Old Virginia City Flume

Remnants of the old flume, high on the Virginia Range above Washoe Valley, that carried water to Virginia City, Nevada, from Marlette Lake in the Carson Range. The original flume was built in the 1870s; this part has been replaced with a more-or-less parallel pipe along a new road below, but some of the 19th century plumbing is still in use, in particular the siphon across Lakeview Pass. Insets on the left show different views of the flume; the inset on the right is Marlette Lake.
The silver strike on the Comstock Lode, which led to the founding of Virginia City, led to Nevada's statehood in 1864, long before other Mountain West states. It also funded much of the Union cause in the Civil War. Furthermore, Nevada's early statehood gave Lincoln the votes he needed to pass the constitutional amendments prohibiting slavery. At one point Virginia City was the largest city in the US between the Mississippi and San Francisco. It still exists: it remains the county seat of Storey County, and altho now pretty touristy, preserves some actual history, including a mining museum.
Oh, and if you're wondering about "Virginia": The putative discoverer of the Comstock was a colorful character named "Old Virginny." This accounts for the incongruous use of "Virginia" in so many area place names. E.g., the main north-south arterial, and US 395 business route, in Reno is "Virginia Street."
EDITED to add insets, now that I know how to do so!