Gold Hill Depot Reception to Unveil Painting and Celebrate Nevada Sesquicentennial: Funds Raised for the Preservation of the Comstock Historic District

VIRGINIA CITY, NV--(Marketwired - October 06, 2014) - The rarely-seen interior of the Gold Hill Depot will open to the public for a special Nevada Day event. After extensive restorations by Storey County, the Virginia City Tourism Commission, and the Comstock Foundation for History and Culture, the Depot will be the location of a grand reception on October 31, celebrating the sesquicentennial of Nevada statehood and the unveiling of "Nine Cheers for the Silver State," a painting by renowned Nevada artist Steven Saylor.

Saylor's painting takes its title from a headline that appeared in the Gold Hill Daily News on October 31, 1864. Prints of the painting are available for purchase to raise funds for the historic preservation efforts of the Comstock Foundation. The champagne reception will be from 3:30 to 5:00 pm. The ticket price of $30 includes a ride on the Virginia and Truckee Railroad to and from its Virginia City terminus to the Gold Hill Depot. The train will depart from Virginia City at 3:00 pm, and it will return in time for a Virginia City parade celebrating 150 years of statehood. Tickets are available on the Virginia City Tourism Commission website www.visitvirginiacitynv.com/events/nevada-150-masquerade-ball.html or 775-847-7500.

Saylor's work depicts Governor Brian Sandoval as well as past governors Paul Laxalt, Bob List, Dick Bryan, and Bob Miller. In addition, the painting includes former First Ladies Dawn Gibbons and Dema Guinn, in honor of the Guinn and Gibbons administrations, and Corrado De Gasperis, Ron James and John Winfield, from the Comstock Foundation. Saylor has previously published prints of his popular paintings as fundraisers for various causes. His earlier paintings include "Celebrity Train," portraying notable country and western celebrities, and "Heavyweights," that also depicted six former living governors.

The reception will allow people to see the inside of the Depot, which dates to 1869 and features historic graffiti including the names of many nineteenth-century Comstock residents. "This interior is one of the best preserved V&T Railroad spaces in existence," said Ron James, executive director of the Comstock Foundation. "Since the railroad is one of the world's most significant historic shortlines, we were very pleased that the Comstock Foundation could work with Storey County to make the building available for functions so people can visit this important site."

The Comstock Foundation will make 150 numbered prints of Saylor's painting available for purchase. Each copy will include a one troy ounce pure silver medallion celebrating the 150^th anniversary of statehood, minted from pure Comstock silver (.9999), mined safely and responsibly from the Comstock Lode District. The cost of each print, including a Comstock silver medallion, is $1,150. For an additional $400, the print will be framed and will include a second medallion.

"We anticipate that the effort will raise over $100,000 of critically needed funds to preserve at-risk resources of our National Landmark," said Corrado De Gasperis, chairman of the board of the Comstock Foundation. "We are delighted that Comstock Mining can provide the purest Comstock silver, literally for the first time since the U.S. Mint in Carson City closed in 1893, for the minting of this artfully crafted medallion that we are offering with the print. The coin actually represents the first, pure Comstock silver product being offered by the company and directly benefitting the Foundation, and we are already seeing strong demand and deposits and orders for the prints. The prints will definitely sell out."

De Gasperis is also the CEO of Comstock Mining, Inc. The Company has dedicated a 1 percent net smelter return (1% NSR) from its Storey County operation's to the Comstock Foundation for the advancement of historic preservation and other aspects of cultural development within the Comstock historic district. Separate sale of the medallion for $100.50 each includes a 10 percent donation to the Comstock Foundation. 

The Comstock Foundation for History and Culture is accepting pre-sale reservations of the print. Reserving a numbered print requires a $150 deposit with credit card or check. It is possible to reserve a specific number in the series of 150 prints, but there have already been a significant number of reservations, so specific numbers may not be available. For further information go to www.comstockfoundation.org or call Johnye Saylor, 775-742-0588, or Ron James, 775-443-7803.

The Comstock Foundation for History and Culture is a 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2013. The organization recently announced the acquisition of the Silver City's Donovan Mill, which will require extensive restoration so that it can serve the public as a reminder of industry's importance to Nevada. Donations to the Comstock Foundation for the restoration of the Mill or any other Foundation activities may be tax deductible. The Foundation's mission is to encourage the preservation and promotion of historic and cultural resources within the Comstock Historic District. The District was granted National Historic Landmark status in 1961, and is one of the largest landmarks in the country. The Comstock Lode played a critical role in the history of mining between 1859 and 1942, producing an enormous amount of gold and silver and defining the cutting edge of mining technology during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

For information about the Comstock Foundation for History and Culture and its projects go to www.comstockfoundation.org or contact Ron James, executive director of the Comstock Foundation, at 775-443-7803.