owned all the mines. A secret group of citizens who hunted down suspected road agents and sometimes hanged them. A club of stagecoach drivers who shared routes.

Question 4

4. What do many modern historians think about the old stories that Sheriff Henry Plummer led a huge outlaw gang?

They all agree the stories are 100% proven. They see little clear evidence for such a large, organized gang and doubt parts of the legend. They think Plummer was never a real person. They agree he was actually a school teacher.

Question 5

5. What was the purpose of the numbers "3-7-77" used by the Vigilantes?

It was the official population of Virginia City. It was a mining rule about claim sizes. It was a warning symbol whose exact meaning is unknown, but it told suspects to leave town. It was the name of a stagecoach company.

Question 6

6. How did Chinese immigrants usually take part in mining around Virginia City?

They owned every new gold discovery. They often reworked abandoned placer claims in groups and recovered gold missed by others. They only worked as teachers and doctors. They were not allowed to live in Montana at all.

Question 7

7. What was the Joss House in Virginia City?s Chinatown?

A jail for robbers. A large gold storage vault. A two-story temple that served as a religious and social center for Chinese residents. The first train station in Montana.

Question 8

8. Which mining method left long piles of gravel, or tailings, along Alder Gulch that are still visible today?

Simple gold panning. Hand digging with shovels only. Dredge mining with large machines that chewed up the creek bottom. Only underground coal mining.

Question 9

9. What important role did Charles Bovey play in the history of Virginia City and Nevada City?

He discovered the original gold at Alder Gulch. He bought and repaired many old buildings and moved historic structures to Nevada City to save them. He led the Vigilantes during the 1860s. He closed the towns and kept visitors out.

Question 10

10. What is one reason historians and archaeologists still study Virginia City and Nevada City today?

To find out how to rebuild the towns as modern cities. To learn more about daily life, immigration, mining technology, and how communities changed in the 1800s. To prove that no one ever lived there. To remove all the old buildings and replace them with malls.

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Virginia City & Nevada City Quiz

Quiz: Montana Gold Rush Towns