The Red Dog on Closed Mike Night in 2001

It was the 5th of July, 2001, when the MaryJane sisters rolled into Virginia City for a "hot time in the old town tonight." We had been on the road for three days and had missed all the 4th of July fireworks and related events. It was extremely hot and fire warnings were posted everywhere. We were feeling a bit crispy ourselves and were ready for some mountain dew and a game of pool at the Washoe Club. But first we had to find overnight accommodations close to the action.

We went in the Silver Queen Hotel, Wedding Chapel & Casino and inquired about lodgings. The large picture of the Silver Queen hanging on the wall was captivating. Her dress was made out of 3,261 silver dollars and her belt out of 28 twenty dollar gold pieces. I thought I saw her eyes move. We had our choice of guestrooms and picked one attractively decorated in blue on the second floor overlooking C Street. We paid for our room in advance and were given a bag of tootsie rolls as a welcome gift. We were informed that the staircase leading from the sidewalk into the hotel was open all night so we wouldn't have to worry about getting locked out. We thought that statement odd but didn't give much consideration to it. So with our tootsie rolls and overnight provisions we went upstairs to wash the desert dust off.

"The Castle" was built with silver doorknobs in the 1860s for a Virginia City mining superintendent.

The hotel appeared to be in various stages of restoration and we wondered what stories the walls could tell. The long hallways had large oval openings in the floor allowing a view of the corridor below. This was very convenient if you were waiting for someone to come back to his or her room after a prosperous game at the black jack table. These openings were covered with decorative iron and wood railings to keep guests from falling through after a prosperous visit to the saloon. The hallway on our floor extended from the front rooms to a door at the back of the hotel that opened onto the street above. We secured our bronco outside that door, as it was more convenient to use this back entrance to unload our gear. We didn't notice any other hotel guests and figured they must be at dinner.

". . . feeling a little disconnected we decided to rattle our goat bags out of there."

While freshening up in our room we heard roaring sounds and felt wind coming through the door transom. It was so swift and warm that it dried my just washed hair in minutes. It gave me a disconcerting feeling and I had a strange suspicion someone was watching us. It was still early and after a brief respite we went to the Washoe Club for some action. However, we were disappointed to find the pool table gone and the barkeep closing shop. He said they had a rough 4th of July and everyone left town. Now that was a fine state of affairs for the MaryJane Sisters.

The MaryJane Sisters didn't try it, but visitors can pan for gold in Virginia City

As we walked around town the stores were closing up one at a time, like a domino effect. We went to the Union Brewery but found those guys heading home too. "Should have been here yesterday", they said as the saloonkeeper locked the door. Now the MaryJane sisters love to close the bar, but we'd much rather have been in the bar first. Someone mentioned the Red Dog Saloon and something about Open Mike night. Sounded like a plan, but first we strolled up the hill to B Street and found the Mandarin Garden Chinese Restaurant. It was elegantly decorated with oriental furnishings and the food was excellent. We reflected on the Chinese immigrants who had lived and worked on the Comstock, and for a spell we dined in another era.

The Mandarin Garden on B Street, Virginia City

After dinner we headed to the Red Dog Saloon. It was open and there were a few people inside. Now they say if you remember the 1960s, you weren't there. Well, I remember parts of that era but I didn't remember ever being in the Red Dog Saloon in Virginia City. However, upon entering, I very well could have been there before and for a moment I thought I was wearing my paisley peasant blouse, elephant bellbottoms, and buffalo sandals with my goat bag slung over my shoulder. I was all set to order Sangria when the one-man band at the "mike" started singing to the crowd. I was jolted back to the present millennium and the MaryJane sisters proceeded to order their preferred dust cutter. The music was agreeable but not danceable and so feeling a little disconnected we decided to rattle our goat bags out of there.

We found the main entrance and lobby of the Silver Queen dark and locked up for the night. The stairway entrance to the hotel floors and our room was open on the sidewalk and we realized anyone off the street could walk up. This was a little unsettling but then there was no one in town. There was also no one in the hotel but us!

C Street is almost as busy on a summer Sunday as it was in Virginia City's heyday.

The zephyr winds off Mt. Davidson had died down and Virginia City was quiet. We could hear voices off in the distance somewhere, probably coming from the Red Dog Saloon. We were bushed and hit the dream sack for a good night sleep. But it wasn't long before I heard heavy footsteps on the boardwalk below. Must have been a Red Dog patron going home.

I don't know how long I was asleep when something woke me up. I was aware of a musky odor that smelled like wet fur. It was quite pungent and it lingered in our room for a long time. I heard mysterious noises outside our window and the sound of tin cans rolling on the boardwalk. The night was calm and I lay there thinking someone or something was in our room or close by. I don't know how but eventually my eyelids grew heavy.

Virginia City's Mark Twain Bookstore offers an effigy of the Master next to the stove.

Then some time in the night I was awakened again by someone walking up the stairs. The creaking of the old wooden steps was eerie and a bit disturbing in the quiet of the night. The groaning of the staircase seemed to last forever and I had a gut feeling there was more than one person. I knew there were no other hotel guests and I heard no doors opening or closing. I was nervous but relaxed a bit figuring Jane was probably awake with a grip on her Man Stopper.

Here's another visitor's account of a stay at the Silver Queen: My Virginia City Weak-End by Weakeyes Cody

As I lay there listening and feeling a little anxious the creaking stairs grew fainter until all was silent. Now, it's possible that whoever it was just took a shortcut home by coming up the stairs, walking down the hall, and out the back door to the street above. On the other hand, he or she may have joined others in one of the unrestored guest rooms. By this time I was convinced we were not alone in the Silver Queen and were, in fact, in the company of ghosts of miners, gamblers, and errant women from the Comstock having a "hot time in the old town tonight."

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