NevadaCulture's video: Part 1 - African Americans on the Comstock

,In this edition of Exploring Nevada, well investigate an exciting archaeological discovery in the heart of Virginia City, in the mountains just east of Reno, Nevada. Its the remains of the Boston Saloon, a popular gathering place for African Americans who lived and worked on the Comstock. Researchers had begun to suspect that African Americans were making significant professional, business and social contributions to the life and times of late 19th Century Virginia City, and the archaeology was to bear this out. In this video, youll meet lead archaeologist Dr. Kelly Dixon of the Comstock Archaeology Center, who relates how five weeks of digging in the summer of 2000 produced a wealth of artifacts, giving solid clues as to how saloon patrons socialized, what they ate, drank and deemed important in their daily lives. Youll also meet volunteer Dan Urriola, who describes how he pieces together the artifacts, Dr. Don Hardesty, who supervised the related University of Nevada, Reno field school, and Nevada Historic Preservation Officer Ron James, who describes why the State of Nevada, through the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) helps to finance archaeological investigations. The video also includes a wealth of artifacts and archival resources. www.nevadaculture.org