[GH85Carrera]

Photographed by Carleton E. Watkins, the Sierra Nevada Hoisting Works in Virginia City shows the scale of mining on the Comstock Lode during the 1870s. The stacks of timber and heavy framing reflect how much wood was needed to build hoists, headframes, and underground supports. Every beam had a purpose, keeping shafts open and equipment working as ore was brought to the surface. Images like this document the physical demands of deep hard rock mining and the materials required to keep operations running day after day.
Image courtesy of the University of Nevada, Reno, Special Collections.