Historic Gold Hill Depot. Located only just a mile or so south of Virginia City is another relic of the Comstock mining boom: The town of Gold Hill. Unlike Virginia City, Gold Hill is just a shell of its former self. Back in the late 1800s and early 1900s this place was a jam-packed mining and processing town, with wall-to-wall buildings and mining structures. The fact that Gold Hill became such a thriving metropolis is really astounding, when you consider the fact that there is almost no flat land in in the town, other than the spot you are looking at. This is the Virginia & Truckee's Gold Hill Depot and Freight House.
Back in the day, the V&T Depot was the center of activity in Gold Hill. The main line ran around the left of this building, much as the new V&T's line does today, and a siding ran around the right side. When the mining busines went bust in the early 1900s, so did Gold Hill. By 1938, the V&T had pulled out, and the place literally became a classic ghost town. In the ensuing years, most of the buildings were torn down, but somehow, this one survived. In recent years, the Gold Hill Historical Society has done a lot of restoration work on the building and the hope is that the state will find the money to open it up to the public. With the V&T running regular excursions to this spot in the summer, there certainly is incentive for this to happen. Until then however, the old depot is but a great prop for a photo op. On this particular afternoon, I manage to catch the V&T's #29, making her charge for the 4% grade toward Virginia City, with on a test run for a Lerro Productions photo freight planned for the following day.
