Comstock Lode was the greatest silver-mining center in the United States during the 1800’s. Its rich deposits, which included valuable supplies of gold, lay in west-central Nevada. Mines on the Comstock Lode flourished from 1859 to 1865 and again from 1873 to 1882. During this second period, a body of ore known as the Big Bonanza produced silver and gold ore worth more than $100 million. The mining area was named for Henry T. P. Comstock, a prospector who took credit for its discovery. But other miners really found the ore first.
The huge wealth of the Comstock Lode drew many people to the western part of Nevada. Virginia City developed near the mines and quickly became one of the most prosperous cities in the West.
