Virginia City dig finds toys, opium cache

VIRGINIA CITY - Shaded from the beating sun by tarps, a mother works near her son shoveling dirt into a bag.

They carefully dig out layers of a foundation of an old Chinese mercantile, where immigrants who left China before her own great-grandfather, gathered as a community. The global market of the time sold meats, fish, toys and exotic herbs while miners dug for silver fortunes in the hills nearly 140 years ago.

The bustling mercantile burned down during the Great Fire of 1875, but left behind the clues of Chinese life now being pieced together.

Archeologists have made excellent discoveries in the layers of dirt at the corner of H and Union streets, said lead archeologist Jessica Axom.

"I think we've put together an excellent story," Axom said.

Given just a few weeks this summer to excavate, volunteers unearthed a beautiful wooden staircase and found what appears to be an opium stash, with a small glass vial, a slate plate, a tin and pipe.

They also found the sacrificial remains of small cats or birds entombed in the concrete foundation, a ritual practice used by cultures of that day.

The corner of the 22-by-30-foot building shows it faced H Street and there's evidence of a 10-foot lean-to in back. Buttons, a toy gun, game pieces and fine porcelain pieces are among the 8,000 artifacts to be sent to a laboratory at the University of Nevada, Reno for analysis.

Volunteer Barbara Papadakos, whose great-grandfather left China to operate a Keno house for minorities in Reno in the 1900s, volunteered for the excavation of old Chinatown because of its cultural significance.

She also wanted her son to take part in uncovering the story. Alex, 13, dug through his bag holding a butchered bone and burned wood he unearthed during the morning's work.

"It's important for him," Papadakos said.

It may take years to piece together lab analysis of the entire excavation. But already, the work has uncovered a surprising discovery about Chinese family life. A broken piece of a highly unusual, dark green jade bracelet and another glass bracelet show women were important figures in the community.

"We have knowledge women were married to the owners," said archeology student Elyse Jolly. "It shows women were extremely valued. Women were raising children here."

Preliminary evidence shows children played with dolls, toy cap guns, marbles, dice and games. Families probably ate from the porcelain plates and rice bowls and drank tea from ornate cups and saucers found under the layers.

Also found were pieces of Celedon, a green glass typical of a Chinese mercantile, a teapot handle, a water glass, shoe leather with nails intact, a miraculous medal, coins from the Ming Dynasty and many buttons.

About 2,000 Chinese workers made up the town's second-largest ethnic group in the 1870s. They worked as laborers, merchants, doctors and servants. The Virginia City miners' union prohibited them from working in the mines, fearing they would undercut wages.

The archeological project caught the attention of the Antiques Roadshow. A crew visited the site Thursday. Ron James, state historic preservation officer, is working with the project.

The State Historic Preservation Office is working to put together an exhibit of the artifacts to display at the Fourth Ward School in Virginia City.

"We're going to learn so much more about this as time goes on," James said.

Part of the story was apparently destroyed decades ago. During the excavation Axom's group found much of the original site was torn apart with a backhoe, probably by a bottle digger.

Workers uncovered the foundation to the building next to the mercantile, but will run out of time to investigate further. The private property owner is in a hurry to build a horse corral and was busy putting in posts Friday. The group will wrap up the project next week.

"It's never enough time," Axom said. "We've been really lucky in terms of finds, but there's always something more. Just the ability to excavate is lucky enough."

Contact Jill Lufrano at jlufrano@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.