Back in the Wild West

THE DAPPER gentleman standing at the bar in the Bucket of Blood Saloon gallantly tips his bowler hat. Dressed to the hilt in a black waistcoat, matching dinner jacket with satin lapels, knee-length boots and gun belt (complete with a real pistol), Jack Davis looks every bit the picture of a 19th-century gunslinging stamp mill owner.

Successful stamp mill owner by day, train robber by night, Davis is among the regular historical characters who loiter along the timber boardwalks and in the saloons of Virginia City. On weekends, residents of this former mining town dress up in period clothing and practise their best Western drawl to bring to life characters from the Wild West. The historical re-enactments make this time-capsule town of about 1000 people, perched on a mine-riddled ridge in the mountains of Nevada, a drawcard for visitors.

Many locals have played the same character for years and wear their personalities like a familiar glove. Davis is actually retired rancher Ross Mortensen who - along with his merry men, known as the "Horse Thief Canyon Desperados" - is preparing for this season's mock gunfights and train robberies. "I'm really enthusiastic about robbing the V&T Railroad," Ross says. The "robbery" of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad is a successful charity event in which funds are collected for the railroad's restoration. "People love being robbed at gunpoint. They come back several times a day and donate $15 to $20 each time," he says.

The steam train chugs through Nevada's harsh desert landscape, a striking countryside contrasted by brilliant blue skies, as travellers listen to a commentary about the discovery of the famous Comstock load. It was a jackpot that put the town on the map in 1859 and attracted prospectors from around the world. Over 26 years, the Comstock produced about $US700 million ($865 million) worth of gold and silver.

The train stops at Gold Hill, where travellers can disembark and join the festivities at the 19th-century Gold Hill Hotel, a rambling historic building with resident ghosts.

The hotel's bar is bursting with character and there is a ceiling full of dollar bills left by travellers from around the world.

Virginia City's main street, C Street, looks like a set from a Western movie. Shops that sell cowboy hats, boots and clothing stand side by side with souvenir stores, museums and saloons. The saloons are a quirky feature of the city and each has its own trademark.

The Delta Saloon is home to the "world famous suicide table", where legend has it three gamblers who lost their fortunes committed suicide at the table. A couple of doors down, the Silver Dollar is known for its floor-to-ceiling painting of a woman whose dress is studded with hundreds of real silver dollars, while the town's visitors centre houses the "world famous Crystal Bar".

There's an underground mine tour that starts inside the Ponderosa Saloon. The Bucket of Blood has old rifles displayed on the walls and antique lamps hanging from its ceiling. The saloon is packed shoulder to shoulder when David John and the Comstock Cowboys, a country band with a national following, come to town.

The motorised tourist trolley and horse-drawn carriage provide tours of the town's landmarks, stopping at beautifully restored historic places such as St Mary's in the Mountains Catholic church (where 18th-century vestments presented by Queen Isabella II of Spain were discovered in the basement), the antiques-filled Mackay Mansion and Fourth Ward School museum. There's also Piper's Opera House, with its sloping floors, honky tonk pianos and antique combustion heater.