Virginia City...No..not Ben Cartright's Ponderosa

Did my usual 0500 wake-up...sat outside to watch the sun stretch itself over the horizon...and pondered as to what todays adventure would be....I decided I would wait until the herd of "wild animals"(Humans) began migrating back to their "winter dens" before returning to Yellowstone ...so I'll do that in conjunction to my trip to the Tetons after I leave West Glacier....

So today I headed off to Virginia City Montana...not Ben's, Hoss and Little Joe's Ponderosa in Nevada....it was a 65 mile drive south on Rt 84 and 287...another magnificent vista along the Madison River...and 3 super boondocking places...I call it "Brook Trout Alley"....also increased in elevation...some good size inclines..wanted to capture a few mountain photo's but the haze from the fires made it impossible to get any clarity...walked around the town for about an hour...everything was closed..but the Historical signs of each structure was very interesting....one of many "Boom and Bust" gold mining towns...Sooo, without furher ado here is your history lesson:

Virginia City...Horst Kelly Photographer

"The spectacular gold deposit discovered in Alder Gulch on May 26, 1863, led to the rapid growth of this colorful and legendary gold camp town. Thousands of fortune-seekers rushed to the area, and by 1864 the Virginia City area boasted 30,000 residents. Rough characters attracted by the gold rush gave Virginia City an unsavory reputation, but these were tempered by pioneers and their families who settled here and helped to shape a new frontier. After the creation of the Territory of Montana, Virginia City became the territorial capital, 1865-1875, and the Madison County Seat. As the gold played out, Virginia City's population dwindled. False-fronted commercial structures, simple log cabins and frame Victorian residences remained as testimony to the transitory gold rush. Among the first to recognize the historical and architectural significance of Virginia City were Charlie and Sue Bovey of Great Falls. They began to purchase and stabilize some of the fragile buildings in the early 1940s. The Bovey's personal efforts and those of their sone, Ford, resulted in the town's designation as a National Historic Landmark and its remarkable preservation as one of the most intacet gold rush towns in the West."

Virginia City...Horst Kelly Photographer

Drove back to Ms Casita...did some housekeeping, got provisions at Walmart...got back just in time as it started raining...made dinner...slaw, sandwich and instant mash potatoes.....a mans gotta do...what  mans gotta do! The wind ready gusted up to about 40mph...No sunset pic this evening.