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Service: Preserving Virginia City's Treasures

Program Number: 2621RJ
Start and End Dates:
9/9/2012 - 9/15/2012; 6/2/2013 - 6/8/2013;
Duration: 6 nights
Location: Virginia City, Montana
Price starting at: $795.00 - Price may vary based on date, departure city
Program Type: Service Learning
Meals: 17; 6 Breakfasts, 5 Lunches, 6 Dinners    
Meal Options: Vegetarian    

Become a key player while working with Montana Heritage Commission staff to help preserve historic artifacts and structures in a historic gold rush community, one of the Treasure State’s most significant cultural resources. The projects, tours and activities will take place in both Virginia City; a registered National Historic District and nearby Nevada City; an open-air museum.




Highlights

• Take a step back in time and appreciate your National Historic Landmark surroundings while living, working and learning in an area where gold was discovered in 1863.
• Consider the gold rush history of Alder Gulch and “Fourteen Mile City,” once the most populated center between Minneapolis and San Francisco.
• Living history presentations teach you about 19th-century Montana history with tales of life in a gold rush camp, vigilantes and frontier justice.



Activity Particulars

Walking up to one-half mile over uneven terrain on historic walks. Elevation 5,822 feet.



Coordinated by University of Montana Western.




Virginia City

This Victorian mining town in southwestern Montana is a national historic landmark and open-air museum, with more than 200 restored mining-era buildings. Gold was discovered in 1863 and the town — often considered a "working" ghost town — is still the county seat.
Accommodations
Restored authentic miner's lodgings in historic Nevada City, private baths.
Meals and Lodgings
   Nevada City Hotel and Cabins
  Virginia City, Montana 6 nights
 Nevada City Hotel and Cabins
Type: Cabin
  Description: Once a bustling stage stop along the gold trail, Nevada City Hotel and Cabins offer western style rooms with private baths. The hotel is a two story log structure. Both hotel and cabins are refurbished miners lodgings restored with an eye for comfort. Meals served at local restaurants; some sack lunches at work site. Please be aware that the single dietary requirement or preference that can be accommodated at this site is vegetarian - no meat. You may wish to bring supplementary items. Questions? Call UM-Western Road Scholar (406) 683-7302.
  Contact info: Hwy 287
Nevada City, MT 59755 USA
phone: 406-843-5377
web: www.aldergulchaccommodations.com
  Room amenities: Quiet area, nearby creek and tall cottonwoods, warm and dry, a step back in time.
  Facility amenities: Nearby walking path; historic location, old west ambiance
  Smoking allowed: No
  Bathroom: Cabins contain either a shower or bathtub.
  Additional nights prior: varies Seasonal rates; call (406) 843-5377 for information and reservations.
  Check in time: 4:00 PM
  Additional nights after: varies Seasonal rates; call (406) 843-5377 for information and reservations.
  Check out time: 10:00 AM


Travel Details
  Start of Program:
Check in at 4 PM. You will be staying at Nevada City Hotel and Cabins that night.
  End of Program:
Program ends after breakfast; airport shuttle departs at 8 am. You will be staying at Nevada City Hotel and Cabins the night before.
  Required documents:
The Road Scholar Health & Safety Form is required.
  Parking availability:
Free parking in Virginia City.
Transportation
To Start of Program
  Location:  Virginia City, Montana
  Nearest city or town:  Dillon
  Nearest highway: Hwy 287
  Nearest airport:  Bozeman
  From End of Program
  Location: Virginia City, Montana
    (Additional transportation information same as above)
Travel Details
 

Bozeman

 

From Airport

 
 

Service:

 

Commercial Van/Shuttle
Greater Valley Taxi
phone: 406-388-7938
Advanced Reservations Required

 

Per Person/One Way:

 

Group rate is approximately $55; call for current group rate.
Prices are subject to change.
 

Travel Time:

 

1 1/2 hours 
 

Distance:

 

70 miles
   

Reservations must be made at least three days in advance; call (406) 388-7938; you may be asked to leave a message. Group shuttle departs airport at 1:30 pm. Call for information and rates.
 

Bozeman

 

To Airport

 
 

Service:

 

Commercial Van/Shuttle
Greater Valley Taxi
phone: 406-388-7938
Advanced Reservations Required

 

Per Person/One Way:

 

Group rate is approximately $55; call for current group rate.
Prices are subject to change.
 

