Providing security and access to both automobile and pedestrian traffic is handled differently along Las Vegas Boulevard and has changed over the years on the Strip. First installed in the 1990s, the pedestrian overpass has become commonplace along the Las Vegas Strip. Here, tourists ride an escalator near the Cromwell Las Vegas hotel and casino.

The mountains near Virginia City, Nevada. Virga can be seen falling from the clouds. Like many cities and towns in Nevada, Virginia City was a mining boomtown; it developed virtually overnight as a result of miners rushing to the Comstock Lode silver strike of 1859 on the eastern slopes of Mount Davidson. But, Virginia City far surpassed all others for its peak of population, technological advancements developed there, and for providing the population base upon which Nevada qualified for statehood. The riches of the Comstock Lode inspired men to hunt for silver mines throughout Nevada and other parts of the American West. At its peak, Virginia City had a population of over 25,000 residents and was called the richest city in America. Dominated by San Francisco moneyed interests, Virginia City was heralded as the sophisticated interior partner of San Francisco. “San Francisco on the coast and Virginia City inland” became the mantra of west coast Victorian entrepreneurs. Early Virginia City settlers were in large part the backwash from San Francisco and the California Gold Rush, ten years before. Mine owners who made a killing in the Comstock mines spent most of their wealth in San Francisco.

Meadows of Meadow Valley, Nevada.

Ruins at Fort Churchill, Nevada.

A view of Carson River in Nevada.

View of Walker River in Nevada.

View of Walker Lake in Nevada.