Rhyolite Ghost Town (Nevada)
The remains of the old jail, the walls of the 3-story bank building, and the train depot (privately owned) are about all that’s left from the boom-and-bust lifespan of the town of Rhyolite. It was once a lively, social community that hosted dances, Sunday school picnics, basketball and baseball games, and Saturday night concerts that included a local symphony. When gold was discovered in the hills of this northern end of the Mojave desert in 1904 the town sprang up and drew prospectors that laid over 2,000 claims in a 30-mile area. It proved to be lucrative for some, but it was short-lived. The financial panic of 1907 signaled its end and by 1916 the electricity, which ironically was installed in 1907, was turned off.
Localed about 4-miles west of Beatty, it is near the Goldwell Open Air Museum, with Tom Kelly’s Bottlehouse, about halfway between the ghost town and the museum. The town is on land that partially Federal and partially private. Please respect all No Trespassing signs.
Rhyolite, NV 89003