Travel Time:

 

1 1/2 hours 
 

Distance:

 

70 miles
   

Return shuttle must be arranged at least three days in advance; call (406) 388-7938. Group shuttle departs site at 8:00 am.
 
Driving Directions
  Bozeman Travel west on HWY 84 (38 miles) to Norris. Turn south onto HWY 287 at Norris (16 miles) to Ennis. Continue west out of Ennis on HWY 287 to Virginia City (14 miles). Continue on 1 mile to Nevada City.
  Butte Travel east on I-90 to Whitehall (23 miles). Take HWY 55 south 12 miles to Junction #41/#55; continue south to Twin Bridges (14 miles). Turn southeast on HWY 287; continue on for 26 miles to Nevada City.
  Dillon Take HWY 41 north to Twin Bridges (28 miles). From Twin Bridges, travel east on HWY 287 for 26 miles to Nevada City.
Elevation Note: 5,822 ft

Equipment Requirements: Bring work gloves, your own tool belt with favorite tools if you wish.
The prices listed for commercial services and facilities that are not included in the program cost, such as airport shuttles or extra nights lodging, are subject to change without notice. Since Road Scholar cannot guarantee the accuracy of these prices, we strongly suggest contacting the companies directly for the most up-to-date information.


Daily Schedule

Day 1: Welcome dinner and Orientation
(Sunday, September 9)

Note: Introductions and orientation
   
 Afternoon: Check in at 4 pm.
 Dinner: Welcome dinner at local restaurant.
 Evening: Orientation and Introductions.
   
Accommodations: Nevada City Hotel and Cabins
Meals Included: Dinner

Day 2: History, background, project and safety orientation. Begin work projects. Meet living history interpreters.
(Monday, September 10)

Note: Work projects begin according to ability level. Evening tour and presentation will involve walking and standing on the boardwalks and in and out of the buildings.
   
 Breakfast: Breakfast at local restaurant.
 Morning: History & background; safety meeting and project orientation. Begin work projects which include the following: 1. Painting, wall papering & and carpentry work on the Iron Rod Post Office; 2. Preventative maintenance of museum collections, which includes cleaning artifacts and cataloging objects; 3. Preservation projects and general repair in Nevada City; 4. Working in native gardens, which includes establishing new ground beds, putting up picket fences and other prep work involved; 5. Setting up and organizing a living history exhibit; 6. Helping with a labor intensive engineering project
 Lunch: Sack lunches at work site.
 Afternoon: Work projects. Free time.
 Dinner: Dinner at local restaurant
 Evening: Participants will have a guided tour of Nevada City by Montana Heritage Commission staff and also have the chance to meet the interpreters who portray the early Nevada City residents in the living history "Past Meets Present" programs. There will be standing and walking involved.
   
Accommodations: Nevada City Hotel and Cabins
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3: Work projects by day Living History Lantern Tour by night.
(Tuesday, September 11)

Note: Work according to ability level.
   
 Breakfast: Breakfast at local restaurant.
 Morning: Daily briefing. Work projects. Program lodgings are in Nevada City which was purchased by the Montana Legislature in 1997 and is now managed by the Montana Heritage Commission. Preservation efforts are ongoing as the Montana Heritage Commission’s goal is to promote and preserve the legacy of sites such as these. Tourists head for home after Labor Day and summer’s hustle and bustle evolves into the quiet, golden days of Autumn; life in Nevada City slows down! The city, with nearly 100 buildings dating from 1863 to the early 1900s, and nearby Virginia City, a well-preserved Victorian gold mining town and the site of Montana’s second territorial capital and second major gold rush, offer the look and feel of the gold rush era. Both towns are off the beaten path now and peaceful, featuring historic buildings of beautiful wood and stone, open air museums of days gone by. The location is truly a step back in time and offers immersion in a fascinating slice of Montana’s past.
 Lunch: Lunch at local restaurant.
 Afternoon: Work projects. Free time.
 Dinner: Dinner at local restaurant.
 Evening: Living History Lantern Tours by Montana Heritage Commission staff. Take a stroll through the past by the light of the Lantern and discover the people, the stories and night life of Montana Territory 1863 - 1865. Witness the past unfolding in Nevada City as the historic vignettes bring early Montana history to life.
   
