Town of Virginia City – VC Cemetery

The Town of Virginia City used a MHF grant to hire the Institute for Canine Forensics to locate human remains in two historic cemeteries: Boot Hill and the Hebrew Cemetery. Forensic canines employs trained dogs to identify and detect the presence of buried human remains—many of which are unmarked in historic cemeteries. With help from the dogs in locating the historic human remains, the graves can be accurately marked, recorded, and mapped. Ultimately, locating the remains will allow the town to preserve cultural material contained within town properties.

Boot Hill and the Hebrew Cemetery both present unique archaeological and build features, which continue to require the support of specialty research from the academic and professional community.