Virginia City: Secrets of a Western Past

Acknowledgments

xi Acknowledgments Kelly Dixon, now on the faculty at the University of Montana at Missoula , excavated two of the sites discussed in this text. More importantly, Kelly and I discussed the writing of this sort of book for several years, and we contemplated coauthoring the project. Kelly was kind enough to kick around ideas and edit several of the first chapters, but ultimately coauthoring was not in the cards. Her contribution, however, cannot be understated, and she has my thanks. Don Hardesty, long-standing professor in the anthropology department at the University of Nevada, Reno, and former president of the Society of Historic Archaeology, has inspired generations of students. His method, his insights, his dedicated hard work, and his kindness—he says “yes” more than anyone I know—has made him beloved by his students . He and I began working on Comstock projects in 1990, although his dealings with the mining district date to much earlier. For two decades we have tackled a variety of topics that have yielded diverse insights . This book is a memoir of twenty years of archaeology, but it consists of observations made while peering over Don’s shoulder. He is the reason this work could be accomplished, and I thank him for all he did on these projects and for inspiring me since I first met him in 1973. Another common thread to all these projects is the National Park Service of the Department of the Interior. Each of the projects described in this volume was supported by the Historic Preservation Fund, administered by the staff at the Cultural Resources Program of the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. Other agencies, including the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute for Museums and Library Services, and the Nevada Foundation for Cultural Affairs, and individuals, including Karen Wells and Jim and Diane Linebaugh, provided financial support, but the National Park Service carried the weight for most of these projects. Additional help came from students, volunteers, and local residents and agency staff. Besides Kelly Dixon other graduate students contrib- xii Acknowledgments uted to this effort: Barbara Mackay, Margo Memmott, Julie Schablitsky, Jessica Axsom, Elyse Jolly (who supervised the field lab for many excavations ), Sean McMurry, Ben Barna, Jane Baxter (who helped with the archaeology of childhood), R. Scott Baxter, and Richard Adkins. I also want to thank Jessica Escobar for her work and especially for her kind support over the years. Graduate students who are just beginning the process but have nevertheless made a preliminary contribution include Steven Holm, Jonas Blustain, and Sarah Heffner. And of course there were many more graduate and undergraduate students who worked on these projects. They all have my thanks. Joe Curtis of the Mark Twain Book Store has always been a good friend to me and to archaeology in Virginia City, and he has my profound thanks. Barbara Mackay and her Historic Fourth Ward School Museum and Michael “Bert” Bedeau, district administrator of the Comstock Historic District Commission, have been helpful with images and insights. Candace Wheeler has a remarkable grasp of the Comstock cemeteries and death ways, and I appreciate her help with that material. Thanks to Margaret “Maggie” Lowther for granting permission to excavate her property, the site of the Shooting Gallery and Saloon, and for being otherwise supportive. Thanks also to the late Don McBride and Marshall McBride, proprietors of their beloved Bucket of Blood Saloon, for access to the Boston Saloon site. Similarly, the late John McCarthy of Virginia City gave of himself, his family records, and his friendship, and he is missed. A thank-you goes to Toni Lee, assistant associate director of historical documentation programs at the Cultural Resources Program in the National Park Service, and Mike Brodhead, historian with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, for reading drafts and offering encouragement. Thanks also to Bernadette Francke, Sue Fawn Chung, and William Kersten for assistance and friendship. There were many volunteers who helped with the various projects. Dan and the late Chris Urriola and Robert Leavitt donated thousands of hours. Dan’s work is of particular note because he developed the skill of gluing shattered artifacts together. He turned tens of thousands of bits of objects into hundreds of exhibit-quality artifacts, and he and all the others involved in this undertaking have my thanks. xiii Acknowledgments Nevada’s Historic Preservation Office staff have always acted as a sounding board...