Accommodations: Nevada City Hotel and Cabins
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: Work projects and gold panning. Living history presentation tracing the life of Captain James Williams.
(Wednesday, September 12)

Note: Work according to ability level. There will be some bending over and resting on knees when panning for gold.
   
 Breakfast: Breakfast at local restaurant.
 Morning: Daily briefing. Work projects. After gold was discovered in Alder Gulch in 1863, ten thousand hopefuls crowded in with settlements scattered up and down the “gulch.” The settlements were called “Fourteen Mile City” and included the towns of Virginia City, Summit, Alder, Nevada City and Adobetown. Life was rough-and-tumble here with Vigilantes, frontier justice and Boot Hill. Nevada and Virginia Cities were the gulch’s principle hubs of commerce and tell the story of how immediately after gold was discovered, this isolated mountain pass and nearby creek boomed. In its short-lived glory days, the 14-mile stretch of gold-rich stream boasted the most densely populated center between Minneapolis and San Francisco and is regarded as one of the richest placer gold strikes in our country’s history.
 Lunch: Sack lunches at work site.
 Afternoon: Work projects. Gold panning.
 Dinner: Dinner at local restaurant.
 Evening: A living history presentation entitled "The Perilous Trail of Montana Gold, Life and Times of Captain James Williams"--Humanities Montana Speakers Bureau by Dan Thyer. This presentation will trace the life of Captain James Williams and his unique involvement in the early settlement of Montana and the American West. From his involvement in the Border Wars, along the Kansas and Missouri line, from the Cherry Creek Pikes Peak gold rush to Virginia City's gold fields, the audience will be captivated as James Williams tells his story of the Montana Frontier through the voice of Thyer. Discover the role Montana played in the Civil War insuring that stagecoach routes and shipments of gold reached the states in safety. At the end of his living history presentation, Dan Thyer will take questions both as James Williams and as an historian and scholar on the life of James Williams.
   
Accommodations: Nevada City Hotel and Cabins
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5: Work projects and Virginia City Players perform in historic opera house.
(Thursday, September 13)

Note: Work according to ability level.
   
 Breakfast: Breakfast at local restaurant.
 Morning: Daily briefing. Work projects.
 Lunch: Sack lunches at work site.
 Afternoon: Work projects. Free time.
 Dinner: Dinner at local restaurant.
 Evening: Participants will sit back and enjoy an authentic 19th century melodrama coupled with vaudeville variety acts as showcased by Montana's oldest professional theater troupe in Virginia City’s historic Opera House.
   
Accommodations: Nevada City Hotel and Cabins
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6: Finishing up projects, closing and goodbyes.
(Friday, September 14)

Note: Work according to ability level
   
 Breakfast: Breakfast at local restaurant.
 Morning: Daily briefing. Work projects.
 Lunch: Lunch at local restaurant.
 Afternoon: Work projects wind up. Free time.
 Dinner: Dinner at local restaurant.
 Evening: Closing, Reflections and Goodbyes.
   
Accommodations: Nevada City Hotel and Cabins
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7: Independent departures
(Saturday, September 15)
   
 Breakfast: Breakfast at local restaurant.
 Morning: Airport shuttle departs at 8 am.
   
Meals Included: Breakfast

Free Time Opportunities
  
  Virginia City, Montana Chamber of Commerce
History, events, lodgings and tours. For additional information, visit www.virginiacitychamber.com
  Madison River Canyon Earthquake Lake Visitor Center
Visitor Center explains the 1959 Hebgen Lake Earthquake and provides displays on earthquakes, plate tectonics, a working seismograph, outside signage and a walking path. The observatory overlooks the site where the mountain fell that night and formed the lake and offers scheduled movies and talks. For additional information, visit www.fs.usda.gov/gallatin
  Virginia City Preservation Alliance
Overview: Read about gold rush & Vigilante history; lists local businesses & sights; calendar of events For additional information, visit www.virginiacity.com/
Important information about your itinerary: Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information featured on this website. Itineraries are based on our best information at this time. Circumstances beyond our control may require us to adjust itineraries or other details. We regret any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding. Information will be sent to you from your Program Provider approximately three weeks prior to the program start date. The prices listed for commercial services and facilities that are not included in the program cost, such as airport shuttles or extra nights lodging, are subject to change without notice. Since Road Scholar cannot guarantee the accuracy of these prices, we strongly suggest contacting the companies directly for the most up-to-date information.

Suggested Reading List


reading list included with


Author: prearrival materials




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