A Brief History of the Chollar Mansion

Mr. Billy Chollar, the discoverer of the Chollar silver lode in Virginia City, Nevada, originally commissioned the design and construction of the Chollar Mansion in 1860. The mansion was designed by N.J. Colman in a modified Federalist style, and was constructed by H.S. Hill in 1861. It served solely as the business office of the Chollar Gold and Silver Mining Company until 1870, and according to historical records, Mr. Chollar never lived in the building. However, it did feature a reception hall, men's parlor, women's parlor, map room, superintendent's office, bullion vault, and paymaster's office. In 1867 it was discovered that the building sat directly above the ideal location needed for a pumping station to remove water from the Chollar Mine shafts. To remedy this, the building was moved four blocks downhill to its present location on “D” Street, east of the mine. The structure is anchored to its granite foundation with steel tie rods through 18 inch square wooden beams.

Between 1868 and 1869, Mr. Chollar experienced several business setbacks that caused him to surrender the mine to the newly established Bank of California. These difficulties included a mine fire and explosion, as well as a poor choice in mining exploration, which led miners away from the once lucrative and seemingly endless silver deposits. The Bank of California sent Mr. Isaac Requa, an experienced Comstock mine superintendent to the Chollar Mine to survey the damage, assess the feasibility of continued operations, and subsequently, to serve as the new superintendent of the Chollar Mine. Isaac, his wife Sarah, and their son Mark moved into the Chollar Mansion in 1870, becoming its first permanent residents.

Following his survey, Isaac recommended to the Bank of California that mining exploration should continue, but in a different direction. Soon afterward, a new, rich vein of silver was discovered and the Chollar Mine began drawing tons of silver from Mount Davidson and was once again productive and financially solvent. The Requa’s lived in the Chollar Mansion for 10 years, returning to California in 1880. The Chollar Mine became the fifth most productive silver mine on the Comstock, yielding more than $17 million in silver ore.

Throughout its nearly 150-year existence, the Chollar Mansion has led quite a colorful and historic life. It has been graced by the presence of the Comstock’s mining elite; two world-famous authors; a Civil War general and former United States President; and the acting casts of the television series’ “Bonanza” and “Wagon Train”.

Samuel Clemens, known to most as “Mark Twain”, often spent time in the Chollar Mansion during the early 1860’s, while he lived and worked as a newspaper writer for the Territorial Enterprise in Virginia City. The author of such classics as “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and “Tom Sawyer”, Clemens wrote his western adventure novel, “Roughing It” in 1872 about his days in Virginia City.

The family history of Isaac and Sarah Requa indicates that Ulysses S. Grant, Civil War General and 18th President of the United States, once dined in the Chollar Mansion, as a guest of the Requa’s, during a post-presidential visit to Virginia City in 1879. While here, he delivered a speech to Virginia City residents from the balcony of the Savage Mansion, thanking the miners and their families for their valuable contributions to the Union Army during the Civil War.

Another famous author, Walter Van Tilburg Clark, lived in the Chollar Mansion during the 1940’s and 50’s. He is best known for his classic novels, “The Ox-Bow Incident”, written in 1940, and “Track of the Cat”, written while residing at the Chollar in 1949. Both stories were later produced as Hollywood movies, starring Henry Fonda and Robert Mitchum, respectively. Walter V.T. Clark died in 1971 and is buried in the historic Virginia City Cemetery.

In 1959, Jewell Tilton O'Connell, a former school teacher, philanthropist, and one-time Director of the United Services Organization (USO), purchased the Chollar Mansion. In 1960 she began major renovations to the mansion that included a complete remodeling of the first floor and the addition of a modern kitchen. She also refurbished the exterior balconies, landscaped the gardens, and enlarged Mark Requa's playhouse into a full-sized cottage. She then opened the mansion to the public, operating it as a museum for several years. As guests of Jewell O’Connell, the acting casts of the television series’ “Bonanza” and “Wagon Train”, frequently dined in the mansion. Her guests included actors Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, Dan Blocker, and Ward Bond.

Built in a modified Federalist style architecture, the Chollar Mansion boasts 16-inch thick brick walls, 14-foot high ceilings, and a three-story cantilever staircase with a Honduran Rosewood banister. Special features relevant to its service as the Chollar Mine business office include a paymaster’s booth, where each month the miners came to draw their pay, and an arched stone bullion vault. The 164 square-foot vault is reported to be the largest in Virginia City and still features its original steel door and combination lock.

The Chollar Mansion has operated as a bed & breakfast since 1988 offering guests the charm of a western Victorian home, nestled in the heart of Nevada’s Comstock. Private historical tours of the mansion are available for guests only.