Watch Virginia City Camel Races Sept.10-12, 2010
Nevada's Zaniest Race Features Camels, Ostriches, Emus and Riders
Aug 27, 2008
Each September dozens of seemingly normal people, who live more or less ordinary lives the rest of the year, get on the backs of camels and race along a 300-ft. course in Virginia City. This year the amazing spectacle takes place September 11-13.
In the Beginning
During the frontier days in the west, camels were used as pack animals. In the Comstock (the silver lode in the Virginia City area) they were used to carry salt and general supplies. Later, when the V & T Railroad took over the transportation function, the camels were turned loose in the surrounding hills and through time disappeared.
From Fiction to Reality
In 1959, the late Bob Richards, then editor of the Territorial Enterprise, Virginia City’s newspaper, wrote a fictional account of the town’s camel races. Virginia City residents held a real race the next year and it became an annual event. Ostriches were added in 1962. When residents of Alice Springs, Australia, which already had its own camel races, entered the event in the mid-1980s, it’s name was changed to the Virginia City International Camel Races. Ever since, the Australian riders have come back to compete for the four-foot-high International Camel Cup.
Through the Years
Not only have the races continued. Each year they become zanier and more colorful. The mean-spirited camels, which hiss and spit a lot, are still the main attraction. Many of their riders, Nevada celebrities and daredevils from around the United States, come in costume – everything from Arabian Nights outfits to monks’ robes.
The racing ostriches pull two-wheeled sulkies around the course. The drivers steer the carts with brooms, holding them so the bristles are next to sides of the ostriches’ heads (held on the right side, the big birds turn left). The ostriches hate the brooms, so move as fast as they can, trying to get rid of the annoyance. There are emu races, too, with children as their riders since the strange-looking birds are not large enough to tolerate more weight.
When, Where and How Much
The races begin on the track located between F and H Streets at about one o’clock in the afternoon and continue for three or four hours, depending on the camels’ willingness to cooperate (mounting and getting the animals to stay in place is a major task). There isn't a dull moment, as the races are augmented by live music, food and drink stands and specialty acts in the racetrack area as well as on Virginia City’s main drag, C Street (the climb is uphill all the way). Admission to the races is $10 for adults.
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