Dearly Departed: The Good Death on the Comstock
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Authors
Andicoechea, Kassandra Teresa
Issue Date
2022
Type
Thesis
Language
Keywords
Comstock , Death , Exhibit , Good Death , Mourning , Virginia City
Alternative Title
Abstract
Virginia City, Nevada in the late nineteenth-century was a place in constant flux. The discovery of gold and silver brought thousands of migrants to the harsh Virginia mountain range. The ingenuity of the residents made living in the harsh environment comfortable to their Victorian sensibilities. This project argues that in the nineteenth-century Virginia City residents pursued and recreated their Good Death through the use of photography, craft, and mementos. At times, their expectations of a Good Death were unachievable. When the antithesis of a Good Death occurred, ghost stories spread, and at times residents experimented with Spiritualism. Divided into two parts, this master thesis combines traditional historical research into a public history exhibition project with detailed exhibition script and museological methodology.