The Old Washoe Club

The original Old Washoe Club, built in 1862 was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1875 which damaged a great portion of Virginia City. At that time they relocated in the present structure which escaped the flames of devastation. By this period of time a number of prospectors had attained a great deal of wealth, creating the motivation for providing a member's only club, prompting the Washoe Club to change their name to "The Millionaires Club".

Although specifically a member's only establishment designed for the wealthy, there were other notable members and visitors from the community, including such personages as Mark Twain and reputedly even Ulysses S. Grant took the liberty of visiting the "upper crust" atmosphere of what was then a prestigious and opulent atmosphere. The building is three stories high, with the upper two floors used for the private patrons, complete with gaming tables, plush suites, pool room and lush furnishings in all for the comfort and relaxation of the town's prominent personages. The lower part of the establishment was used for the access of prostitutes and was a private entry for those who wished to use it.

As time passed, and the wealth petered out, the club opened to the public out of economic necessity. Over the generations, as the town diminished, it reached almost ghost town proportions. The structures still retained their original boom town facade and some enterprising entrepreneurs attempted to revitalize Virginia City, using this 1870's appearance in order to introduce tourism into their economy.

The Old Washoe Club was one of the more well known survivors of that by-gone era of Wild West, boom town and wealth. The Club is especially known for its supernatural, paranormal phenomena. In a town full of ghosts, the Old Washoe Club seems to have a plethora of stories and visions. They have been the subject of more than one team of paranormal groups to research and document the evidence of ghostly apparitions, documentary research and television coverage. Most of the evidence accumulated is ambiguous, however, there are dozens of visitors and residents over the decades who will attest to sightings of at least three main ghostly appearances, a woman purported to be a former prostitute who entertained the gentlemen, a man who killed himself and the vision of a young girl.

Whether you believe in ghosts or not, it is certainly worth a visit to the Old Washoe Club whose downstairs area is open for viewing, while the spiral staircase leading to the upper floors is under renovation.