The Territorial Enterprise was founded by William Jernegan and an Alfred James on December 18, 1858. It was first published for its first two years in Genoa and eventually was moved to Virginia City in 1860. When the paper first came to Virginia City a small wooden structure would be built to house the newspaper the first publication was issued from the corner of A Street and Sutton Avenue where it was quickly relocated to downtown or rather the business district. The editors and reporters worked tediously in the basement while the upstairs served as offices when the newspaper moved down on Main Street. Three buildings over time would be built to house the Territorial Enterprise the first was a small wooden structure which stood till about 1862. The second was a much larger wood building to accommodate the equipment being brought in to publish this growing newspaper. The final building which is the one you see found on our website below was constructed in 1876 made of brick with a highly decorative parapet and cast-iron storefront fluted with Tuscan pilasters. As a matter in fact just across the street from the Territorial Enterprise was the Ponderosa Saloon & Belcher Mine which also housed the Bank Of California operated by Sharon who eventually would go on to purchase this newspaper. Regardless of the ups and down the Territorial Enterprise survived The Great Fire Of 1875 and multiple closures and is forever indicted with over 150 years of wild western journalism history and I am blessed to be able to share it with all our viewers. 

The first steam-activated press in Nevada was installed in this building at the time of its construction this also goes with saying that the Territorial Enterprise was the first Nevadan Published Newspaper. But even that is up for debate because many boom towns before 1860 had a newspaper in the silver state. Then again prior to 1864 Nevada was simply a territory but the newspaper that was distributed would have been the first of its kind. Publications did not only reach Virginia Cities residents but I heard the paper made its way all the way to Carson City, Genoa and perhaps even Reno. So it was a very well known publication particularly when Mark Twain, Joe Goodman, Rollin Daggett, Judge C.C. Goodwin, Fred Harte, James "Lying Jim" Townsend, Wells Drury and Dan De Quille were at the helm. While Mark Twain is probably the name you recognize most all the editors for the paper were well known at the time throughout the American west. 

The editors worked around the clock perhaps even entire days trying to publish this newspaper. Allot of the artifacts in the basement here are well preserved for example the toilet Mark Twain sat on, his desk, printing pressed he used and even a marble table the editors had napped on in between writing articles. I can imagine the newspaper was built in the basement because it simply was cooler to work underground in the sweltering summer heat. The editors had gotten very few breaks in between as they were always writing editorials and then they had to publish them using various printing presses. Honestly, I have to say this is the finest collection of artifacts in direct correlation to Mark Twain let alone any historic newspaper in the country so if you happen to visit Virginia City its a MUST that you take a time out to visit this hidden gem. 

The newspaper had some other interesting features as well such as a Dumbwaiter perhaps because fruit and other foods could be lowered down to the editors. Imagine going to pick up lunch for your friends then you load it onto the Dumbwaiter lowering it to them. Their were no fancy amenities while you worked as a reporter for this newspaper. You might have walked the streets to get a story but a majority of your time was spent in a dingy basement. As a matter in fact at one time a tunnel systems use to connect all the businesses underground. If you worked as a reporter you could navigate the tunnels and go anywhere in this city at the time. Allot of times the Chinese used these tunnels because they were not allowed to walk the streets publicly while merchants also utilized them to move around goods since the streets at the time were far to busy. As many as 40 to 50 thousand people lived in the Comstock Lode at the time so sometimes it was easier to traverse the tunnels or if you needed goods to utilize the underground market. 

If you wander this basement your going to find mining relics, old smocks, carriages, newspapers from the 1800's, presses, circus posters, old dusty wood desk and the list goes on and on. Sadly most people who visit this museum visit it for a mere few minutes. Not us however we could spend hours down here reading historical excerpts and seeking out this newspapers ghosts of the past. The basement sort of has a life of its own every speck of dust, dirty newspaper, grimy press, bottle of ink, artifact and creaky wooden floorboard gives today's Territorial Newspaper character. As a matter in fact the paper is still available to those who wish to subscribe to it locally. So in a sense this is not just one of Nevada's oldest newspapers but one of the longest standing ones. 

Mark Twain came to Virginia City after having a hand in mining. He was never really good at it as a matter in fact he first tried in a town known as Unionville Nevada. Even when he came to Virginia City he would try again till after he picked up a shiny rock thinking it was silver and it turned out to be anything but that. He always felt that mining was slave work and that if you were ever going to earn a living from it you technically had to own the mine itself. With that being said he made is way through Devils Gate and to the Comstock where some friends pranked him by robbing his pocket watch. When he arrived he worked for the paper and was hired to cover for DeQuille whom at the time was taking family leave in Iowa. Strangely the two became lifelong friends where they shared a room at 25 North B St. just a few steps away from the Territorial Enterprise at a boarding house which did burn down in the great fire. 

Samuel Clemens worked at the Territorial Enterprise from about 1862 till 1864 nearly two years. He had come to realize that his talents were not in mining but rather writing thus he adopted the pen name Mark Twain. I was also told by the caretaker that it was Mark Twain who helped design the Nevada Seal, State Flag and Constitution along with his brother who at one time served as Nevada's first governor. So their is allot of history that Mark Twain brought to the silver state during his short time here. While he may have traveled the country continuously he did lay roots in Nevada for awhile throughout many of the ghost towns that our group visits today. As a matter in fact when he left the newspaper he began to write some of his most famous works while journeying out to Angels Camp where he resided in a Cabin on Jackass Hill. Twain actually talks about many of the places he visited out west in his book "Roughing It" including a small piece about Mount Davidson's flagpole which is a massive mountain that overshadows not only the city but resides directly in front of the Territorial Enterprise. Its easy to imagine Mark Twain smoking a cigar at sunset adoring the view that unfolded before him everyday while taking a break from writing. More then likely Mark Twain used his time at the Territorial Enterprise to gather notes, stories and ideas that would be eventually put into some of his prize winning books.

In 1868 Mark Twain reminiscedand wrote about his journalism career in Nevada with the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise:

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