Nevada Traveler: Ponderosa offers glimpse of Virginia City’s underground

At least someone is now making money off Virginia City’s Best and Belcher Mine.

Originally worked in the late 1860s, the Best and Belcher was a good example of a mine that seemed like a good bet, except it wasn’t.

When the shaft was sunk, it was situated between the incredibly profitable Gould and Curry Mine and the equally-lucrative Consolidated Virginia Mine – so, naturally, there had to be silver and gold there, right?

Unfortunately, while its neighbors brought in hundreds of millions in silver ore and were branches of the fabulous Big Bonanza vein, the Best and Belcher produced mostly dirt.

Over a nearly 40-year period, various owners sunk more than $1.6 million in developing the mine. But despite the investment, the mine proved to be a bust and was finally abandoned in 1917.

In the 1970s, however, the owners of the Ponderosa Saloon, located in what was the Bank of California offices, discovered that the Best and Belcher shaft ran through the hillside behind their building, which had been constructed in 1864.

They decided to dig a horizontal tunnel from the rear of the saloon into the old vertical mine shaft and open it for tours. Since then, thousands of visitors have walked the 315 feet from the saloon into the shaft to catch a glimpse of Comstock history.

The Ponderosa Mine Tour, in fact, is one of the best ways to get an inside look at the source of Virginia City’s fame and success. You catch the guided tour in a waiting room just beyond the saloon’s wooden bar.

While waiting for the tour to begin, make certain to check out the wall displays which include a dozen or more vintage firearms, a rock exhibit and historic photos and papers.

The tour begins with your guide, who is wearing a protective helmet (mostly for dramatic effect), ushering you through metal doors into a timbered map room. Pointing to a large underground map of the area, he or she explains how Virginia City is crisscrossed with old mine shafts and noted that if all were placed end to end, they would stretch more than 750 miles.

From the map room, the tour moves into a dirt tunnel (wear shoes that you don’t mind getting muddy) that leads into the heart of the Best and Belcher shaft. Along the way, you pass an old powder room containing a few old, wooden dynamite boxes (empty!).

According to the guide, during the 1870s Virginia City’s miners were the highest paid in the world, making $4 a day (the equivalent of about $230 a day today).

The pay reflected the fact that the work was difficult. Virginia City’s mines were filled with natural pockets of toxic gases as well as hot water and steam. Additionally, the miners faced the possibility of cave-ins and accidents. Not surprisingly, the average lifespan of a miner was 42 years.

The guide also explains the various ways silver ore was extracted from the mine. Using various props on hand, he describes the hand-drilling techniques used in the 1870s, as well as mechanical steam drilling, which was introduced near the turn of the 20th century.

Near the end of the tunnel, you find out that you are about 52 feet underground and that the temperature year-round is a cool 50 degrees.

The guide then takes you to a partially caved-in ventilation tunnel – which he says was the original entrance to the shaft – and lights a small candle. He extinguishes the electric lights in order to illustrate what it was like to work in the mine during the 1870s.

The single candle barely illuminates his face, let alone much of the shaft. At this point, he calmly relays that the biggest problem for miners was a sudden breeze coming in from the ventilation shaft and extinguishing the candle – then, of course, he does exactly that with a puff of air.

After turning on the overhead lights, he notes that sometimes miners brought canaries in small cages down into the mines with them. If the bird suddenly died, it was a sign that the air was thick with methane gas, and the miners would quickly exit in order to avoid a similar fate. And, with that, we did the same.

The 25-minute mine tour is offered daily from noon to 5 p.m. The Ponderosa Saloon is located at 106 S. C St., in Virginia City.

For information, visit www.travelnevada.com/mines-prospecting/ponderosa-saloon-mine-tour.