Fire companies in Virginia City, Nevada, including the one shown below, responded too slowly to the first alarm in October 1875. Their efforts to stop the spread of the fire were quickly overwhelmed by the wind-driven flames. One man, John W. Mackay, a mine owner who’d risen through the ranks of common Comstock miners, led the fight to save the world’s richest mine. Would he succeed? — Firemen Photo courtesy Special Collectio


Already Signed Up? Log in here.

Read this article now for Free!

Ready for a third free article? Create a free account by entering your email address and a password below.

— OR —

Sign Up Now for $29.95 a year and have immediate access to all of True West content, including the complete True West Archives dating back to 1953!

SIGN UP NOW or SIGN IN

This digital subscription is in no way connected to your Print Subscription. They are totally separate and cannot be connected. If you have a Print Subscription with True West, you will need to pay for a separate subscription to access this website and will receive a totally different Log In password. If you have an existing digital component to your Print subscription, you'll need to Sign In and request a new password.