James Finney, a Virginia-born prospector known to his friends as "Old Virginia" or "Old Virginny," was born in 1817 and lived in a tent dug into a hillside at what became known as Johntown, two miles from the mouth of Gold Canyon. In February 1858, he claimed a ledge of rock on the east side of Sun Mountain by filling out a location notice and hiding it in a crevice; the claim became known as the "Virginia Lead," a large vein near what later became the "Comstock Lode." He later sold his interest in that claim for an old horse, a pair of blankets, and a bottle of whiskey. In June 1859, two Irish miners, Patrick McLaughlin and Peter O'Riley, discovered the "Ophir Bonanza," a major find recognized as the origin of the "Comstock Lode," and "Old Virginny" sold any claim he may have had in that discovery for $50.00. He died on June 20, 1861, after falling from his horse while drunk, becoming tangled, and being dragged to death, and he is remembered in the name of Virginia City, the largest federally designated historical district in America.