Rhyolite - A Ghost Town in the Spotlight

Stop on Area 51, a free self-guided tour.

On August 9, 1904, prospectors found gold in the Bullfrog Hills, and Rhyolite sprang from a two-person camp to about 2,500 people in six months. At its peak it may have held between 3,500 and 5,000. Financier Charles Schwab bought the Montgomery-Shoshone Mine in 1906 and brought water, power and a railroad.

Then the ore ran thin. The mine closed in March 1911, and by 1920 just 14 people were left. Walk among the ruins: the three-story Cook Bank building of 1908, the Bottle House built by Tom Kelly from 50,000 discarded bottles, and the mission-style train depot.

Just past the townsite, the Goldwell Open Air Museum shows Belgian artist Albert Szukalski's 1984 sculpture The Last Supper. Rhyolite has also played itself in movies, including Cherry 2000 and The Island. The Bureau of Land Management looks after the townsite, so take only photos.

Getting here: From Goldfield, drive US-95 south to Beatty, roughly 65 miles, then head west toward Rhyolite, about four miles from town.

Trivia: What did Tom Kelly use to build the Bottle House?

Nearby: No services at the ghost town. Beatty, about four miles east, has gas, food and lodging.