Virginia And Truckee Railroad Right Of Way
Reno, Washoe County, Nevada
Marker Inscription
Virginia And Truckee Railroad Right Of Way. The Virginia & Truckee Railroad was built between 1868 and 1872 to connect the mining and milling communities of the Comstock to the Central Pacific Railroad that ran through Reno.The line first connected Virginia City to Carson City in 1869, but work to run the railroad north moved quickly. Soon after Chinese laborers graded this section during the summer of 1871, track gangs commenced laying rail south, reaching Steamboat Springs by late October. Nine months later, Superintendent Henry M. Yerington drove the last spike a mile west of Carson City on August 24, 1872, connecting Virginia City with Reno by rail. Although regularly scheduled passenger service didn’t begin until October 1, the first through train traversed the 52 mile route on September 1, 1872 - the last passed by here on May 31, 1950.
Erected by City Of Reno
The Story
The Virginia & Truckee Railroad, built between 1868 and 1872, linked the booming mining and milling towns of the Comstock to the transcontinental line at Reno. Chinese laborers graded this section in the summer of 1871, and track gangs quickly pushed south, reaching Steamboat Springs that October. Superintendent Henry M. Yerington drove the last spike near Carson City on August 24, 1872; the line's last train passed here on May 31, 1950.
Why it matters
The V&T was one of the richest short-line railroads in America, and the Chinese work crews who built it are a reminder of the immigrant labor that laid the rails of the West.
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Related people
- · Henry M. Yerington
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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