Chollar Mine Tour - Underground on the Comstock Lode in Virginia City Nevada

May 2023 underground Chollar Mine Tour. Chris and I visit Virginia City and go underground. The tour leads you back 400 feet into a hoisting station above a 250' winze. This winze allegedly meets the top of one of the Comstock stopes. This stuff near the surface would be the oldest at around 160 years. Everything has collapsed. I can only imagine the huge stopes below but probably completely collapsed. This mine has quite a bit of equipment spread around outside. Looks like a collection from a few different areas. Their maps are displayed inside shed and they are quite good. While we were there the steam locomotive from Carson City showed up with three large antique Pullman coaches. That's the Virginia & Truckee Railroad and they had two steam engines running this day.

[@rileybowers1290]

I enjoyed sharing the tour with you! (I’m the one in the denim shirt holding the baby!)

[@ontheroadwithnorm2024]

Thanks Riley! Nice to meet you.

[@ontheroadwithnorm2024]

This mine tour has a nice outdoor museum laid out along the hillside. Just below is a railroad that has been there for about 115 years. We were lucky and one of the two operating steam locomotives went by us. These tourist trains run every day.

[@travelingwithmikeandpam9074]

It looks like the walls are caving in!

[@mikewinings4120]

I love the 2× 4s holding things up,that should work😮.They used some of the biggest pieces of lumber known in mining,still snapped like tinder wood

[@voixdelaraison593]

All the old miners must have been 5ft 2”

[@rose-zb4ze]

thats what i thought.

[@travelingwithmikeandpam9074]

The mike never used the train. It always used wagons. The train, #18 comes from Carson City.

[@ontheroadwithnorm2024]

Reading the story of the Comstock, When the railway first arrived the shipping rates were exorbitant. There was no water in Virginia City and the ore had to go off the mountain to the valley below. The mine owners didn't like the railway guy taking all their profits and continued using the heavy wagons they had been using for years.